Andres wrote:
NordicSkier wrote:
DFW_Tri wrote:
That's a strange way to look at it. Triathlon doesn't "need" him to raise the profile. Athletes switching sports raises the profile-that's a good thing. I didn't consider it sad for baseball when Michael Jordan tried it and raised significant attention for that sport.Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the USA, hardly a fair comparison.
Triathlon is a niche sport with a low profile and pathetic prize purses. We keep hoping for some saviour that is going to make triathlon great.
It's time we actually treated triathlon like a real sport if we want to raise the profile.
It's all entertainment... its popularity outside of its niche following depends on the sport's ability to entertain/captivate the masses. The sport does need a saviour more than the sport needs to be treated like more of a sport.
That's why I'm 100% behind SuperLeague. It's short enough to consume a race in one sitting. It's not just the fast guys getting out front and then watching them bike for 4 hours, but rather there is excitement and a fair amount of passing/battles. The strategy is more obvious to somebody not familiar with the sport. And there is plenty of "down time" for commercials, which is helpful to draw in a TV broadcast contract. It's the exact format you need to build up a casual fanbase of people who don't necessarily participate in the sport.
Now I just want to see G compete in the triple mix :)