[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