Late Night Musings!
I posted this at Timed Finals as a comment to an editorial Scott wrote titled: Is swimming relevant? does anybody care?
Not only did I respond but so did Super-Hero and Olympian, Gary Hall. My take is a bit unique but I think it would be a lot of fun to consider. Here is my post:
What I find Ironic is that the European Union, which has primarily adopted socialistic principles within their governments, seems to have a population that embraces individualized sports such as cycling, swimming, tennis, etc. rather than team sports.
The US, on the other hand, which has more of a "bootstrap" political mentality has a populace that embraces spectacles known as football and basketball which both apparently are filled with police blotter "issues".
Europe seems to idolize the individual whereas America idolizes the "team". There's the Irony.
[...]
I think swimming needs to be presented differently. I suggest the creation of a Pro-circuit and change the whole way the races are conducted so as to resonate personality. Swimming should be photographed differently, swam differently and experienced differently as a spectator. Perhaps viewing areas beneath the surface like an aquarium where you see the swimmers pound and drive off the walls would could create gravity defying images that are mere feet away from the viewer.
Look, people are watching poker and NASCAR for crying out loud. Two of the most boring "sports" around where athleticism plays no part. Why are ratings up? The way the two are presented.
Example: To create personality, perhaps use only two lanes instead of eight. Just have two contestants per heat with the winner moving forward despite how fast or slow their times are. Just as players at the US Open of Tennis move on to the next opponent so would swimmers. To create tension, each swimmer swims ever single stroke; or a mini pentathlon, as a sprinter, a mid-distance, or as a long distance swimmer depending on their distance specialty.
Example: Gary Hall versus Italy's Filippo Magnini or Natalie Coughlin versus France's Laure Manaudou.
I believe if photographed or viewed accurately, swimming would look more poetic, more intense, and more aesthetic than of all the sports. It would look as sexy as volleyball, as emotionally intense as tennis, and as heroic as a Hail Mary, touchdown catch.
Presentation is everything. Just ask a volleyball player.
No comments:
Post a Comment