I mean pro sports is pro sports. It sells stuff. Period.
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Eh to me this is a lot like the WNBA. A few months back WNBA player all complained when the NBA G-League announced it would make some 6 figure salary for all star high school seniors who didn't want to go to college aka "one and done" players. WNBA players got all mad that like the avg salary is less than half of what the new G-League was offering, yet the WNBA players didn't want to acknowledge that their product still hasn't caught on in over 20 years of product now, it loses money regularly by most teams every year and is being anchored pretty much by the NBA now (the owners of NBA teams are forced to "invest" in it).
The way the current setup is, there really is no "pro sports" in IM. It's just a category that instead of giving out medals, it gives out cash. But it really truly is setup poorly to distinguish itself and it's only real important race is Kona. But it truly would do itself wonders if they had only 4-5 IM pro races + Kona. It would create better racing, would create more rivalries, would create better random quotes, would create buzz. But spreading what 30 pro races over 35 overall IM events really does create complete buzzkill for pros in IM.
So I think WTC can do a better job of creating an pro series, but I think the bad thing will be that it culls a ton of "pros" (it's what $750/year for a pro to race IM..if they cut out 200 that would be what $1.5 million lost). It would mean the big names make higher money and very few score any money. Maybe the pros won't want that Idk, but if IM ever wanted to make it work, it seems a "series" of sorts would be a hell of a lot better chance then this "every IM race has a pro field and a few of the races are little stronger, etc".
SL is only here and will be only here because of a billionaire footing the bill. If that billionaire tires and wants to spend that money elsewhere, SL will simply go away. Why? Because it doesn't have the standing power/money to do it on it's own.
Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II
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Eh to me this is a lot like the WNBA. A few months back WNBA player all complained when the NBA G-League announced it would make some 6 figure salary for all star high school seniors who didn't want to go to college aka "one and done" players. WNBA players got all mad that like the avg salary is less than half of what the new G-League was offering, yet the WNBA players didn't want to acknowledge that their product still hasn't caught on in over 20 years of product now, it loses money regularly by most teams every year and is being anchored pretty much by the NBA now (the owners of NBA teams are forced to "invest" in it).
The way the current setup is, there really is no "pro sports" in IM. It's just a category that instead of giving out medals, it gives out cash. But it really truly is setup poorly to distinguish itself and it's only real important race is Kona. But it truly would do itself wonders if they had only 4-5 IM pro races + Kona. It would create better racing, would create more rivalries, would create better random quotes, would create buzz. But spreading what 30 pro races over 35 overall IM events really does create complete buzzkill for pros in IM.
So I think WTC can do a better job of creating an pro series, but I think the bad thing will be that it culls a ton of "pros" (it's what $750/year for a pro to race IM..if they cut out 200 that would be what $1.5 million lost). It would mean the big names make higher money and very few score any money. Maybe the pros won't want that Idk, but if IM ever wanted to make it work, it seems a "series" of sorts would be a hell of a lot better chance then this "every IM race has a pro field and a few of the races are little stronger, etc".
SL is only here and will be only here because of a billionaire footing the bill. If that billionaire tires and wants to spend that money elsewhere, SL will simply go away. Why? Because it doesn't have the standing power/money to do it on it's own.
Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II
Last edited by:
B_Doughtie: Nov 20, 18 10:00