[Black Dagger]

Originally Posted by Hayden

@ Lucas

Lmao welp. He did that.

I am glad Kilty isn't in this team. Prick. These guys <333

[Jack_]

Well what a race that was

Sad way to end your career @Bolt

[BigSister]

Crazy times tonight. Was happy with a silver for the women and I knew we could get a medal with men if baton change overs were good I thought silver at best but that was just Wow!. Thinking about it though with 1 100m finalist 1 200m 4th place Danny did well through the 200m rounds and Adam on his day is one of the best so we had a slight chance but not for gold no way!
(Keeps thinking about all those 4 places though..........)
Got an outside chance for a bronze though for the girls 4x400m as well.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Hayden

I'm sad Mo lost but at the same time I'm ok with it? Like the BBC can stop spending an hours worth of coverage each on him and Bolt everytime they have a race on/the day after their races and we can finally see other people get some recognition for their achievements as well as more athletics action

Agree they amount of time spent on them is outrageous, not really fair on other
atheletes who work just as hard, sad for Mo he couldn't finish with a gold but like Bolt in the 100 it was a step too far

[Headie]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Agree they amount of time spent on them is outrageous, not really fair on other
atheletes who work just as hard, sad for Mo he couldn't finish with a gold but like Bolt in the 100 it was a step too far

Glad to see others have this opinion too

[Headie]

Men's 20km Race Walk is on BBC Red Button now, GB's Tom Bosworth is going for a medal

[Headie]

Welp apparently Bosworth has had his third red card and is disqualified mgnno: He's currently leading the pack with a fast pace as well and doesn't know </3

[Headie]

Welp he's crying on the sidelines now </3

Shame as he looked good for a medal, but these champs haven't really gone that well for GB individuals

[Headie]

He's sobbing into someone's arms

[Jack_]

The thing about the Mo/Usain exposure though is that like it or loathe it they are the big draws in athletics at the moment. The Men's 4x100 peaked at 9.9m last night for example, with the 5,000m at about 8m - that's about 2-3m higher than it's been throughout the rest of the week. While I agree it'd be nice for some other athletes to be recognised for their achievements (indeed on a personal level I like rooting for underdogs and celebrating semi-unexpected victories) it goes without saying that the biggest names (especially in their retirement year) will get the most coverage by the broadcasters, it's just supply and demand.

I get it must be a bit frustrating as a dedicated follower of a sport to have a load of casuals turn up just to support a few household names/watch blue riband events but it's the same across the board (like an England game/WC Final out rating other matches). The big names generate interest which in turn (usually) help fill stadiums, which is why I think there may be a little bit of truth to the WVN conspiracy theories since their departures are going to leave such a big hole in the sport. But I guess it all comes down to whether you prefer niche or mass exposure (and there are benefits to both, I quite enjoy snooker having a niche following), but I'm not really in the position to answer that as I'm not as dedicated as you guys are.

[Headie]

Originally Posted by Jack_

The thing about the Mo/Usain exposure though is that like it or loathe it they are the big draws in athletics at the moment. The Men's 4x100 peaked at 9.9m last night for example, with the 5,000m at about 8m - that's about 2-3m higher than it's been throughout the rest of the week. While I agree it'd be nice for some other athletes to be recognised for their achievements (indeed on a personal level I like rooting for underdogs and celebrating semi-unexpected victories) it goes without saying that the biggest names (especially in their retirement year) will get the most coverage by the broadcasters, it's just supply and demand.

I get it must be a bit frustrating as a dedicated follower of a sport to have a load of casuals turn up just to support a few household names/watch blue riband events but it's the same across the board (like an England game/WC Final out rating other matches). The big names generate interest which in turn (usually) help fill stadiums, which is why I think there may be a little bit of truth to the WVN conspiracy theories since their departures are going to leave such a big hole in the sport. But I guess it all comes down to whether you prefer niche or mass exposure (and there are benefits to both, I quite enjoy snooker having a niche following), but I'm not really in the position to answer that as I'm not as dedicated as you guys are.

