kizee1 wrote:
re city races..only americans have issues with kenyan dominance..this was an issue even before the so called doping reared its head
You are sorely mistaken about this. As I posited above, the world cross country championships which used to be held yearly is now a low kenya event held once every 2 years and with very little interest in Europe. In fact the British were the first to complain about too many Kenyan runners as far back as the 1990s. And this is why the number of Kenyan invited to run in big city marathons is limited.
Also consider that the 10,000m, which used to be run in many grand prix races is now never run. The 5000m is also becoming a rarity. The reason is that Europeans are no longer competitive at these events and they do not want to sit there and watch a gang of East Africans running around for half an hour leaving Europeans half a lap behind. In fact field events like the high jump have become more popular in Europe than the 10,000m.
Quote:which is ironic as all manner of american athletes dope from track and field to basebal football cycling...
Americans and everyone else want to see a local runner win.
Quote:the sport of distance running needs WINNERS with stand out performers(read kenyans and ethiopians)
if this is true then
1. Why is the popularity of the sport plummetting just when East Africans have become more dominant ?
2. Why is the dominance of East African runners leading to the demise of the world cross country championships.
3. And more importantly, why are distance races like the 5,000m now now rarely run in the diamond league. And the 10,000m has been completely removed from the diamond league ?
If they wanted to see East Africans as you claim , they would be adding more 10,000m and 5000m races not disbanding them
Quote:lol at the sport needs bolt because of charisma! what is this WWE? if the chap is dirty he is dirty and HE IS DIRTY
Why do you think Usain Bolt makes $20 million a year ? Why do you think he gets sent around to every country by his sponsors ? Its because of charisma and the fact that he always gives good interviews.
Bolt is the only track athlete that is well known by people who do not follow the sport. Ask any American who Bolt is and they know him. Ask them who Rudisha is and you get a blank stare.
Quote:re carl lewis, USADA wrote a letter to the american track and field association notifying them of the failed test but THEY STILL ALLOWED HIM TO PARTICIPATE, not ten years later as u think
This does not help your point. In fact it bolsters my point. The fact that big names like Carl Lewis and Marion Jones were found to be dopers is the reason why the sports popularity is plummeting. If Kenyans are also found to be dopers then the sports popularity will plummet even further.