{"id":28713,"date":"2012-03-01T20:24:15","date_gmt":"2012-03-02T04:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trackandfieldnews.com\/?p=28713"},"modified":"2019-03-27T20:25:13","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T03:25:13","slug":"from-the-editor-march-2012-uh-oh-is-there-nobody-whos-the-face-of-u-s-track-perhaps-the-decathlon-is-the-place-to-look","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trackandfieldnews.com\/from-the-editor-march-2012-uh-oh-is-there-nobody-whos-the-face-of-u-s-track-perhaps-the-decathlon-is-the-place-to-look\/","title":{"rendered":"From The Editor \u2014 March 2012: Uh-oh! Is there nobody who’s the face of U.S. track? Perhaps the decathlon is the place to look…"},"content":{"rendered":"

ALL SPORTS LIVE AND DIE BY THEIR STARS.<\/b> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Oh sure, the big ball-sports are in theory about the winning team, but when you get right down to it, that appeal is always largely geographically centered. What really captivates people is individual star power. Track & field is very lucky right now to have a mega-luminary like Usain Bolt. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And I say that fully remembering my column of October \u201809, which began, \u201cCall me crazy, but I\u2019m concerned that Usain Bolt\u2019s stratospheric popularity might have a bit of a negative effect on the sport.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My thrust was that now\u2014just as it was when Carl Lewis ruled a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away\u2014having too much of a sport\u2019s success depending on one person runs the risk of diluting the sport\u2019s overall popularity.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As noted in our Big Question about this year\u2019s Diamond League (see p. 13), those who have Bolt don\u2019t need anything else. Those who don\u2019t need big matchups, and those aren\u2019t easy to come by. <\/span><\/p>\n

(For the record, as of the end of January, this is Bolt\u2019s known schedule for 2012 before the Olympics: in February a couple of 400s\u2014flat or relays\u2014in Jamaica; on May 5 the Jamaica Invitational; on May 31 the Rome Diamond League 100; on June 7 the Oslo Diamond League 100; June 28\u2013July 1 the Jamaican Olympic Trials.)<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

But all my misgivings aside, Bolt is good, even great for the sport. He\u2019s the gold standard by which the world judges speed, and whether you say \u201cUsain\u201d or \u201cBolt\u201d the average citizen knows of whom you speak.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Now the other shoe drops. While Bolt represents the planet well on an intergalactic basis, let\u2019s think smaller. We\u2019re talking the USofA here. Who\u2019s the American face of the sport? The answer, I fear, is nobody. And if that\u2019s true, we\u2019re in a world of hurt. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As I said to begin with, the sport needs superstars to stay alive. And to put a finer point on it, staying alive in Nation X requires a star from Nation X. The kind of person that the TV networks build a big campaign around (to be sure, a warm & fuzzy campaign that will have the hardcore fan wanting to upchuck before the Olympics is over, but that\u2019s the way the game is played).<\/span><\/p>\n

I realize that I run the risk of offending a lot of truly fine U.S. athletes when I say none of them\u2014at least currently\u2014pack the gravitas to inspire the nation. Not even any of the 9 who won individual golds at the World Championships. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not so many years ago that Tyson Gay, Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross seemed to be on a career path that might elevate them into national icons, but their peak moments are already a surprising amount of time in the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

But a knight in the proverbial shining armor always emerges from the gloom. My pick for the dragonslayer the country needs will be\u2026 the envelope please\u2026 a decathlete. <\/span><\/p>\n

Having had plenty of opportunity to see both in action not only on the track and field, but also in \u201cpublic,\u201d I\u2019m predicting that the next dude fit for the round table will be Trey Hardee or Ashton Eaton. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019d love to say it could be both of them, but as The Highlander explained, \u201cThere can be only one.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ALL SPORTS LIVE AND DIE BY THEIR STARS. Oh sure, the big ball-sports are in theory about the winning team,… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFrom The Editor \u2014 March 2012: Uh-oh! Is there nobody who's the face of U.S. track? 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