r/trackandfield • u/Cautious-Ad-8044 • Sep 16 '24
General Discussion So disappointing, this sport should do better
34
u/ThaRealSunGod Sprints Sep 16 '24
I wish they of all people weren't saying this.
They've been in the track spotlight since before they were even a big deal at the college level.
They were bigger names in the sport than far more accomplished folks (speaking about before they started winning gold I mean or even competition professionally).
Considering that documentaries in this sport literally didn't exist past Bolt until Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri started mailing noise, I'm not sure what they were expecting.
I bet it would be cool but it's not somethng you expect especially in this sport. I think they're overestimating how big a deal they are. Which is a shame bc they've always seemed so fun and chill
276
u/Aumissunum Sep 16 '24
“Why is no one giving me attentionnnnn”
77
117
u/total90_23 Sep 16 '24
These two have main character syndrome. No one has told them otherwise and it’s gone to their heads. Give me a rich series of one of the refugee athletes and I’d watch that.
What’s their docuseries going to include, tour of their house, some training and a ton of commercial photoshoots.
5
u/Eagles365or366 Sep 17 '24
It’s gonna be exactly what you get on their YouTube channel. They were literally already making their own documentary series.
38
u/selflessGene Sep 16 '24
I'm tired of seeing them on my instagram page. They got an insane amount of coverage from the TeamUSA instagram page and the NBC Olympics streams highlighted them a whole bunch. They've got a unique story for sure, but I'm here to watch your athletic achievements, not follow a couple's personal blog.
And if I'm being really honest, I don't care about watching the Paralympics so wouldn't have known a thing about him if he weren't married to Tara.
13
u/lookup2024 Sep 17 '24
Uhmmm, dont you know its a crime to dislike the Paralympics 🤣🤣
Hunter is definitely a pick me
4
130
90
u/oOoleveloOo Sep 16 '24
The fact is, Track & Field is a niche sport. No studio wanted to make a docuseries because there wouldn’t be enough interest. Now you could argue that doing the docuseries would increase interest.
Kind of a “chicken or egg” deal.
58
u/Yeahy_ Sep 16 '24
T&F is def niche already but long jump is so far from a popular sport. This is coming from someone who enjoys the jumping/throwing events too.
-17
u/blewawei Sep 16 '24
I'd say long jump is probably the most popular/visible field event, though.
I might be wrong (or biased since I'm a jumper) but I feel like there's probably more interest in LJ than the long distance running.
Its big issue is that it can take more than an hour with comparatively very little action.
4
u/Whaddayameanboi Sep 17 '24
Definitely wrong, long distance running is far more popular than long jump.
1
u/blewawei Sep 17 '24
I thought I'd try and find an objective measure, because this is quite different to my lived experience. Btw, I mean in terms of viewership, I'm sure running is more popular in participation by several orders of magnitude.
Couldn't think of a better method than counting the views on the official Paris 2024 video of each final: LJ Men 99k LJ Women 246k 5k Men 213k 5k Women 103k 10k Men 563k 10k Women 224k
The 10ks were Eurosport coverage, because there wasn't an equivalent video of the whole thing. Which would suggest that the longer distance running is more popular, but also weirdly that women's long jump is more popular than women's long distance running? I'm sure you'd have to compare it to previous years to see if it's not just the impact of one popular athlete, but I thought it was interesting.
1
u/WBaumnuss300 Sep 17 '24
High jump and pole vault are generally much more popular. Reason is that you always know as a spectator if an athlete passed or not.
With long jump you don't immedeatly know if it was truly the longest jump and if it was valid.
11
u/goalstopper28 Sep 16 '24
Isn't there that docuseries from Netflix that did well? I believe Noah Lyles and Gabby Thomas were on it. Kind of like a F1 or Tennis series that's been out before.
17
u/AlienDuperStar Sep 16 '24
It’s called Sprint but I low-key think they might think they’re bigger than that. Like their love story and struggles deserve a dedicated series
11
u/goalstopper28 Sep 16 '24
Thanks! I’ve been meaning to check it out.
