Who Should Be the Face of Our Sport?
I don’t normally read ESPN Magazine, in fact I detest ESPN for only covering the drug aspect of our sport, but I found myself reading it as I waited at the local Jiffy Lube for my car to get an oil change. On the cover was the face of Kimbo Slice, the newest MMA star. The article went into depth on Slice’s life and how he’s become such a big star in the sport despite accomplishing so little.
While the article was entertaining, it also got me thinking that one of the reasons MMA has become so big is because UFC and the other organizations in the sport have done a phenomenal job at putting a face on their sport.
In the article the author stated, “Truth is, a star and some buzz are good for any sport; MMA should welcome Kimbo’s charisma, personality and ability to attract the uninitiated.” What Kimbo seems to be doing is a smaller version of what Lance Armstrong did for cycling and what Tiger Woods has done for golf. Those sports found their one poster boy, the one guy who could take their sport to the next level in terms of popularity and marketed that person to the extreme.
I truly believe every sport has a Lance Armstrong or Tiger Woods. That one person that has a story, shares their personality with the world a bit and comes out on top 9 times out of ten. But who are the athletes in our sport that have that charisma and personality, who win a bunch and can attract both old and new fans alike? I’d love to hear all of your thoughts on this.
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June 5th, 2008 at 9:37 am |
Lance did it for cycling for sure. Can he do it for running as well?
He’s obviously not an elite (yet) and won’t come out on top 9 times out of 10, however, he does a damn good job of accomplishing the goals he sets for himself. A role model for us all, fast and slow. He also has the fan fare and popularity to help our sport out.
Ryan Hall is another contender, but I don’t think he has the personality to go along with job. We need another Prefontaine personality; Someone who doesn’t give a s**t what people say about him/her and doesn’t take no for an answer. An outspoken front runner.
I’d be happy to be this person, if only I was fast enough…
June 5th, 2008 at 9:35 pm |
Tyson Gay impressed me with his character after the loss to Usain Bolt. That type of humility and sportsmanship isn’t what US sprinters are known for. I found it refreshing.
The question with track stars is staying power. Lance stood the test of time as did Jordan. I think longevity is part of the formula that makes an athlete synonymous with a sport.
Maybe Tyson will be that man someday, but it is more likely that the longer career will come from a mid distance or distance runner, perhaps hurdler or maybe a field event person. Sprinters tend to have a shorter shelf life.
June 6th, 2008 at 2:16 am |
The sport of track and field has 19 events, many of them completely different in temperament and what I would call “casual” fan base. Lance does a good job with the fun-runner crowd, but I don’t think he’s what Matt is referring to here.
Truth be told, it has to be more than one person, and there have to be both men and women. Ryan Hall was my first thought. All-American Christian boy does good is an easy sell, and he’s willing to put himself out there by writing blogs, etc. Allyson Felix should definitely be one of those people. She’s got the looks and the results. Maybe Jenn Stuczynski?
The fact is, I think it will take a concerted effort to put 10-20 people out in the public eye. I don’t think we’re going to get another Pre. For all his personality, the most important thing about him was that he never lost. Americans like underdogs and champions. So we need some kind of combination to that effect. Now that Tyson is the underdog, maybe winning the 100 in Beijing could propel him to that spot…
June 6th, 2008 at 8:22 am |
Most people who watch any sport are those who participate in it, but are not good enough to compete at a professional level. For Track & Field and Road Racing, those who watch the televised competitions sit in admiration of how fast these people are running. Some take this on their runs and fantasize about being that runner or competing against them. This can be their way of feeling, if just for a moment, what it’s like to be a professional runner.
Which brings up my choice for a poster person for the sport, Brian Sell. Brian was an average, at best, high school runner who is now representing the U.S. in the Olympics for the marathon. Any young runner out there can take fantasizing about him to another level. They can be him!!! “This wasn’t a State Champion, just like me.” This wasn’t a Footlocker All-American, just like me.” This wasn’t a collegiate super star, just like me.” “He is now in the Olympics, hey, maybe just like me.”
What a great story and inspiration for this sport!
June 6th, 2008 at 3:34 pm |
Renguso:
Good call on Brian Sell.
June 7th, 2008 at 11:19 am |
I enjoy watching Sell run and following his story, but look at him and then look at Tiger and Lance. See any differences?
We want a homegrown, but TRANSCENDENTAL talent. Sure Tiger and Lance have underdog elements to their stories — Tiger as a minority in a traditionally lily-white sport, Lance having to overcome the transition from triathlons to pure road biking — but they win and they win and they win. Kind of like Carl Lewis.
