• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Track & Field

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

Larry EderbyLarry Eder
June 27, 2022
4
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

Hayward Field, 2022, photo from World Champs Oregon 22

0 0
0
SHARES
4.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The fans on day 1 totaled 2,715. The fans on day 2, totaled 3,314. The fans on day 3 totaled 3,664 and fans on Sunday on day 4 totaled just over 3,577. The stadium, in its current configuration, hosts between 12-17,500. I recall Pre meets with about 10-11,000 fans each year, for over three decades. At past US Champs, I recall, in Eugene, about 6-7,000 fans a day. I was expecting that kind of crowd. It just did not happen.

That is breaking my heart.

RelatedPosts

Gyulai Istvan Memorial: McLaughlin goes 51.68, fastest 400m ever in Europe, 7 Meet Records!

Kipyegon 3:50.37 missed WR by 0.3 at Herculis EBS Meeting/Monaco DL

Monaco Diamond League, Meeting Herculis EBS, complete results, 10 August 2022

The newly renovated Hayward Field is fantastic. The fans who were there told me that they liked the seating and the design of the stadium. Oh, hot days, Eugene can be a big stove.

I am not sure why people are not coming to Eugene for the US Champs. I seem to remember that one of the ways that Eugene was sold was by belittling Sacramento, Mt.SAC, Drake, and anywhere not Eugene about how small the crowds were.

Several writers told me that locals have been frustrated about the new Hayward Field. I did not think that Phil Knight was trying to replace the old Hayward Field, I thought it was about giving us a stadium like the Letzigrund in Zurich, the 1912 Stockholm Stadium (revised), or the new Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.

What seems to have happened is that, with so many meets in Eugene, the fans of Lane County, who are mostly middle class, have to be concerned about budgets.

Ryan Crouser, World record holder, indoors & out, Men’s shot put, 2016 Olympic champion, 2020 Olympic champion, USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Hayward Field, University of Oregon, June 23-26, 2022

For some reason, all US sports but track & field actually promote ticket sales, offer block tickets, and offer deals. The first thing is, to fill the stadium. We do not do that here. The costs of the World Championships and the inability to buy tickets like one has for the Olympic Trials in the past have frustrated many of the most enduring fans.

For some reason, LOCs do not seem to get that.

Promotion? If they can not get it for free, LOCs in our sport seem to be unable to do it. There is truly the belief that if you put on a great meet, the fans will come. Well, they did not for the Nike Pre Classic this year. Why not? It was not the cold and rainy weather. Oregonians understand cold weather and dress warmly.

I think that many locals feel that they have been taken for granted. The fans from Lane County have been there for decades. The track fans for the Olympic Trials, coming to Eugene, have made it their vacation every 4 years.

We have so many wonderful stories with our sport, and so many worthy athletes, I truly believe that we have the answers right in front of us.

Fred Kerley takes the 100 meters USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Hayward Field, University of Oregon, June 23-26, 2022, photo by Kevin Morris. Fred is an Olympic silver medalist at the 100 meters, and on July 16, 2022, won the World Champs 100 meters, leading a US sweep.

The Millrose Games in Madison Gardens came to an end for several reasons, all worth noting here. First, they changed from a Friday to a Saturday, which meant that people had to come back to Manhattan to see the meet. Then, they stopped promoting tickets to established groups. Third, the owners of the Garden got greedy and would not share snack sales with the meet promoters.

The meet was moved to the New Balance Armory, where, under the late Dr. Norb Sanders, the meet was established.

Putting the NCAAs, US Champs and now World Champs in Eugene may be too much for locals to handle. The dearth of accommodations and the insane charges to find a place has put the trip out of financial reality for many fans.

Valarie Allman, U.S. discus champion, Olympic champion, American record holder, USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Hayward Field, University of Oregon, June 23-26, 2022, photo by Kevin Morris

Probably the biggest lesson that the LOCs of USATF Champs, Pre, and World Champs should learn is lesson #1: Do not take the fans for granted.

Local fans of track & field everywhere deserve our respect. Give them time to plan for events, provide discounted tickets early, promote the sales, and get people excited about the meets!

And tell the stories. Every other sport builds fans’ enthusiasm all year round. We need to do that in track & field.

Here are some updates, for June 28, 2022:

Ray Cook wrote:

“The WCs are sold out. Of course, you can still get tickets through the $$$ resale market. The issues I have with the WC is that you need 2 tickets per day, 1 for each session and the meet is being held during the heat of the day. Tickets are $200 per session now if you can find them. WTF! Who holds 10k races at 1pm? Lastly getting tickets is the easy part. Good luck finding a hotel room. Even USATF is putting people in Salem. We’re RV camping.”

