Usain Bolt Has Destroyed Market Value of Track Athletes

[CookyMonzta]

It's almost gotten to the point where the first criteria for a great meet is not how many stars you were able to hire, but whether Bolt is among those, making him the entire cake instead of the icing. A cake with only one ingridient, as tasty as it might be, is not the one you want to eat.

It was the same with Michael Johnson, especially in the 400. Some meet directors didn't want to enter him in the 400 (unless they thought he was ready for a WR), because he was almost untouchable in that event. They'd let him run the 200, though, because he had Frank Fredericks to contend with.

[ATK]

This is similar to a thought I posted in another thread. Bolt (and Flo-Jo before him) has taken away a significant element from the sprints -- the possibility of a WR being set by someone else. For many (not all, mind you), this will decrease interest in those events.

Its kind of unfair to the athlete though. You basicly saying, we want you to run fast, but only so fast that others can compete with you and make it more entertaining.

I don't see how I said that -- I was imposing no restrictions on who can run what. The fact of the matter is that the 100m and 200m WRs are now out of reach for quite some time. A big part of the thrill of the 100m (and 200m, to a lesser extent -- MJ saw to that) over the last 20+ years has been seeing who can step up to the plate and challenge those times. That's unlikely to happen now for a long, long time (particularly if Bolt continues to lower them before he's done).

Sorry I guess I didn't state what I was saying clearly.

When I say "You" I meant the fans who are watching. They want fast times, and exciting races, but now that Bolt has run too fast, it becomes less exciting of a race to watch. Which basically contradicts itself.

[skiboo]

I don't see how I said that -- I was imposing no restrictions on who can run what. The fact of the matter is that the 100m and 200m WRs are now out of reach for quite some time..

These kinds of statements have always been proven wrong.

History is your friend. Pay attention to it.

How does one prove such a statement to be false? What does "quite some time" mean? Wasn't Owens' LJ record around for "quite some time"? Unless you're saying there's an implication such as "we won't see this record beaten in our lifetimes", I don't see where the problem lies with JRM's choice of words.

Flojo's 21.34 WILL be around for quite some MORE time......I don't expect to see it bettered before it turns 50 years old, which would give it another 29 years to go......but wait, genetic engineering could skew this prediction...

[malmo]

I don't see how I said that -- I was imposing no restrictions on who can run what. The fact of the matter is that the 100m and 200m WRs are now out of reach for quite some time..

These kinds of statements have always been proven wrong.

History is your friend. Pay attention to it.

[JRM]

This is similar to a thought I posted in another thread. Bolt (and Flo-Jo before him) has taken away a significant element from the sprints -- the possibility of a WR being set by someone else. For many (not all, mind you), this will decrease interest in those events.

Its kind of unfair to the athlete though. You basicly saying, we want you to run fast, but only so fast that others can compete with you and make it more entertaining.

I don't see how I said that -- I was imposing no restrictions on who can run what. The fact of the matter is that the 100m and 200m WRs are now out of reach for quite some time. A big part of the thrill of the 100m (and 200m, to a lesser extent -- MJ saw to that) over the last 20+ years has been seeing who can step up to the plate and challenge those times. That's unlikely to happen now for a long, long time (particularly if Bolt continues to lower them before he's done).

[Speedfirst]

I thought it was all about the competition... :lol:

It is, Bolt competing to see how much richer he can get.

[gm]

I thought it was all about the competition... :lol:

[TrackDaddy]

For the men, but not the women.

[Speedfirst]

Yes He Has!

Co-sign

[Taliban]

Yes He Has!

[ATK]

This is similar to a thought I posted in another thread. Bolt (and Flo-Jo before him) has taken away a significant element from the sprints -- the possibility of a WR being set by someone else. For many (not all, mind you), this will decrease interest in those events.

Its kind of unfair to the athlete though. You basicly saying, we want you to run fast, but only so fast that others can compete with you and make it more entertaining.

[Marlow]

TFor many (not all, mind you), this will decrease interest in those events.

For Marks Snobs like myself, this is indeed a problem. I have had to recalibrate my 'acceptable marks' criteria for the 100 and 200. I used to think that 9.9x and 19.9x were where the true excitement began, but now . . . :?:

[jpaule]

Bolt is the subject of the column I wrote for the magazine just before the issue, and in it I make (or attempt to!) the case that like Carl Lewis before him (or like Tiger in golf) he may be bad for the sport overall. At least in the sense of trying to put a meet on: he's bigger than the sport now. He IS the sport, so if you don't have him, you got bupkis.

There is truth in what you say.

[3]

A cake with only one ingridient, as tasty as it might be, is not the one you want to eat.

Mr. "croflash", this is why Mr. Bolt's multi-dimensional personality gives that 1 ingredient so much flavour.

[JRM]

This is similar to a thought I posted in another thread. Bolt (and Flo-Jo before him) has taken away a significant element from the sprints -- the possibility of a WR being set by someone else. For many (not all, mind you), this will decrease interest in those events.