BRETT SUTTON INTERVIEW - WTC TAKEOVER...

Was able to half-listen to this today. For all of those wanting the executive summary, what he is proposing is a model that is similar to Barcelona FC, where season-ticket holders own the club. They don't run the club, but they have the ability to fire/hire management every year. 

Athletes wouldn't run the club (and he says athletes wouldn't know how if they did), but they could control the overall direction of the company (and hence, the sport)

I would agree.....I also think he is underestimating how screwed up a company owned by 60,000 egomaniac type-A personalities would be.

Completely agree, and overall I don't think people are that unhappy with WTC. I've seen what happened when the Competitor Group took over the Philly Tri and Philly Half Marathon, and it's a mixed bag, but mostly worse. The grass is always greener, you know.

That's right, he doesn't.  While I don't agree with "the masses" owning WTC, I do agree with tirathlon's various organizations becoming more concerend with the pro and elite athletes.  They can care about the casual amateur the same way that Major League Baseball cares about Little League baseball.  I see nothing wrong with that.

There is a BIG difference here, though, IMO.  None of the fans of MLB - adults who spend money to watch and such - are PLAYING Little League baseball.

In triathlon, the "fans" are actually competing in the same events - there is no splitting of venue.

Also, the money, such as it is, in triathlon comes from fans participating - not advertising revenue, as with MLB or other major, spectator based sports (NFL, NBA, NHL, etc.).

So, while the organizations should care about pro and elite athletes (if for no other reason than they should - like any competitive sporting body), I'm not convinced it makes a difference to the vast majority of participants.  In other words, better paydays, more sustainable lifestyles, events catered toward, a system supportive of the development of pro's/elite's won't have much of an effect on the majority of people in the sport and therefore its economics.

I think many people that do tri's like to follow the pros.  A few might even "care" (as in, enough to spend a dollar or two in one form or another - supporting a brand sponsored by their fave athlete or the like), but I suspect the VAST majority of folks would still show up and race even if there were NO pro's.

Here's a question to test the envelope, what do you (broadly, not singling out LB) think would happen to the sport if there were NO pros or elites?  No Olympic competition?

I'm guessing there would just be some faster folks in the younger (40 and down) age groups, but otherwise not much.  Maybe I'm missing an important dynamic in the industry, but other than the few magazines that we all read, not sure it would do much to the average person's experience - and in this sport, that is who pays the freight by participating (as opposed to beer advertising during nationally broadcast events with huge viewerships but few direct participants).

Matt

what is this gibberish? what came first, baseball pro's or baseball amateurs? Every sport started with amateurs inventing it, people getting good at it and making leagues, and if it is popular enough pro leagues form. And people still play just as much, no MORE amateur football, basketball, soccer etc. for fun. They just don't do it in the same places as the pros. Those people "pay the bills" as well, just from the couch. 

What triathlon needs to do is make the races watchable, which the grand prix races and ITU short course races are. Money comes with popularity, and you don't get popularity without a watchable product. This is also a much better business model than Sutton's please "give me money" idea. That isn't sustainable and doesn't really make any sense.

How would the average AG in Ironman even run WTC consistently?  Aren't many AG'ers part of the "one and done" crowd?  A lot of people out there just want to get the race checked off their list and move on.

Preach it brother!  Those races are a blast to watch!  Even my buds who want nothing to do with triathlon enjoy watching the grand prix races.  Build that format and you will see triathlon grow.......not because of participation, but because people will watch the races because they are fast paced, have plenty of action, and people crash.   If there are no crashes, America won't care.