In order to make the Olympic Games, athletes have to hit a certain mark and compete against other elite athletes to prove they are worthy of a shot at medaling for their country. Some of the more interesting races and battles take place within those trials. At the 2012 Olympic Trials, a world record was set in the decathlon and an American record fell in the 10,000-meter race. But not too many people heard about these stories until those athletes went on to succeed in London.
I have decided to dedicate one of my final projects in my sports journalism class to uncovering where the attention to track and field goes in the three years between the Olympics. Factors that come into play are television coverage, athlete recognition, sponsorships, fan base locations, and other media attention.
I will be speaking to members of the media that cover track and field and professional athletes to get their take on the public's attention to the sport. Research can be done into the numbers of viewers that watched athletics on broadcasts of Olympic Games and how many people view telecasts of NCAA Championships that do end up on networks like ESPN.
I believe that my project and presentation will reveal a lot about a sport that many people overlook as being entertaining, mainly because of its lack of contact. Runners are deserving of making SportsCenter's Top 10 even when it may not be at the Olympics.