This is an excellent- and difficult- question.

Let's brain storm: Random thoughts to throw out there-

1. Reality TV is consistently the highest rated, most popular TV category going. How do we incorporate that "feel" into our coverage (without being ridiculous and losing credibility as a valid sportscast- assuming that's what we're shooting for).
2. Why is NASCAR so popular? How can we incorporate that success formula into our coverage?
3. The sport is complex and difficult to understand. How do we educate the viewer without losing them?
4. What are the elements of the sport that the biggest audience can connect with? The common elements of drama, success, failure- how do we depict those best?
5. Given that we are constrained by the feed we get from the Official Network licensed to cover the Tour (Antennae 2?) how will establish uniqueness and differentiation in our coverage?
6. Given our time slot, what are we up against? Why would someone want to watch our show as opposed to the other stuff up there?

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

1. Do indepth coverage of the podium girls.

2. Have Kirsten Gum wear a little more revealing clothes.

3. More beer commercials.

4. Inject a little more sex appeal in other ways.

Please note that I am saying this in jest.

I am curious why we would want to attract any number of what would probably be considered the "average sports fan"? Most of them still think that sports like the WWF is real and that a man (or woman) can easily withstand being repeatedly smashed over the head with various peices of ring side furniture while the "average sports fan" sits in front of the television set memsorized by such action! I mean realistically, what kind of mental giants are these types of fans? These are people who will not move from the couch for 2-3 hours out of fear of missing a single moment of action or intermittent crash as a result of twenty or thirty, 3,500 pound race cars bearing little ressemblance to automobiles made by the "Big 3" American automobile manufacturers as the cars endlessly circuit a track at a super speedway while barely managing 8-9 mpg! Personally, I dont want that type of fan making hte switch - I want them firmly entrenched in their living rooms therefore helping to ensure that I will be less likely to encounter them out on the road while training!



Michael

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"Why is NASCAR so popular? How can we incorporate that success formula into our coverage?"

I'm a Formula One and CART fan myself, but NASCAR has found the perfect formula to make their racing spectator friendly. NASCAR is actually quite low tech racing with stock blocks and carbs. The rules are very stringent to keep everybody on the same playing field and the relative costs down. This makes for close racing. Formula One is a much more expensive higher tech and more upmarket form of racing, but most Grand Prix becomes a parade after a few laps. Still, Formula One has an international presense while NASCAR is strictly a domestic series. Sort of like comparing soccer and football.

Don't know how you could introduce this formula to triathlon. Make every body race on the same Scwinn cruiser bicycle? Probaby he closest thing to NASCAR spectator appeal in the tri world is the ITU racing which is shorter distances and more exciting for the average viewer due to the draft legal bike portion. IM is much less interesting to the non triathlete viewer. That's why NBC puts so many sob stories into the coverage in order to attempt to generate more interest.

I am with you there.

this IS an interesting question.

no real solutions... but a couple of thoughts:
for me there is a real distinction between the TDF and a tri race.
- The TDF occurs over a long stretch of time (more than one day) while a tri race could be covered completely in 1 day.
- Tri race immediately has an advantage of variation. the three sports vs. cycling. i think for the average joe this mixes things up and could keep the interest/attention span going.
- TDF has lance armstrong!

i was watching the paris-roubaix race with my aunt yesterday and she found it pretty boring. she loves sports and loves to watch sports so that isn't the problem, but she just doesn't know anything about cycling and there was not much "action" to keep her interested. she had a hard time understanding the strategy of the packs of riders in front of the peleton so early in the race and the commentators weren't very interesting/helpful. even the final sprint was so strategic that it didn't seem that interesting to her.

i think their must be something to learn from nascar being so popular. why? i've never had an opportunity to watch it, so excuse my ignorance, but i just don't know... what keeps people interested?

-good commentators make a big difference.
i've always liked jon mcenroe as a tennis commentator. he is quite insightful and not overlydramatic... and suprisingly he knows when to shut up.

To my mind, watching most sports is boring, doing them is fun. I love the TdF, but it can get long sometimes on days when there are no major breaks, or crashes, or whatever. Thank goodness for Phil Liggett.

