I had to laugh when I read the comment about how in the US truly, gifted athletes opt for more glamorous sports - too true. As a former track athlete, it is a fact that in the US track is a sport dominated by oddballs, who were generally too short, nearsighted, uncoordinated, or skinny to compete effectively in a more socially acceptable team sport such as basketball, football, baseball, or even (these days) soccer or golf.

There is a fair amount of participation in track at the high school level, but a lot of that is prompted by coaches of the team sports encouraging their athletes to 'run track' during the off season. Or even during the same season: my high school 100-yard dash record was held by a famous (future) National League star who would finish baseball practice by going over to the track for a few windsprints. Just for fun, he ran in a few track meets between baseball games. His name is Dusty Baker. So, track is rarely the sport of first choice for American kids.

Which is a shame, since track & field (or athletics, as it is known everywhere else) is probably the purest, most beautiful sport there is; and the highlight of the Olympics everywhere but in the U.S.

If there is an upside to this, it is that lack of US participation in track and field (and its even more eccentric cousin, cross country running) gives the rest of the world a fair shot at humbling the mighty Yanks every four years, which is the only time that the US pays any attention to track & field athletes. It is refreshing to see truly great athletes like Usain Bolt, Don Quarrie, and others become national heroes of countries like Jamaica, humbling the mighty US Olympic Team in the process. At the same time,it is a testament to the amazing sporting talent of the US that we continue to produce the Michael Johnson's, Tyson Gay's, and even the Shelene Flanagan's (look her up) that keep the US in the game somewhat, providing a few fleeting moments of excitement every four years for the couch-bound fans at home.

On a related note, how often do you hear the hypotheticals like what kind of wide receiver would Bolt make? But you rarely hear hypotheticals like what a great 400M hurdler Scottie Pippen would have made.

People who don't appreciate track and field seem to view guys like Bolt as a waste of talent. I love track and when I see guys like Philadelphia Eagle receiver Hank Baskett, a 7' high jumper and a fantastic hurdler in high school, I think about what a great decathlete he could be.

Can't wait to see Bolt run the 200. He ran close to 20 secs for 200 just combining his 100M win and his victory celebration.

I'm with you. This might be before your time, but Renaldo Nehemiah was probably the greatest high hurdler ever. He gave it all up for an ill-fated stint as a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers (an opportunity he got in part because Bill Walsh was a fan and a former 200 meter star at San Jose State himself). If Renaldo had been a Brit or Jamaican, he probably would have won three gold medals in the HH, instead of being a failed WR - compared with athetes who couldn't hold his jock. What a waste (and I'm a 49er fan).

i'm with you guys, track rules!

nowdays, premier athletes make quite a good living, i would think comparabe to the NFL, excluding its mega-stars, so is this still the same issue as with Renaldo Nehemiah ?

Good point: Renaldo ran during the "phony" Amateur years - when the athletes were basically tools for the AAU and the IOC to feather their own nests, and the athletes lived lives of poverty. Having just this moment watched the amazing 1-2-3 US sweep in the Men's 400 IH, I might possibly be pursuaded that there is some hope for US track and field. Of course, it has to start with the kids thinking track is cool - hope this Olympics helps.

Track sucks. Real men play contact sports.

Well, that was mature. What a man you must be.

Speaking of which, when I was competing, it was always the third string back up benchwarmers - who sucked at all sports but managed to hang on to a slot on a football or baseball team because they weren't particularly difficult to get into - who had that kind of attitude. I remember some clown from the football team who made a comment like that to one of my cross country collegues - the football player got his ass kicked. So, I have no difficulty picturing what kind of athlete YOU are.

s34738 just enjoys wearing tight pants and copping feels of macho man ass.