I agree with your point about coverage of meets where they cut away too soon and only show the winner finishing as though the race is over. I feel this is done far too often. If you’re invested in the race, and some of the other athletes, it’s very frustrating not to see them finish. Sometimes you don’t even see the results on screen. They shouldn’t focus on the winner celebrating until the most of the runners have finished
I was disappointed that the broadcast cut the HM race walk because I think it was the one event they cut that evening! A cool story from that is that the 2nd place finisher is the coach of the winner.
Thanks for another great newsletter! Another addition to Rachel Schilkowsky’s very full plate is managing the Rhode Island Grand Prix series that she started a couple of years ago. Keeping track of all the age-graded scoring could be a full-time job in itself!
I found it interesting Anna Camp Bennett didn't make the move over to Swoosh TC with the rest of her former teammates. Obviously we'll probably never know the details but her teammate also had a recent baby and I would hope having a woman head coach might change some things at Nike but maybe it hasn't
Great newsletter. The Clare Elms and Roberta Groner results are the ones that stuck with me as a masters athlete. Thanks for making room for the masters names alongside the medals! That's the corner of the sport I care about most, and it rarely gets covered well.
"I assume cost is part of what’s keeping people away from these events. It’s clearly difficult to fill all the seats at a track meet in the U.S. right now, no matter how great the athletes are."
I don't think that's it at all. I checked the ticket prices, and compared to almost every other professional sports event in New York City they were reasonable (which is to say, almost every other professional sports event in New York City is now UNreasonably priced). Although I live on the other side of the world, I'm a New Yorker and get back there frequently, and I wouldn't dream of taking my kids to see the Knicks at $200-500/regular season ticket. And even nosebleeds at Yankee Stadium are $100 (sure, you could go to see the Mets, but if you do it's more likely that you're a fan of the opposing team).
I think it's marketing. USATF is dreadful at marketing, and it seems to believe that having signed a broadcast deal with NBCTV, its work is done. At least its revenue is booked. Try finding video clips from the championships on the USATF website or its YouTube channel. There's nothing. The quality of video on the USATF Instagram channel is unwatchable – it appears to have been recorded in lo-fi on a mobile phone and is so tightly cropped the competition is impossible to see. The organization has no Bluesky account. Maybe they're on X but I don't go there anymore, and you shouldn't either.
The comparison to the Tour de France is stunning. One of the world's most spectacular events, gorgeously filmed and superbly distributed across television and social media channels. USATF CEO Max Siegel earned $3.8 million in 2021, and I bet the organization pays its social media person or team a pittance.
Well done to Mayor Mamdani for underwriting 500 tickets for New Yorkers. But filling seats at the national championships is not his job, and there should not have been 500 empty seats available last week when he stepped in.
I agree with your point about coverage of meets where they cut away too soon and only show the winner finishing as though the race is over. I feel this is done far too often. If you’re invested in the race, and some of the other athletes, it’s very frustrating not to see them finish. Sometimes you don’t even see the results on screen. They shouldn’t focus on the winner celebrating until the most of the runners have finished
I was disappointed that the broadcast cut the HM race walk because I think it was the one event they cut that evening! A cool story from that is that the 2nd place finisher is the coach of the winner.
Thanks for another great newsletter! Another addition to Rachel Schilkowsky’s very full plate is managing the Rhode Island Grand Prix series that she started a couple of years ago. Keeping track of all the age-graded scoring could be a full-time job in itself!
I found it interesting Anna Camp Bennett didn't make the move over to Swoosh TC with the rest of her former teammates. Obviously we'll probably never know the details but her teammate also had a recent baby and I would hope having a woman head coach might change some things at Nike but maybe it hasn't
Great newsletter. The Clare Elms and Roberta Groner results are the ones that stuck with me as a masters athlete. Thanks for making room for the masters names alongside the medals! That's the corner of the sport I care about most, and it rarely gets covered well.
Thanks for the coverage of the recent events and, especially, for including para events!
Thanks for the recap.
"I assume cost is part of what’s keeping people away from these events. It’s clearly difficult to fill all the seats at a track meet in the U.S. right now, no matter how great the athletes are."
I don't think that's it at all. I checked the ticket prices, and compared to almost every other professional sports event in New York City they were reasonable (which is to say, almost every other professional sports event in New York City is now UNreasonably priced). Although I live on the other side of the world, I'm a New Yorker and get back there frequently, and I wouldn't dream of taking my kids to see the Knicks at $200-500/regular season ticket. And even nosebleeds at Yankee Stadium are $100 (sure, you could go to see the Mets, but if you do it's more likely that you're a fan of the opposing team).
I think it's marketing. USATF is dreadful at marketing, and it seems to believe that having signed a broadcast deal with NBCTV, its work is done. At least its revenue is booked. Try finding video clips from the championships on the USATF website or its YouTube channel. There's nothing. The quality of video on the USATF Instagram channel is unwatchable – it appears to have been recorded in lo-fi on a mobile phone and is so tightly cropped the competition is impossible to see. The organization has no Bluesky account. Maybe they're on X but I don't go there anymore, and you shouldn't either.
The comparison to the Tour de France is stunning. One of the world's most spectacular events, gorgeously filmed and superbly distributed across television and social media channels. USATF CEO Max Siegel earned $3.8 million in 2021, and I bet the organization pays its social media person or team a pittance.
Well done to Mayor Mamdani for underwriting 500 tickets for New Yorkers. But filling seats at the national championships is not his job, and there should not have been 500 empty seats available last week when he stepped in.
Lucy and Grace are also from neighboring Massachusetts towns on the marathon route!
Thank you for the detailed roundup of USA’s highlights! I wasn’t able to watch any of it and I’m grateful for the recap.