I touched on the whole "it draws in more viewers thing" in another post:

Originally Posted by Hayden

This is another reason why I'm NotTooBothered.ginario @ Mo and Bolt retiring, because it invites casuals who know nothing about the sport and have no interest whatsoever other than seeing Mo and Bolt win a medal, and crying when anyone dares challenge the narrative

At least now there'll be less people chatting **** about stuff they have no idea about, or if the casuals do stay and continue to watch post Mo/Bolt then it encourages them to actually understand the sport a bit better and realise that there are actually other events happening and that the sport as a whole really is incredible even without big names

[Headie]

Also the 2014 Commonwealth Games showed that you don't need Mo/Bolt/Jess etc to fill a stadium - the crowds were jam-packed almost every session and I think Bolt only ran like two relay races in the last two days of it. It helped boost the profile of other British athletes like Eilidh Doyle, Adam Gemili, Lynsey Sharp, Jazmin Sawyers etc. which is good for the sport.

I can't wait for next year's World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, and the 2022 Commonwealths being in England too

[Jack_]

Originally Posted by Hayden

I touched on the whole "it draws in more viewers thing" in another post:



At least now there'll be less people chatting **** about stuff they have no idea about, or if the casuals do stay and continue to watch post Mo/Bolt then it encourages them to actually understand the sport a bit better and realise that there are actually other events happening and that the sport as a whole really is incredible even without big names

I actually laughed at the Chelimo thing so I see your point, but while there will be a void without them for a while it will undoubtedly be filled at some point and most of the attention will then shift to whoever that may be. Every sport has and needs its big name(s) and big events and unfortunately the price you pay for having good ratings/sponsorship etc is that they'll get a lot of coverage to the detriment of other athletes and events. But from what you've said it sounds like you'd prefer there to be less casuals which is fair enough

Originally Posted by Hayden

Also the 2014 Commonwealth Games showed that you don't need Mo/Bolt/Jess etc to fill a stadium - the crowds were jam-packed almost every session and I think Bolt only ran like two relay races in the last two days of it. It helped boost the profile of other British athletes like Eilidh Doyle, Adam Gemili, Lynsey Sharp, Jazmin Sawyers etc. which is good for the sport.

I can't wait for next year's World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, and the 2022 Commonwealths being in England too

Glasgow 2014 was a whole different ballgame though, it was two years after a hugely successful home Olympics and the appetite was still there for a multi-sport event on British turf. That's why the BBC opted for wall-to-wall coverage again, I don't think they'd ever done that for a Commonwealth Games before? But yeah, IIRC most of the venues were packed because people who missed out on or just missed 2012 in general wanted to get in on the action, I think the same has applied to these Championships too and that's why almost all the sessions have been packed out, but it goes without saying that the most sought after tickets in the ballot last summer were the nights Mo and Bolt were on.

It's not that I'm saying Mo/Bolt/Jess etc are/were the only draws of athletics, of course not, there's a whole range of factors involved (including the post-2012 legacy), it's just that for now they have been ~the names~ and that's why they've received the most coverage. One benefit of GB's victory last night though will hopefully be that people who tuned in to watch Bolt now see the strength and depth of our team and are encouraged to watch in the future.

[Macie Lightfoot]

okay I see a lot of good Brits getting name dropped but what about daddy Greg

[Calderyon]

Congrats to GB for all the success.

Finland was a dissapointment as it has been for a long while, but now they managed to be even worse than ever before. Just plain pathetic all over. Embarrassing.

[Headie]

Originally Posted by Jack_

I actually laughed at the Chelimo thing so I see your point, but while there will be a void without them for a while it will undoubtedly be filled at some point and most of the attention will then shift to whoever that may be. Every sport has and needs its big name(s) and big events and unfortunately the price you pay for having good ratings/sponsorship etc is that they'll get a lot of coverage to the detriment of other athletes and events. But from what you've said it sounds like you'd prefer there to be less casuals which is fair enough



Glasgow 2014 was a whole different ballgame though, it was two years after a hugely successful home Olympics and the appetite was still there for a multi-sport event on British turf. That's why the BBC opted for wall-to-wall coverage again, I don't think they'd ever done that for a Commonwealth Games before? But yeah, IIRC most of the venues were packed because people who missed out on or just missed 2012 in general wanted to get in on the action, I think the same has applied to these Championships too and that's why almost all the sessions have been packed out, but it goes without saying that the most sought after tickets in the ballot last summer were the nights Mo and Bolt were on.

