So I just came back from my Orientation at UCSB on Tuesday. After meeting lots of people and cooped up for close to eight hours inside Montecito 3306 at Manzanita Village, it's time to resume my weekly routine of blogging. I'm actually a privileged kid. Legally adult, but I can't deny my inner childhood. It wants to run.
This is from 2003, but it has great significance and impact.
"The Los Angeles Invitational indoor track meet, once a premier event in a vibrant local track and field scene but more recently a relic in a bleak landscape, has been canceled next year because father-and-son promoters Al and Don Franken couldn't find sponsors, they said Friday. They estimated their losses at as much as $50,000 if the meet had been held as scheduled."
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/dec/13/sports/sp-track13
They endured financial loss as long as possible to fight for a dying cause in Los Angeles. Track and Field use to hit mainstream in the 1990s. With the rise of popular shows dedicated to running and preparing to races, companies were able to capture an untargeted audience. But now, with scandals of steroid use and HGH abuse, USATF has taken a tough blow. Now, people leave the sport of running after they stop doing it. And that would break any coach's heart and deterence.
"Nothing captivating about running unless it's a comeback.", they all say.
Plus, the more land a sport takes, the less likely that deprived people are going to play it. You can run anywhere, but it takes a rubber track, special shoes and timers to actually compete. Where are city leaders going to come up money for that when they are in a financial rut?
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