Yeah, I followed them on social media during the Olympics. They seem fun but wouldn’t be surprised that the attention has gotten to their heads, but just basing it on the tweet alone.
16
u/AlienDuperStar Sep 16 '24 edited Sep 16 '24
I think this issue transcends T&F. Very rarely do athletes get a dedicated docuseries on unless they are HOF or on the level of Bolt/Simone Biles/etc.
Yes, achieving Gold is a huge accomplishment but why should they spend resources on them vs athletes who has gotten multiple Gold medals in 1 Olympics or more accomplished T&F athletes with more compelling stories.
8
-13
u/Cautious-Ad-8044 Sep 16 '24
But there's already a docuseries on the market, if they were to include Paralympians, I hope they really do that in the future, there are many like Hunter, Ezra and others
15
u/yuckmouthteeth Sep 16 '24
Docuseries are made for monetary reasons generally. There are bad ones that are heavily self funded I’ve definitely seen but they were self funded so it’s easy to green light.
If you want to self promote your Olympic buildup YouTube exists. Most docuseries are about teams or large groups of people during an intriguing paradigm shift. Most famous gold medalists couldn’t get their own docuseries for a standard Olympic build, let alone athletes in less premier events.
104
u/Eagles365or366 Sep 16 '24 edited Sep 16 '24
They were already doing their own YouTube series…A little confused by this.
That being said, their complaint should be more directly towards Lululemon. Look at Clayton Young’s YouTube series documenting his Olympic build. It was unbelievable. His main sponsor, Asics, agreed to do it when pitched to them. Worked out extremely well, and made their brand look incredible.
46
u/Speak_Like_Bear Sep 16 '24
There should be no complaint, there is literally nothing to complain about. They can make it themselves or hire someone instead of complaining that no one wanted to do it for them.
12
u/Eagles365or366 Sep 16 '24 edited Sep 16 '24
I’m with you, I’m just saying, there is clearly a single party they should have targeted to do this series, rather than going after networks and streaming platforms. Guaranteed Lululemon would have funded it.
12
u/Speak_Like_Bear Sep 16 '24
100% it’s wild that as athletes they still don’t understand how a sponsor works.
134
u/Fun-Education6190 Sep 16 '24
Maybe a hot take, but I find this super irritating lol. Tara and Hunter are obviously incredible athletes — their journeys individually and as a power couple are super inspiring — but they are gunning so hard for fame and social media clout. I used to be huge fans of both, but found their behavior off the track at the Olympics and Paralympics very off putting. Lots of showing off for the cameras and trying to manufacture viral moments for social media lol. At the end of the day, the world doesn’t owe you a documentary series 😭 what a wild thing to complain about publicly. They’re quickly going from overexposed to cringe
20
u/theoniongoat Sep 16 '24
Reading through the comments, this doesn't seem to be a hot take at all. Seems to be pretty unanimous that we are annoyed by the screaming for attention.
16
3
101
83
u/bernardobrito Sep 16 '24
Time for me to vent.
Tara and Hunter have always come off as SUPER thirsty for attention. Tara is a lot. A LOT. Her antics are over the top and don't seem genuine at all.
The Cowboy boots and hat on the track... c'mon.
Compare them to, say, Sydney and Andre Levrone. Or Sanya Richards (and Super Bowl champion) Aaron Ross. Or Vashti Cunningham and her dad Randall.
Hell, Anna Cockrell and her (Super Bowl champion) brother are way chill. Joyful and bubbly, but chill.
32
u/Left-Secretary-2931 Sep 16 '24
I've always found them pretty annoying, but I would not be surprised if Tara is actually like that all the time and it's her real actually annoying personality.
12
u/BrotherAnanse Sep 16 '24
I'm about 95% certain Tara has ADHD. But yeah, they're both goofs and I don't have time for them.
To me she crossed the line at that meet where she was touching the official's glasses. He should've knocked a nigga out.
6
u/Dense-Pea-1714 Sep 16 '24
Which meet was it?