Joe Mangan wrote:

“When you write up ur review of the 4 days. I guess the 4-day attendance was around 13k. The Eugene Ems, the high a minor league Baseball team was playing at home those same days. Their attendance was 11,636.

Deep thoughts:

The truth is this. Track & Field has this global love, yet, in the US, in the sports-crazy US, we market the sport like a junior high dance. The level of sophistication, from minor league baseball, to worries about COVID, to worries about gas costs, travel costs (driving 90 minutes a day each way), and not finding food kind of puts the damper on some who travel.

 

 

 

 

Author

  • Larry Eder

    Larry Eder has had a 50-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself."

    View all posts

Previous Post

2022 RunBlogRun, Recovery Week 3, Day 1 (June 27, 2022)

Next Post

Sydney McLaughlin and her Magnificent Obsession

Larry Eder

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 50-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself."

Similar Post

Defending Champions Set to Return to the  2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon  Emily Sisson and Connor Mantz Headline a Strong American Field
World Marathon Majors

Defending Champions Set to Return to the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon Emily Sisson and Connor Mantz Headline a Strong American Field

August 13, 2022
World Championships Medalists Gotytom Gebreslase, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, and Hellen Obiri to Join Women’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6
World Marathon Majors

World Championships Medalists Gotytom Gebreslase, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, and Hellen Obiri to Join Women’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6

August 12, 2022
Gyulai Istvan Memorial: McLaughlin goes 51.68, fastest 400m ever in Europe, 7 Meet Records!
Continental Tour Gold

Gyulai Istvan Memorial: McLaughlin goes 51.68, fastest 400m ever in Europe, 7 Meet Records!

August 12, 2022
Defending Champions Albert Korir and Marcel Hug and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Stars Galen Rupp and Daniel Romanchuk to Headline Men’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6
World Marathon Majors

Defending Champions Albert Korir and Marcel Hug and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Stars Galen Rupp and Daniel Romanchuk to Headline Men’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6

August 12, 2022
The amazing duel between Eilish McColgan and Irene Cheptai in the women’s 10,000m final
Cross Country

2022 RunBlogRun Summer Cross Country Mileage Program, Week Six, Day Five

August 12, 2022
Monaco Diamond League, Meeting Herculis EBS, complete results,  10 August 2022
Track & Field

Kipyegon 3:50.37 missed WR by 0.3 at Herculis EBS Meeting/Monaco DL

August 12, 2022

Comments 4

  1. Trak Stir says:
    2 months ago

    Lessons (not) learned from 2021: they need to install some AC.

    Reply
  2. Penultimate Lap says:
    1 month ago

    Another reason for low attendance might be that Oregon rivals New Zealand/Australia for cray-cray rules about Covid. There are people here still walking around with masks on at the beach. Would you drop big bucks on tickets if Oregon officials might later decide you have to wear a mask outdoors?

    Reply
  3. The Ghost of Gordon Moore says:
    1 month ago

    Track and field has enough issues, and yet we tear down our greatest monuments and build soul-less schlock to replace it. I loved racing and spectating at the OG Hayward field but won’t give those butchers at Nike a single cent

    Reply
  4. chuckster says:
    4 weeks ago

    Mount San Antonio College’s Hilmer Lodge Stadium was where the Oly Trials were to have been held. That is, until Nike operatives conspired to move them to Eugene. That proved to be a disaster, due to covid quarantine. The Was were awarded to Eugene without the usual bidding process, and are under FBI investigation for racketeering and bribing T&F governing body.

    It made no sense to hold a international event anywhere in Oregon. Mt. SAC’s Hilmer Lodge Stadium is in Los Angeles County, population approximately 10-11 million. Oregon’s entire population is 4.2 million. Further, Lane County is one of five poorest in Oregon, and Eugene has well over 20% of it’s population under Federal poverty levels. The shill who promoted this event tried to get Oregonians to believe that hundreds of thousands of foreigners were going to travel thousands of miles, make numerous flight connections, pay ridiculous ticket prices, during one of the worst economic downturns in history. It was so incredibly stupid, and the lack of crowds underscores the incompetence of T&F administrators. If this doesn’t kill off Track Town, Eugene, University of Oregon, and Nike grifters, all of who played a role in this boondoggle, then something is very wrong with athletics….

