On Saturday, everyone tuned in to the Prefontaine Classic to watch Sha’Carri Richardson’s return to the track against the three Jamaican 100m medalists. It was must-see TV for all.
While Sha’Carri’s performance was disappointing, track fans were thrilled.
They watched in awe as Elaine Thompson-Herah blazed through the line in 10.54. That was the fastest time of the year, a meet record, and a personal best for the Olympic gold medalist. That’s also the second-fastest 100m in history, .05 seconds behind Flo Jo’s world record of 10.49 set in 1988.
Her fellow Jamaican sprinters, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson completed the Prefontaine sweep, respectively.
Sha’Carri finished last.
Social media lit up in the aftermath. Some threw their support behind Sha’Carri while others ripped her.
To be fair, this was her first race after being suspended. The physical toll of missing that time is one thing, but the mental battle she fought was exhausting.
Plus, she’s only 21, so she has plenty of time to mount a comeback.
While Team Jamaica won the event and the “trolling” spectacle afterward, track and field won the weekend.
For a sport that only receives true recognition during an Olympic year, the attention and hype that it got from the race’s promotion were what the sport both needed and deserved.
Fans, both casual and die-hard, got to see how amazing track athletes are. They got to feel how exciting the sport truly is. For those of us who have competed, it was a boon elevating our love for the sport.
Now track needs to capitalize on this swell of attention and coverage.
The Olympics gave us great storylines even without Sha’Carri. Unfortunately, many outside of the track community couldn’t truly appreciate them because they don’t understand the significance of the performances.
Watching Sydney McLaughlin set a new world record of 51.46 in the 400m hurdles was mindblowing. For a point of reference, try running five city blocks under 52 seconds. Now add in hurdles.
What about the Netherland’s Sifan Hassan winning gold in the 10,000m and 5,000m and bronze in the 1,500m. If that wasn’t impressive enough, don’t forget that she fell on the final lap of her 1,500m qualifying race and still finished first.
How about Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin giving fans THE race of the Tokyo Games in the 400m hurdles, where Warholm pulled away at the end to run a blistering, world-record-setting time of 45.94.
If sports fans outside of track could truly understand the significance of these achievements, track would be bigger and have more consistent popularity.
That’s why it needs events like Usain Bolt vs. Tyreek Hill.
Pure Speed Entertainment Events
The idea of this type of race isn’t new. We’ve witnessed it before.
This past May, Seattle Seahawks star receiver, DJ Metcalf, accepted an invite to race in the 100m at the USA Track & Field Golden Games in Southern California.
The speed of the 6’4, 235lbs giant was first realized during a game against the Arizona Cardinals when he raced down safety Budda Baker.
His wheels had social media buzzing so the invite went out.
To track fans, the result was predictable. For others, it was a chance to see what speed really was.
Not football speed, but track speed.
DK held his own, running a 10.37 in the qualifying round.
That placed him 15th overall. The top 8 finishers ran 10.18 and below, the winner being Cravon Gillespie with a 9.96.
“Excited to have the opportunity,” said Metcalf after the race. “These are world-class athletes. They do this for a living. It’s very different from football speed, which I just realized.
“I think I did really well for myself.”
And he did. For someone his size and not being a professional track athlete, he definitely held his own.
But by track standards, DK got dusted.
Yet the attention he garnered for the sport was priceless.
Track fans and NFL fans tuned in to see him represent. And while he did just that, he still finished last in his heat and 15th out of 17 sprinters.
This is what track needs to build more interest in the sport.
They need better storylines, more coverage, and entertainment that showcase the talents of these incredible athletes.
The idea was manifested in the 1997 exhibition race between US Gold Medalist Michael Johnson and the fastest man in the world at the time, Canada’s Donovan Bailey.
Johnson held the world record in the 200m (19.32) and 400m (43.18).
Bailey won Olympic gold in 1996 and set the world record in the 100m with a 9.84.
But who was faster?
Some like Bob Costas and Ato Boldin chose Johnson because his 100m split was faster than Bailey’s full 100m. The Canadian media jumped to Bailey’s defense, even placing ads in US publications supporting their hometown hero as the fastest man alive.
Promoters salivated at the opportunity. A year later, the 150m exhibition race between the two was set for June 1st, 1997.
Unfortunately, the race had an anti-climatic finish.
Johnson pulled a hamstring and couldn’t finish, but Bailey blazed through the line and thrilled the 30,000 fans in attendance at the SkyDome in Toronto.
Both CBS and CBC paid for the media rights and promoters awarded cash prizes to both athletes.
Then they ignited the hype, and everyone tuned in to watch a 15-second race.
Remember, this was before the evolution of social media, so that’s an incredible achievement.
Track’s Move
Usain Bolt and Tyreek Hill have light beef on social media, which is how this idea was originally birthed.
Hill is one of the fastest men in the NFL, arguably the fastest.
Bolt needs no introduction in the world of speed. He still holds the world records in the 100m (9.58) and 200m (19.19).
This is the opportunity to capitalize on what DK started- an NFL/track crossover. Fans would love it, sponsors would pay for it, the media would promote it and track would absolutely benefit from it.
The precedent for these events exists, which is why it makes perfect sense.
Jake and Logan Paul bum-rushed boxing and are reaping huge ratings and paydays from their “boxing” matches.
Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers squared off on the links in “The Match” charity golf event in July.
The benchmarks and roadmaps to success are there for track to follow. It would be a massive boon for the sport and help generate the attention it needs and deserves.
The storylines are there as well, so it’s not as if the sport has to search for them or incite a Twitter beef.
Sha’Carri opened the door for Bolt vs. Hill.
All track has to do is walk through it.
