Settling for Second

I enjoying watching most sports, but my personal favourite has always been Track and Field. As with most live coverage events there is always a certain amount of local bias, depending on the coverage package being broadcast. In New Zealand they didn't have the resources to send their own television crews to every event, so they would buy a package. Usually from a US broadcaster. The end result is that we would watch every heat, the final, and endless replays of the above, of the 100m. But, as the Americans are traditionally bollocks on the global middle distance stage, we would only get to see the start and (if we were lucky) the finish of what are, to me, the marquee track events. I'm not American bashing, mind, as the London Olympics were even worse. I don't remember who won the medals, but I can tell you the name and life history of every UK athlete who took part. It was hard not to when that was 95% of the coverage.

 

That being said, Sweden is not too far behind. So they shouldn't start feeling smug. Forsaking the sport in favour of local names, no matter what their skill level, is not helping to promote the sport. The other night there was a professional track meet screened live on Swedish television. It had a Swedish film and commentary crew. Sweden isn't at the top of the elite track and field food chain. They have a couple of athletes in the field events who generally finish around the middle on a good day and they recently inherited a top middle distance girl, but that's it. As luck, or misfortune, would have it, on this night, 3 of the field event Swedish athletes were competing.

 

Let's clear up one thing first, I'm all for national pride. If someone is competing for their country, beit the Olympics or World Championships, then you should support them. If they are giving their best to represent you, then you should give back in kind. No question. But when an athlete is competing at a Diamond League, or other such professional track event, then they are working in their chosen profession. That's a different set of rules. You get rewarded based on your performance. You don't get a pat on your back from the boss if you do an inferior job at work. That maybe sounds a bit harsh when talking about sport but, for me, sport stops being sport in the true sense the moment an athlete chooses to take money. Then it becomes a job and should be treated like all other forms of employment. As a consumer, I think I have the right to expect quality for my payment. I'm not a charity for professional sportspeople. Could I perform any better than those athletes I'm critcising ? Of course not. But I haven't made the choice to be paid as a professional athlete.

 

Back to the night in question. It lasted for just over 2 hours. Of those 2 hours, we saw 90 minutes of high jump, long jump, and pole vault. Clearly a night of glamour entertainment. Why so ? Because in each of those 3 events, there was a lone Swede competing. And in each of those 3 events, as we were all expecting, none of those Swedish athletes rose to any great heights (or lengths). They weren't a complete embarassment, that's simply how good they are. In the mean time, the current 5,000m world record holder was battling it out in an extremely talented field, somewhere in the background. At one point I caught a glimpse of them, in the background, behind our pole vault girl as she lined up her fateful third and final attempt. I raced up to the television set and tried to peer around her shoulder, but it didn't help. Fortunately there is the internet to supply one with the results which mattered and YouTube if you, God forbid, should actually want to watch the race.

 

I understand that the television crew were excited to follow their fellow Swedes. But this is a profession, there's no national pride at stake. How much enjoyment is there in watching a high jumper crying on the mat because she's just been knocked out, yet again, from the competition ? And 30 minutes of long jump ? Serious ? If you ever want to turn people away from the sport of athletics, show 30 minutes of long jump. Even in the drug filled days of Carl Lewis it was barely entertainment. It's unfortunate that the current crop of professional Swedish track and field athletes happen to be competing in the most boring events. When amplified by the extreme "over coverage" from Swedish media, it does nothing to promote the sport of track and field in Sweden as a fun alternative.

 

This is professional entertainment. It's a business. And in business you don't celebrate mediocrity. You promote and you celebrate the best. That's the motivation for the rest of us to strive and want better. Watching David Rudisha win the 800m makes you want to get out there and run, whether you are Kenyan or not. Watching a Swede come 8th in the pole vault doesn't make you want to leap off the couch and jump the neighbour's fence. Sorry, Sweden, but this whole "it's ok so long as you try" culture is the reason why Sweden is a second tier sporting nation. Life isn't that kind. Yes, the population is less, yes, the resources are less, yes there have been a few success stories. I know all that. But who knows what the potential might be if the right level of motivation was given. We can't all win. Someone has to come 8th. But if we don't get enough exposure of those who do make it to the top, how can we aspire to be better ?