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

July 5, 2022
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

July 17, 2022
Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

July 19, 2022
Running Legends Recall Fun Times With Bill Squires

Running Legends Recall Fun Times With Bill Squires

July 7, 2022

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell

5

RunblogRun Editorial: The Sorry State of Running Television Coverage, by Peter Abraham, note by Larry Eder

4
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

4
Cary Pinkowski did the Heroic Thing–My letter to CNN on the LSB Chicago Marathon

Cary Pinkowski did the Heroic Thing–My letter to CNN on the LSB Chicago Marathon

3
Defending Champions Set to Return to the  2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon  Emily Sisson and Connor Mantz Headline a Strong American Field

Defending Champions Set to Return to the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon Emily Sisson and Connor Mantz Headline a Strong American Field

August 13, 2022
World Championships Medalists Gotytom Gebreslase, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, and Hellen Obiri to Join Women’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6

World Championships Medalists Gotytom Gebreslase, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, and Hellen Obiri to Join Women’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6

August 12, 2022
Gyulai Istvan Memorial: McLaughlin goes 51.68, fastest 400m ever in Europe, 7 Meet Records!

Gyulai Istvan Memorial: McLaughlin goes 51.68, fastest 400m ever in Europe, 7 Meet Records!

August 12, 2022
Defending Champions Albert Korir and Marcel Hug and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Stars Galen Rupp and Daniel Romanchuk to Headline Men’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6

Defending Champions Albert Korir and Marcel Hug and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Stars Galen Rupp and Daniel Romanchuk to Headline Men’s Field at 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on November 6

August 12, 2022

Popular Stories

  • USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

    Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs: False Starts reconsidered

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Running Legends Recall Fun Times With Bill Squires

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Geoff Wightman, a man with many talents…

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent Tweets

RunBlogRun Follow

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. RunBlogRun is the voice of the sport.

RunBlogRun
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
21h

2022 RunBlogRun Summer Cross Country Mileage Program, Week Six, Day Five , by RunBlogRun, ...https://www.runblogrun.com/2022/08/2022-runblogrun-summer-cross-country-mileage-program-week-six-day-five.html , #crosscountry, #trainingtips, #scottishathletics, #eilishmccolgan, @EilishMccolgan, @ASICSEurope,

Reply on Twitter 1558150289122725893 Retweet on Twitter 1558150289122725893 Like on Twitter 1558150289122725893 Twitter 1558150289122725893
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
21h

Really liked this tweet. @EilishMccolgan took two medals at the #commonwealthgames2022. Her first in the 10,000m was gold, and her second was in the 5,000m with a silver! This was her 4th CG games! ...@birmingham2022, @ASICSeurope

Team Scotland @Team_Scotland

GOLD! 🥇

What a run from Eilish McColgan to win the Commonwealth Games 10,000m title 32 years after her mum! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

And a Games record too!!!

#TeamScot #TimeForHeroes
...#B2022

Reply on Twitter 1558142734199754752 Retweet on Twitter 1558142734199754752 Like on Twitter 1558142734199754752 2 Twitter 1558142734199754752
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
22h

Repost: BROOKS: Marathon season is almost here. Get the workout ideas, training plans, tips, and everything else you need to hit your goals at our Run Happy blog. https://bit.ly/3pkX1nK,
#runhappy, ...#brooksrunning,

Reply on Twitter 1558128422676828166 Retweet on Twitter 1558128422676828166 Like on Twitter 1558128422676828166 Twitter 1558128422676828166
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
23h

Time for #coffeewithLarry! Don't miss it! 8.30 AM Pacific! #europeanathletics, #trackandfieldlife,

Reply on Twitter 1558113171906277383 Retweet on Twitter 1558113171906277383 Like on Twitter 1558113171906277383 3 Twitter 1558113171906277383
runblogrun RunBlogRun @runblogrun ·
12 Aug

Marie-Josee Ta Lou’s perseverance in a difficult season gets rewarded with an African Record, by Deji Ogeyingbo, ...https://www.runblogrun.com/2022/08/marie-josee-ta-lous-perseverance-in-difficult-season-gets-rewarded-with-an-african-record.html , #mariejoseetalou, #IvoryCoast, #CotedIvoire, #athleticsafrica,
@deji_oges, #WCHOregon22, #100meters, #200meters,

Reply on Twitter 1557943782007443456 Retweet on Twitter 1557943782007443456 Like on Twitter 1557943782007443456 6 Twitter 1557943782007443456
Load More...
Next Post
Sydney McLaughlin and her Magnificent Obsession

Sydney McLaughlin and her Magnificent Obsession

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Select a password for yourself. (minimum length of 8)

Paste here the user biography.

Provide here the twitter screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the instagram screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the facebook profile URL. i.e. http://www.facebook.com/RunBlogRun

Provide here the linkedin profile URL. i.e. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-eder-5497253

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist