As pro football in the 1960s, then basketball in the 1980s, then hockey in the 1990s, rose from years of mediocrity, the commissioners' offices deserved much of the credit. For years, the administration of track and field followed international rules and was unable to break out of that mode. I think we are doing better now and recognize we have to move away from that amateur model. There are high hopes for Craig Masback, the new leader of USA Track and Field. From all appearances, if anyone can pulls things together, it's this well-respected Princeton grad and former great miler.
Distance running is a classic sport, almost as old as time itself.
But, unless we see changes, American distance runners will increasingly be only the true amateurs who run because they love to run. Jeff Merron is assistant professor of mass communications at the State University of West Georgia, and a freelance writer whose work has appeared in a variety of publications. Write back . Back to top . Copyright 1998 SportsJones Magazine.