Runnerville

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.

In last week’s Runnerville Weekly podcast, Matt Taylor discussed his conversation with Chris Lukezic about the lack of interest sponsors seem to have about getting their athletes out in the public eye.  Chris told Matt that if asked to do a public promotion he would gladly do it.  The conversation carried on to conclude that if Chris went out and met 100-200 new people, that the interaction with those people would create 100-200 new fans of Chris, as they would have a personal connection with him since they interacted with him.

While this sounds great, there is one piece missing from this puzzle.  Once Chris has 100-200 new fans, where does he send them to follow his racing?  Luckily for Chris he has a blog that he can send people to, where he provides commentary on his training and racing.  However, for the majority of professional athletes, blogging is not an interest they have or their sponsors have.  So where do fans get their news?

For the majority of die-hard fans out there, including me, we know where to look to find our running news.  We check LetsRun, FloTrack, EliteRunning, etc. on an obsessive basis to see if there just might be a piece of news we missed after rolling out of bed and turning on the computer in the morning.  However, do new fans know where to go to find professional running news? Read more…

What a difference one day makes. Before Sunday’s men’s 800m dash, the rivalry between Nick Symmonds and Khadevis Robinson was nearly not existent. While a few knowledgeable individuals may have labeled the duo a quality tandem that could really make an impact on the world stage, few were pitting the two against each other.

Now, in less than four news cycles, Symmonds and Robinson are being touted as the greatest rivalry in our sport. Whether or not you agree with these two being matched up, I completely agree with the idea of creating rivalry in our sport. Any type of sport, anywhere in the world, thrives off of rivalry. Duke v. North Carolina in basketball, Boston v. New York in baseball, Chicago v. Green Bay in football. Match ups between rivals get the most media exposure each time they face off because of the great battles between these groups in the past and what fans hope to see the next time they face off. Read more…

Over on Jesse Squire’s Track and Field Superblog today, he writes about problems with college track and field. Jesse lays down some interesting solutions to growing problems at the collegiate level. He offers up the idea of more dual meets, a true NCAA Team Championship and a few other pieces that really get the mind churning.

So in response to his article, I’ve come up with a solution of my own, which can be applied to collegiate track and field. Are you ready? Here you go…

GET RID OF INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Honestly, what purpose does it serve? You can sit there and tell me all day long it’s a separate sport (which I believe it is…kinda), and that sprinters, jumpers and throwers use it to hone their skills before outdoor, but is it honestly needed? Read more…

  I’ve never seen a full NASCAR race on TV.  Honestly, the sport never appealed to me and probably never will.  I grew up in Chicago, where football, baseball and basketball rule.  However, over the past two years I’ve read at least five separate books on NASCAR.  Each book discussed the business or growth of the sport and through these readings I now have an appreciation for NASCAR, mostly because of how it directly relates to our great sport.

  NASCAR grew in an era where few sports can go from middle tier to upper tier in only a few years.  I don’t know if we’ll ever see a sport flourish at such an alarming rate as NASCAR has during this decade.  Time and time again I talk with friends about our sport, and time and time again NASCAR comes into the picture.  Their business plans, marketing models and creation of characters is something every sport should take a deep look at.

  Despite all the benefits NASCAR received with their growing sport over the past few years, the head of NASCAR Brian France now believes that his sport lost some of their die-hard fans from the “early years” because it became too mainstream and lost its character.  This is something our sport should take into consideration at all levels as meet directors, USATF, agents and others try to propel our sport into the twenty-first century idea that a sport is a business, and that our sport can be a viable one.

  No second or third tier sport can survive these days with a business only approach.  These types of sports, which ours falls into, need to keep the character and history it had, but also improve upon its marketing and management techniques.  It’s a fine line to follow, but one our sport can accomplish if the right minds execute the right ideas in coming years.

Welcome to runnerville.com - a collection of minds in the sport of running. Many of the names involved in this project have talked with each other at some point - sometimes dozens of times - about what can be done to improve our sport in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. After months of discussion, it became increasingly clear that we needed to compile these ideas in one place in an effort to spark conversation, provoke thought, and promote change.

This isn’t a website covering the results of running. Rather, it’s a website devoted to discussing all aspects of the sport and how fans, athletes, meet directors, agents, and everyone else involved, can put their minds, energy, and time together to improve the sport one idea at a time. Runnerville is a mash-up of blogging, writing, and podcasting. Blogging will occur regularly, feature articles will be written semi-regularly, and two podcasts will be published - one weekly, the other not weekly. Runnerville Weekly is a (you guessed it) weekly podcast where each panelist discusses the news, views, and issues that most directly affect our sport. There are no rules, other than to keep each segment under two minutes. You’ll hear from Amby Burfoot, Chris Lear, Mary Wittenberg, Tim Hutchings, Robert Johnson, and many more. The Toni & Matt Show, featuring Reavis with Matt Taylor, looks at many angles of the running world in a variety show format. Think The McLaughlin Group meets The Sports Reporters, who get together with Mike and Mike.

Runnerville is a community-driven conversation. Join us.