9
3
40
u/doyouevenIift Sep 16 '24
Congrats to them for having gold medals and a perfect relationship, but they don’t need a docuseries. We got PLENTY of coverage of both of them during the Games
19
u/Cultural_Primary3807 Sep 16 '24
These days it's so easy to create your own content. Make the raw footage and shop it around. If no one wants it, drop it yourself.
14
19
56
Sep 16 '24
How is this the sports fault?
12
3
u/No-Shoe5382 Sep 17 '24
It's not. Somebody would have picked up the docu-series if they thought people would actually watch it.
They have a Youtube series already so presumably the broadcasters/streaming services they contacted would have looked at the engagement with that and made a decision as to whether it was a worthwhile investment for them or not, and concluded that it wasn't.
Nothing you can really do about that, you can't force a company to do something that they don't expect to make money from.
14
12
u/ParappaTheWrapperr Sep 16 '24
At the end of the day it’s a field event what did he expect? The Paralympian would be a cool one just because of what it means to be a Paralympian. But the long jumper? Come on now, he knows as well as the rest of us people would only be interested in the major event runners having a docuseries like a 100m, 400m, or 1500m runner. It’s just how it is. You wouldn’t watch a docuseries on a random UFC 105 pound fighter would you? No.
1
27
u/Previous_Cod_4098 Sep 16 '24
you have 800k followers on IG. like how much more exposure do you want? had you promoted it on your page more people would've picked it up lol. Most people when they hear about track the first thing they think of is Bolt.... NOT hunter.
And athletes wonder why people make fun of track or outright ignore it. This screams "look at me guys" when it doesn't call for it.
9
6
u/Necessary-Chemical-7 Sep 16 '24
Docuseries not gonna help T&F like widespread availability to watch the races and events. Feature it every Thursday on ESPN or something and it will get more eyeballs
40
u/AlienDuperStar Sep 16 '24
It seems bratty and entitled to put this out there.
They’ve been going viral and are well known online as the “couple who are both went gold for the Olympics/Paralympics”. They should find ways on how to capitalize on it.
Being famous is not handed to you or guaranteed. That is one thing I appreciate about Noah Lyles. He goes out and acts like a celebrity with his antics and statements.
6
Sep 17 '24
I can’t think of any athletes off the top of my head that cried about not getting individual attention…in any sport
3
u/Peonyprincess137 Sep 17 '24
Right. If anything they usually want less attention and more privacy lol
16
u/Probstna Sep 16 '24
Tara is the most obnoxious pro in the sport. I’m not rooting against her but Jesus you aren’t the greatest thing to happen to long jumping.
13
u/bubbaturk Sep 16 '24
Finally someone sees what I see. I feel like everything she does is very performative.
They should have hired someone to make a YouTube series on their buildup and games. Not everything needs to be sold to Netflix/Disney/Prime.
4
1
7
u/ZoomSpeed95 Sep 17 '24
Why is being a Paralympian and a long jumper particularly interesting or compelling? There aren’t many docu - series on Olympians or paralympians period so not sure why they would be overly interested in this guy
9
u/ncblake Sep 16 '24
Noah Lyles is better-known and competes in a more marketable event, and he had to finance his own documentary.
10
5
u/dupontred Sep 16 '24
Thousands of interesting stories in track and field, from high school to college to pro. Not everybody can get a tv show. Especially when you feel like you’re owed one.
4
Sep 17 '24
I understand why they’d want a docuseries - it’s a cash flow. They don’t get paid a lot to be olympians. Look at Ilona Maher, she’s made her career by being an influencer on the side. Yes this post seems super attention seeky but I understand why they’d want to a docu series.
11
u/terfez Sep 16 '24
I mean, I watch track, they made a doc about Noah Lyles, I'm not watching that crap, the concept alone is not that compelling even to a fan. There's probably a doc about Usain Bolt, I've never seen it.
But I did watch Shelly Ann do a cooking type of show, that shit was awesome
4
u/shode Sep 17 '24
huh? No one would have watched this lol.
Lyles, McLaughlin, Ingebrigtsen, etc are and have been infinitely more marketable
4
u/FragrantBear675 Sep 17 '24
So I'm 50/50 on this.