Felix could be that type of talent, as could Gay, but neither one has that underdog element. Wariner as a champion white sprinter doesn’t work either, because “white guy overcomes the odds” doesn’t exactly sell.
In other words, we are screwed.
June 7th, 2008 at 11:59 am |
Lolo Jones can win and she’s got the looks and personality to go with it. I also like Andrew Carlson, but he can’t win everything. Great personality, though! There are a lot of Pro US athletes that have outstanding stories, but no one is following them. Flotrack and Runnerspace do their best, but we need more, more, more. Matt did this with his ChasingTradition, too. Follow the athlete around for a wekk to a month or something. Matt is doing this with Bolt. And it’s awesome! I can’t wait to see how he lives his daily life and learn his personality so I can care if he wins or loses! No offense to Matt, but I personally have trouble relating to a Kenyan who grew up on a farm, knows little English, has maybe a grade school education, and is not in touch with main stream American media. Their story is amazing, I agree! And I respect them like no other. I am amazed by what they’ve had to go through and how they live their lives. I guess I’d rather see Michael Johnson intimidation and see how he trains and what he did to achieve his goals. Or follow Alan Webb’s story for a while. Because, I can relate to some one who grew up in America better. Forgive me for this lack of culture, but I think Matt’s ChasingTradition series was the best out of all the projects he’s worked on because it really went into the athletes personal lives and we saw something in these kids we could all relate to. Sorry for the long response. If you got to this point, thank you.
June 8th, 2008 at 9:39 am |
I know that a lot of people would like it to be an American athlete, and think that folks in the US will never relate to a foreigner, but I think that there is something magical about Geb. I shook his hand at a pre-race meet-and-greet, and you could feel that you were in the presence of one of the greats. Maybe solely promoting Americans isn’t the right approach in a sport as international as ours.
June 8th, 2008 at 11:58 am |
I agree that it doesn’t have to be an American athlete. However, why do you think that Geb is not as big as Pre was? I personally don’t know. I just saw an interview by Mottram on RunnerSpace. This guy could do it. He is confident, says somewhat controversial things, is tuned in to popular culture, and loves the attention. Could he do it?
Another thought: There have been great personalities in the sport in other countries, like Coe, Radcliffe and Ovett in Britain that capture the medias attention in their own countries. How come they fail to capture the American media’s attention?
Is it really the lack of that personality or is it the lack of a media that will create space for and showcase that personality?
June 9th, 2008 at 9:45 am |
Mottram is a great person to point out, Josh. Maybe the American sports scene is full enough that it won’t go out of its way to embrace a foreigner… but Mottram is definitely THE prototype: charismatic, good-looking, something of an underdog, and ultimately, VERY TALENTED.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:06 pm |
Be careful what you wish for. Kimbo Slice is not comparable to Tiger Woods. He is certainly marketable, but he is not the face of MMA for those knowledgeable about the sport. The closest equivalent i can think of in the world of running is probably Dean Karnazes, but i respect Karnazes more. Karnazes is better known than Ryan Hall, Dathan Ritzenheim, Meb, or Deena; but is he really the athlete you want to represent the sport of running?
June 11th, 2008 at 8:35 pm |
The mention of Coe and Ovett as being uber-popular in Britain got me thinking about another thing that has been discussed here in the past: rivalries. The answer may not be in promoting one individual, but in promoting the rivalry of two great athletes.
Tiger vs Mickelson. Gordon vs Earnhardt Jr. Federer vs Nadal. All of these are match-ups in individual sports that can be promoted and that generate a lot of interest in their respective competitions. Perhaps we can do the same with Gay vs Bolt or Wariner vs Merritt… If someone like Ritz can challenge Hall in the marathon it could be big, too.
One things for sure, though. While an athlete like Geb could do it with his ability and personality, the fact that he spends all of his time in Africa and Europe will stop him from ever capturing the minds of Americans. Whoever is going to do it will have to have a significant presence here.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:04 pm |
What you need is one or more athletes that are absolutely the best in the world (or nearly so), can do physically freakish things, compete often and never duck their rivals. Great personalities and friends in the media are essential.
In other words, the troika of Christian Cantwell, Reese Hoffa and Adam Nelson. When one of them gets too old, there will be others to take his place. Jay Leno, by the way, was a high school thrower and has had John Godina on his show.
It would not be difficult to get at least a few of these guys out in a more public setting, where people can really see just how far they’re throwing a 16-pound ball (which is too heavy for a lot of people to bowl with, let alone throw).