Team USA in Glasgow, An Assessment

Team USA in Glasgow, An Assessment

Last weekend, the US team in Glasgow (March 1-3) was one of the finest we have had at a World Indoor. 57 team members and 20 medals taken home is pretty darn good.

What, in my mind, is the biggest takeaway? Many of the top US stars did not compete indoors, and we have this wonderfully diverse group of new athletes who are ready, willing, and hungry to compete on the most winning team in US sports history. Do not believe me? Take any US sport that competes on the global stage and try to imagine the enormity of the depth and quality of Team USA in track & field.

Don’t believe track and field is that deep in US culture? Then, try the UPS or FedEx test. Ask your UPS, Amazon, and FedEx drivers what sport they did in junior high and high school.

The numbers: There are 22,000 junior high schools in the US; 18,000 have track programs (8-10 weeks); 17,000 high schools have 1.4 million athletes in cross country and track; 200,000 young adults in junior college, college, and post-school clubs, 5,000 young track clubs, and 450 RRCA clubs in the U.S.

I have this wonderful memory from Goteborg in 1995. I walked into the stadium, breathing in my first World Champs, when I overheard some European reporter telling a Swiss film crew, who spoke French, how bad the US was in supporting track & field. I met the editor and gave him the stats, explaining that the only issue was how the federation and television promote the elite part of the sport.

Last year, in the U.S., there was at least one meet in every U.S. state that had a high school meet, drawing 5,000 to 50,000 fans, paying fans to see high school track & field. I know I paid for audits of the various meets.

The issue is never about the possible crowds or interest; it is about presentation, promotions, and television by people who know little about sports fans’ wants and needs.

That problem continues.

Here’s my thoughts, event by event:

Women’s shot put: Chase Ealey Jackson had a subpar competition, with Sarah Mitton taking the gold. Women’s shot put is incredibly competitive, and you either get over 20 meters (gold and silver here) or, in most cases, you do not medal.

Men’s shot put: Ryan Crouser took gold with a 20.77m throw. His throwing was superb, considering he has had two indoor competitions. Joe Kovacs is not here for indoor, as he is focused on Paris.