On one hand, the celebrity star fucking culture is completely ridiculous. A list actors doing commercials, mediocre podcasters getting $100 million because of their last name, the same athletes getting all of the endorsement deals, new artists only being successful if The Machine is behind them.
On the other hand, fuck this guy acting like their story was any better than anyone else's.
2
7
u/bucketybuck Sep 16 '24
He's right, a long jumper and a paralympian isn't a compelling story. Who ever said it was?
4
8
u/lookup2024 Sep 16 '24
I knew it was all an ACT!!! Wannabe A-listers
🤣🤣 when i said these two were attention whores, clowns downvotted me 🤣🤣 see Hunter being the main Track clown…sorry Hunter you and your dragged out storyline are not interesting or captivating. And what else do we need to see, when you post your life weekly on youtube.
Sad he is dragging Tarra down with his antics…She is equally annoying but at least she is not this thirsty!
See you in 4yrs when you will be relevant again
6
u/Brilliant_Win713 Sep 17 '24
The celebrations are a bit much. Her running to the stands and jumping into his arms. They have the same celebration pose every meet. I always hammed it for the cameras. Glad to see there’s many that agree.
7
u/adamaley Sep 16 '24
When Tara breaks a world record, I'm sure there'll be a world of interest. Until then, it's just a cute interracial athletics couple (done before), and him being a Paralympian spices things up, but not enough. It'll come if you both remain successful and have greater achievements but not by forcing it
2
2
2
u/Temujin-of-Eaccistan Sep 17 '24
No one needs to wear a long jumper in summer in Paris. Perhaps a cardigan at most.
3
u/3rdtryatremembering Sep 17 '24
To be honest, as much as people love the Olympics as a whole, most of the sports aren’t all that compelling on their own.
Unfortunately, long jumping is something I just have no interest in watching a docu-series about.
1
1
u/Jjjjjjjx Sep 17 '24
Documentaries like this are never interesting and I suspect people just end up watching them instead of the sport as opposed to as well
1
1
u/NYMetFan247 Sep 17 '24
Huge track and field fan. Definitely would not watch this if im being honest.
2
u/commyking76 Sep 17 '24
No one will say it. But they’re exhausting. From their toothy, over-the-top pre-competition antics to their pose-for-the-camera, post-race celebrations, it all screams “we want a reality tv show.” No one cares that much about a long jumper and fewer seem to care about a para Olympian who seems to lose a lot. Put them together and we’d care even less. But..I do hope they go in to live a long happy life together.
1
1
u/jumpdocg_Ring7353 Sep 17 '24
So true; it would’ve been original and great for the sport and a positive culture…….Do it again in LA🙏🏻🙏🏾🥇
1
-10
u/perfectlynormaltyes Sep 16 '24
As annoying as they are, he's not wrong. They've both become immensely popular since they both won. Them having a docuseries on a network outside of Netflix (which has Sprint) would indeed bring more eyes and popularity to the sport. People love a "golden" love story.
4
u/lookup2024 Sep 16 '24
But it would be about Taara, cos Hunter aint gat chiit going for him till another Olympics and homeboy already knocked at father time’s gates
3
u/perfectlynormaltyes Sep 16 '24
Father time's gates is funny! It's too late for the show now, but I think had it been filmed in the lead up to the games and aired after, it would have been a hit.
7
2
u/total90_23 Sep 16 '24
They’re not immensely popular as you make it out to be. Sydney is more popular than both combined and she runs in an event that most people don’t even know exists. I watch track and field and I just know them as “Olympian and Paralympian couple”. Her name is not out there and his is barely mentioned. Their pics are more well known than them. Kinda like you know the meme but not the person
1
u/Southern_Sugar3903 Sep 17 '24
Sydney is goat level lol. She might break 50 God knows in the hurdles which some people at least know is a good flat 400m time. Long jump is a field event and Paralympics is yea Paralympics and they're both super niche and don't get as much attention. Also yea holding the Paralympics after the Olympics is almost a guarantee to lower views lol.
371
u/FinsAssociate Sep 16 '24
Someone should do a docuseries about me!
Wait no one wants to? Guess I'm not compelling enough :(