The Room Where It Happened

Here they go doing stupid $#!t again

was my first thought when I began to see posts pop up about World Athletics’ latest proposed rule change.

My second thought was that I’m glad I retired when I did. Because if I’m being honest- there was a window where I entertained possibly returning post baby. BUT the “Final Three” happened, then that vertical plane foul rule, and now…

Now. This.

I thought to myself, why does this keep happening? Where do these decisions come from and I realized that there’s a certain demographic of human that is used to making decisions in a silo, they are used to having assigned seats at specific tables, and they see others’ inclusion as dilution of their authority and decision-making power.

They’ve decided that the sport is dying. When I can assure you it is not. Saying that track and field is dying is like saying the desire to watch movies is dead because Blockbuster went belly up.

World Athletics could be Netflix instead and figure out how to deliver the same product in a different way. The integrity of movies did not take a hit when Netflix evolved from DVDs to digital.

But no, we’ve got whatever league of self-proclaimed extraordinary gentlemen World Athletics has put together who have not yet understood that they are the problem. Bankrupting both the coffers and integrity of one of the oldest sports in the world.

The solution is NOT to insult the professionalism, skill, and precision of the competitors, and the intelligence of the viewer.

Which is exactly how I feel about this proposed rule change.

It’s hard for me to articulate how demeaning this is, and the instant low simmer of rage I feel imagining those conversations taking place amongst so called ennoble people in the intentional absence of the people it would affect the most.

Instead of say, taking the time to teach viewers about the event…they decide to introduce increasingly obscure rules to muddy the waters further. They then turn around and say, “see viewership is down.”

A self-perpetuated, self-fulfilling fallacy.

The sport is not the problem, the people managing it are.

But if they aren’t the problem and this logic is sound then why the resistance against other rule changes like….

REACTION TIME

The reaction time rule should also be changed. Fewer false starts, anything over 0.000 is legal- the fastest person truly wins.

Right?

I say all that to say…World Athletics is operating like a radicalized supreme court. Making terrible decisions based on poor assumptions and faulty premises.

They continue to play in our faces with their inconsistencies and hypocrisy…

FINAL THREE? Fail

VERTICAL PLANE VIOLATION? FAIL

And now…because you installed THAT BS rule, you mad that there are more fouls. So instead of rolling THAT back you decide to eliminate fouling altogether?

Because it’s the jumpers that are the problem. We aren’t exciting enough. We don’t have enough drama, or command enough eyeballs.

Again, it’s not the networks or the meet schedule. It’s us.

That’s sarcasm by the way.

But I’m serious about this. I categorically reject the notion that the athletes spending the countless hours training, the many sacrifices to family planning, important events, and even academic pursuits ARE THE PROBLEM.

And since we’re changing EVERYTHING- what about the world records? And with the improvement of technology somebody should go ahead and give me credit for this jump…

Since all that truly matters is that the person who jumped the farthest wins…right?

What I wouldn’t give to be invited to the room where it happens.