If you want more mainstream viewers watching the TdF, you need to surround Phil with a gaggle of young hotties. Maybe do a Girls Gone Wild, Tour de France Edition.

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The WWF isn't real?! You should be excited about the possibility of NASCAR fans joining the ranks of TDF fans. NeckCAR is the thinking man's sport; " Left turn, left turn, pit stop. Oh crap, Jeff Gordon just passed me." Oh well, my 3 hours on the couch are up. Time to go get a beer.

My theory is that Nascar is so popular because the fans think "I could do that, if I just had the balls, which I do, really, I do!" They definitely don't say that about Ironman, or TdF.

On the other hand, American pro team sports are so popular because the fans buy into a transfer of identity (this applies to college sports too) - as if living in Detroit and wearing a 3-sizes-too-big red & white jersey while jumping up and screaming at the local Sports Bar makes you as tough and amazing as the incredibly athletic, talented and tough-as-nails Redwing you just watched pummelling a Disney Duck. And the TV commercials promoting hockey have even made direct, serious "fun" of this in a series of (hilarious) ads that basically deadpanned, "Watching Redwing hockey makes you tougher".

Ask a random football or hockey "fan" what the word actually means - what it's actually short for...

At least we don't have (too much) of the soccer hoodlum phenomenon in the States (tell that to the college-towns that get mauled after a big game!). Still, I don't understand pro sports fanaticism at all. I do admire great athletes in any sport. But wearing a US Postal jersey does not make me feel like a better person...

-Zo

"But wearing a US Postal jersey does not make me feel like a better person..." Indeed, some people will give you crap for wearing a USPS jersey while cycling, because you're not actually on the team. (But they do sell the jersey, and other gear, so they must expect someone to wear it.) This is one of the quirks of the cycling community that I find funny. In the cycling world, you have to earn the jersey, or you shouldn't wear it. In mainstream American sports, you can wear any damned thing you want and that's okay. In fact, you should buy all the gear you can afford, because we(The NFL, or whoever) want your money!

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In the cycling world, you have to earn the jersey, or you shouldn't wear it. In mainstream American sports, you can wear any damned thing you want and that's okay.

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This may sound somewhat hipocritical seeing as I dont find anything wrong with wearing the team kit from your favorite team - thats seems more like a tribute to the team. Of course if you are going to go out and purchase the whole US Postal team kit, it would be nice if you at least were riding on a TREK. On occasion I have seen riders wearing pro team jersyes, like a Postal or ONCE, in combination with walking shorts and/or running shoes and toe clips/straps while riding on a department store bike (well at least they are riding). On the other hand, I have been fortunate over the years to race or train beside current or former world champions and I have great respect for what those people have accomplished. For that reason, I do tend to find it embarrasing when someone wearing the rainbow jeresey jumps in with the training group but fails to realize that the personin in front/behind/beside them in a paceline, the one with the rainbow piping on the sleeves of their jersey, did not buy that jersey on ebay or at the LBS but instead worked very hard to earn those stripes! On one outing I found myself asking a new rider if he understood the significance of the fancy white jersey with the colored stripes he was wearing that day? A jersey he had bought online from an etailer the previous week - all the while he was pedaling his bicycle while riding directly in front of a reigning Masters Women's track World Champion!



Michael

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When my wife had her Giant OCR it was yellow/black ONCE colors. She got an ONCE shirt and the ONCE water bottles. Don't see how she was doing any harm. Of course she sold the Giant and upgraded her road bike but still wears the ONCE shirt occassionally.

Now I have a yellow jersey that I'll wear on our group rides sometimes. Now that's really posing.

First of all you need to understand the audience. I think most of us understand the audience and there is no way in hell any of these sports will be big in america. Kirsten Gum revealing more each week will get some of it done, cyclists bursting into flames will help too. Our society is so far gone, that living vicariously through others (because my possesion based lifestyle leaves me so "empty" inside) leaves un-reallity shows gobbling up all the airwaves. Unless you reveal more and blow things up for the men, and do tons of reality segments for the women, we don't have a chance. One of the many downsides to pop culture is that unless it's enhanced and more spectacular than the "fast and the furious" it doesn't stand a chance.

