Football is NOT the most
award winning sport in Nebraska -
and it never has been!
With the arrival of Scott Frost as Cornhusker football head coach, local and national print and broadcast media are going to give even more coverage to UNL football in 2018. Of course, this is understandable given the demise of Cornhusker football in the wake of the Tom Osborne era. But, given the veracity of the exhibit below that shows UNL's track and field program has always been more successful than football, why must media coverage of UNL “sporting” events be so blatantly skewed and biased? As with UNL football, where’s the 30-minute “after game” wrap-up television program for track and field meets? |
Simply put, the track and field program at UNL has won more conference team titles, won more championships, graduated more All-Americans, and produced more Olympic athletes than all other UNL sports combined! Sadly, most print and broadcast media are routinely bereft of coverage of track and field events until the Olympics, with only an occasional reference to the World Championships, or IAAF events. Likewise, print and broadcast coverage of participation and attendance at track and field events at the Cornhusker State Games continues to drop.
As you may know, some U.S. schools and their “media partners” have “branded” themselves as the preeminent and perennial location for track and field in the United States, such as: The Olympic Trails at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon; Drake Relays at Drake University; and Penn Relays at University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field. Most importantly, the track and field programs at the aforementioned schools generate significantly more income and publicity than UNL’s track and field program, which is extremely disappointing because:
1. UNL has one of the most successful elite track and field programs in the United States, with an outstanding record of national and conference championships and Olympic athletes (again, note the attached exhibit);
2. Located in the Bob Devaney Center, UNL has an elite indoor 200-meter hydraulic-banked track, one of only three-(3) in the United States and seven-(7) in the world;
3. Nestled between Memorial Stadium, the Hawks Championship Center and the NU Coliseum, the Huskers' Ed Weir Stadium outdoor track features a Mondo synthetic rubber surface, the same surface utilized by many of the world's other top competitive sites, including Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece. During the 36-year existence of Ed Weir Stadium, Nebraska has hosted eight National Junior Olympics, a USA-USSR Junior Dual Meet, six Big Eight Outdoor Championships, one Special Olympics and one Big 12 Outdoor Championship. The Huskers also played host to the first-ever NCAA Midwest Regional Championships at the venue in 2003, and the event returned to the stadium in 2008.
As you may know, the Golden League was formed to increase the profile of the leading European track and field competitions, and there’s never been equivalent support for such in the United States. In 2010, the Golden League evolved into the Diamond League to enhance the worldwide appeal of athletics by going outside Europe for the first time. UNL has embraced international student-athletes for decades, including Priscilla Lopes-Schliep of Canada, Keith Gardner of Jamaica, Carl Myerscough of Great Britain, Jimmy Pino of Colombia and so many, many more.
In full disclosure, I’m a career athlete in track and field and I’m also a track and field official, but this editorial is not generated out of any bias for this one true* sport. Also, this is an unsolicited editorial and I do not represent UNL or any track and field organization. As a video journalist myself, there are many great untold track and field stories waiting for print and broadcast media to share with their audiences!!
My request: UNL’s indoor track season concludes on Friday, February 16, 2018 and there are only two-(2) outdoor meets, on Saturday, April 7, 2018 and Saturday, May 5, 2018. While I sincerely appreciate the modest media coverage typically allocated for showcasing track and field at UNL, most respectfully, local print and broadcast media should provide more coverage to make UNL the preeminent and perennial location for track and field in the Midwest if not the world.
I welcome your feedback.
Trip Reynolds
trip.reynolds@yahoo.com
* Football is actually a “game” that involves the use of “measured” athletic activity and “designated periods of rest” to conclude each contest. Conversely, track and field is not a game. Most importantly, without a designated period of rest, all athletic performance is measured and the athlete’s objective is to consistently improve upon their athletic performance.
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Reynolds' Rap First Amendment to the United States Constitution - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. |