Can we be supporting our athletes better than this?

I don't complain often, but...

When I started this blog I made a commitment to try not to use it in a negative manner.  In other words, I didn’t want to use it to voice my complaints.  But tonight, I am deviating from that commitment ever so slightly.

Ironman Canada was televised yesterday here in Canada.  I had been looking forward to watching all week.  I made sure that I freed up noon till one so that no distractions would bother me.  I unplugged my phone; I locked my doors; I made popcorn and I got down to business. 

I won’t say which channel; but if you live in Canada it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out the culprit.  Anyway, race goes off…  I’m waiting to see the story unfold.  I’m waiting to hear or see a mention of Canadian Trevor Williams who goes on to beat several pros and win the age-group overall title.  I’m waiting to see the story of Sister Madonna Buder, become the first 75-year-old woman to finish Ironman.  I’m waiting to see the drama of Ironman racing: the pain, the perseverance and the story of overcoming obstacles against all odds; this is what makes triathlon so great.    

I race triathlon because it just might be the last sport where pros and amateurs race together on the same course at the same time in the same race.  I race triathlon because of the respect that each and every athlete has for one another because we know that we are all suffering no matter how fast we finish.  I race triathlon because when you do, something changes deep down inside of you and the only people who understand this are the other participants of our glorious sport.

NBC’s coverage of Ironman Hawaii introduced me to triathlon.  Watching Peter Reid win in 1998 inspired me to take a turn in triathlon.  I wept when Simon Whitfield won gold in the first ever-Olympic triathlon event; I shouted him in to the finish as if I were cheering Joe Montana at the Superbowl.  I could do this because of television coverage.

So when Subaru Ironman Canada was televised and the coverage was inadequate at best, and uninspiring throughout, I wept for the missed opportunity.  It is nothing short of tragic that a national sports network could not get it together enough to convey the true nature of a 17-hour race in one hour of TV.  There simply is no excuse.  There is a plethora of triathlon resource people connected with Ironman, or other triathlon organizations to exploit.  Everyone in the sport of triathlon in Canada and around the world wants to see our sport grow; triathlon changes peoples lives for the better. 

So I say to that sports network (ok, no secrets anymore)…  next time tell the story of the race: all of it, not just the winners or the pro who crashed out.  You are a Canadian network and there were no less than half a dozen up and coming pros there who didn’t even get a mention.  You didn’t tell Trevor’s story, or mention his name.  When you fail in this matter you are not supporting our sport, or our athletes. 

Very few athletes in Canada can make enough in their sport to pay for their racing and training.  This will change if our athletes get the media attention they earn.  It will certainly change as our sport grows, and attracts many more participants.  TV coverage is instrumental in this process.  By conveying the story of the whole race, TV networks can inspire and motivate people to get out and try triathlon; perhaps if they did this, their advertising revenues would increase with their ratings?  Seems like common sense to me.       

I have to ask these questions after my rant:  Am I alone in wanting to see the story of the athletes who finish late in the race?  Am I alone in wanting to see the story of the athlete who overcame illness, accident or tragedy and is racing anyway?  Am I alone in wanting to see the story of the up-and-comers?  Write me and tell me what you think.