I understand the logic behind thinking that it is inappropriate to wear team kits or championships jerseys , and I don't fault people for feeling that way. I just find it interesting that if I'm throwing a football around with Tom Brady, and I have a 2004 NFL SuperBowl Championship hat on, it's perfectly acceptable as an homage to my favorite team, but if I show up at a group ride wearing the rainbow jersey, it's potentially seen as an insult to the people who have worked hard to earn it.

I would guess that a lot of people buy their jerseys because they like the pattern, rather than because they understand the significance of the jersey. If that's the case, then it is the bike shop's fault for selling official gear to the uninformed without instilling them with the proper awe and respect for the shirt they're paying $75 for.

I live in MA, ride alone most of the time, and don't see a whole lot of top-ranked riders in my travels, unlike the situation you have in CA. Not that I'd know a top-ranked rider if I saw one, unless they were wearing their kit. ;p

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Nascar broadcasts are popular because they are packaged to appeal to all levels of interest but most importantly they do not speak down to the rabid fans.

You can watch just to see the next crash or you can watch and get all excited about the fact that on the last pit stop "Junior took 2 right sides and a round of wedge and the 30 car made left rear tire pressure adjustment to deal with the push in turn 3." The telecasts do not speak down to the audience. The tone is that there are really cool and important things going on here. The same with football or any other major sport - the telecasts speak to the avid listener first then explain things when necessary but always with the tone that what is going on is important and significant in and of its own right. They assume you are watching because you are in to it. I think OLNs coverage of the tour is popular for the same reason. It's aimed mostly at true fans but it does draw others in because it sounds serious and they get sucked in.

OTOH, the coverage of triathlon is frequently presented with the premise that the only thing that seems to matter is how bad your cancer was and how hard it was for you to get to the race. It is not covered as a "sport" but rather as some human drama packaged in a edited "show." Basically, all the stuff we as the core fan base are interested in is completely ignored. If triathlon was covered like NASCAR, all the stuff people talk about on this board would come up during the broadcast. There would be a telestrator analysis during the race comparing bike positions. Debates would rage between commentators about who was using what wetsuit. Stories would flow about epic training exploits and inside dish on the leaders would flow freely.

ms6073,

You make some good points. I had forgotten that this is the same crowd that thought hitting a baseball, returning a serve in tennis, and hitting a golf ball were some of the toughest events in all sports.

Winning the TDF (more strenuous than a marathon a day for three weeks) takes a back seat and taking second in the Giro with a broken shoulder blade, and then riding stages 2-21 of the 2003 TDF with a broken collar bone and winning a stage no less in the process doesn't even get honorable mention.

By the way, what is the record for the most consecutive marathons? One per day, day after day. And at what kind of a pace? Easy trot or 3 hour or less pace?

These "average sports fans" don't even have a clue.

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Ben Cline


Better to aspire to Greatness and fail, than to not challenge one's self at all, and succeed.

If you want know part of the why triathlon/cycle racing lack popularity. Arrogance and elitism may be part of it.

You can't wear a jersey because you don't know the significance of it.

Ours is the toughest sport and any thought other wise is bafoonery.

If you watch other sports you are a couch potato.

Here's a thought, invite someone new to ride with you, make them feel welcome and don't scoff at their gear. But, most of all, get over yourself.

Thanks jack m. You could be right about that. I guess the reason more people aren't attracted to the sport is that anybody who can get off the couch can do it. Its just not much of a challenge for most people. No attraction in that. Why would anybody want to do something that everyone can do? Same goes for mountain climbing. For that matter, why do anything where one could risk failure?

Excuse me, I have to get up to go to the "frig" for a cold one. No risk of failure in this.

As for the last suggestion, our weekly club rides are just that. New comers are always welcome and made to feel at home Any and all are invited to come and ride with us provided they agree to follow our rules of the road for their safety and the safety of the group. We also advise them how fast or slow the ride is and what to expect during the course of the ride. We try to help them learn and improve group riding skills. I frequently have thought of myself as a ride shepherd, but perhaps I should reconsider.