It's not that I'm saying Mo/Bolt/Jess etc are/were the only draws of athletics, of course not, there's a whole range of factors involved (including the post-2012 legacy), it's just that for now they have been ~the names~ and that's why they've received the most coverage. One benefit of GB's victory last night though will hopefully be that people who tuned in to watch Bolt now see the strength and depth of our team and are encouraged to watch in the future.

Yeah I do agree with what you're saying but like I said before I'm actually glad they're retiring because it means we aren't being force fed the same coverage every time and it means we can actually focus on other good aspects of the sports

Originally Posted by Macie Lightfoot

okay I see a lot of good Brits getting name dropped but what about daddy Greg

He's overlooked by the general public bcos his win came from nowhere whereas Jess and Mo were hyped up for years before the Olympics, which is a damn shame bcos he's one of the few athletes in the world ever who has held the Olympic, World, European AND Commonwealth title at the same time, let alone at all

[Headie]

Final session of the champs on now.

I'm gonna miss it

[Headie]

Denise: "I don't want these championships to just be all about Mo and Bolt"
Gabby: "Well we'll get into discussing those two later but first there's a medal ceremony coming up"

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Hayden

Denise: "I don't want these championships to just be all about Mo and Bolt"
Gabby: "Well we'll get into discussing those two later but first there's a medal ceremony coming up"

did you like the little lightening bolts on the count down clock yesterday

Does any one think Bolt pulled up when he knew he had no chance of medalling that's what it looked like to me anyway

[Jack_]

Originally Posted by Hayden

Yeah I do agree with what you're saying but like I said before I'm actually glad they're retiring because it means we aren't being force fed the same coverage every time and it means we can actually focus on other good aspects of the sports

Well we agree there, I'm gonna miss them but am looking forward to seeing who feels the void in the years ahead

How would you assess our performance this week btw? Subpar, about right or better than you expected?

[Jack_]

why do I lowkey think Gabby and Paula hate each other

[Headie]

Originally Posted by Jack_

Well we agree there, I'm gonna miss them but am looking forward to seeing who feels the void in the years ahead

How would you assess our performance this week btw? Subpar, about right or better than you expected?

About right tbh, I only predicted Mo's 2 medals and sprint relay medals tbh, anything else now is a bonus. They were crazy to set 6-8 as a target IMO although if the 4x4 squads manage to do it tonight then fair play.

I would've liked more of our medals to be individual ones but there's been many promising athletes for the future who've done well here

[Headie]

Originally Posted by Jack_

why do I lowkey think Gabby and Paula hate each other

I think Michael hates them all tbh, must be frustrating being the only one who knows what they're talking about

[Headie]

Oh good the Mo VTs have started already

[Macie Lightfoot]

Originally Posted by Hayden

Yeah I do agree with what you're saying but like I said before I'm actually glad they're retiring because it means we aren't being force fed the same coverage every time and it means we can actually focus on other good aspects of the sports

omg this reminds me of last year when NBC still kept publishing articles after the Olympic Trials about Allyson Felix going for the 200/400 double when she didn't even make the team in the 200. That's the thing that frustrates me the most tbh, like most of these media darlings are legitimately good people who deserve all the praise and success, but the slanted coverage and outright lies (Felix was never the favorite in the 400, Mo admitted himself that the 5K was going to be a lot harder than the 10K, Bolt's proven himself to be pretty vulnerable all year, etc.) aren't a good look on anyone.

But yes, please show me the same package of all of Usain Bolt's World and Olympic titles for the fourth time this week