We also have a beginners ride on Thursday nights. I have participated in these in the past thinking this was easy active recovery from the fast hard ride we have on Wednesdays. I had found comfort when I started riding to find strong experienced riders who were willing to share a ride with me. It was fun too, to discover I could ride better with each ride and get pointers whenever I was struggling with some aspect of a group ride. But perhaps I should reconsider this too.

Anyone who asked for help or advise, I was quick to help them shorten their trip up the learning curve by sharing my own experience/learning, but perhaps I should reconsider this as well.

Oh screw it. Should I bring over a case of PBR for the NASCAR race this weekend so we can get self-absorbed?

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Ben Cline


Better to aspire to Greatness and fail, than to not challenge one's self at all, and succeed.

I totally agree with jack m. I do have to admit though, it gives me great pleasure beating some of you guys wearing your tri suits and riding fancy bikes

I think cycling and triathlons have a couple things going for us right now that will continue our rise in popularity.

1. Lance put us on the map, even more so than steve larson, greg lemond, mark allen. A good story to suck people in and get them hooked. Cycling may lead to triathlon interest, vice versa.

2. All the focus on health is getting more people into spinning classes and the gym in general. Maybe some people will actually stick with it and find a new passion.

Who cares about expanding, as long as we have a solid core of people participating (I'm not saying, but I'm saying)?

How about golf? Talk about boring, somehow tons of people watch for many hours over a weekend. It is a simple sport to understand, though.

Heck, even the WWE acknowledges their fans are, in their words, 'retarded.' They are introducing a mentally handicapped wrastler. No joke.

It also seems part of the elitism of cycling/triathlons has to do with the lack of respect/knowledge about the sport. Perhaps a chicken v. egg discussion.

The rides you're involved with must be different than the ones I ridden. Half the dudes won't say 'hi' and they do there best to drop as many folks as possible. I ride in one of the state MS rides each year, and some of the small groups think they are "US POSTAL", god forbid you're in their air space.

As far as self-absorbed goes, and my wife would agree, I am very self-absorbed in my training, not sitting on the couch.

Now about that PBR... I'm more of a Bud or Coors lite fan.

I think Jack has some good points.

I don't think that the TDF is boring just the opposite last year many of my coworkers came up to me and told me how cool the TDF was.

Golf, Nascar, Basketball are a lot like a soap opera. If you just turn on the TV and watch one show you say "what is this garbage".But if you keep watching it and you find out the about characters, who did what to whom and who's sleeping with who it starts to become interesting.Personally I like Nascar I just don't have time to watch it anymore.

I also agree with the point about do we really need more people watching and doing Triathlons as long as the races keep filling up? I see where the qualifying time for the Boston come down a little, is that a bad thing? Maybe someday it'll get a little easier to get into Kona. But I doubt it.

Also I'm Miller Lite man myself.

Dave

I agree with Zo. Watching golf is popular because it is the # 3 or #4 participation sport in the U.S. If you play golf you can appreciate just how incredibly good the pro men and women are. If you played hockey as a kid, you probably watch it. Likewise if you bike and have ever suffered on a steep climb you can appreciate how Lance and the rest of the TDF guys are simply not human. Anybody can drive a car, in my personal opinion Nascar is like elevator racing. Push the button, fastest elevator wins i.e. best car wins not the best driver. Sponsors and crews create winners, Nascar is REALLY boring IMO. At least Formula 1 involves turning left AND right, braking and shifting. Triathlon will never catch on with American coach potatoes, except for the Kona show which simply highlights most peoples' opinions that triathletes are crazy exercise freaks.

You're not going to "steal" NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, PGA or NASCAR fans away from their "inner sport" - the one they know they could do so much better than the pros ... "Come on McNabb!!! I can throw better than that!!!" They're already bought, sold and cooked. How about a little X-pollination??? Downhill MTB at Xterra??? Set up some wakeboarding in Kailua Bay for the fans while everyone's out on the bike. Streetstyle in the lot before the marathoners come in.


I see some repect there.

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin