We don’t need you
In my first installment of this commentary, I suggested that one way to increase the popularity of track was to make it more appealing to the average football fan. This immediately spurred conversation on the forum that cheerleaders were part of football's appeal and that track and field should tap in to this resource. Cheerleaders probably aren't appropriate for track because:
- The sport is more than one-on-one. This means that the cheerleaders would simply have to be there for show or you'd have to have one or more cheerleaders for each participant. It would get messy and the effect could be lost.
- Unlike sports that traditionally have cheerleaders (football, basketball, etc) both males AND females participate at the same time in track. For some reason this would make having cheerleaders around a little more sexist and somewhat demeaning to the female competitors.
While I don't really think cheerleaders are appropriate for a sport like track and field I do think the sport could benefit from it's own sex appeal. I mean the sport of track produces some of the most beautiful bodies on the planet and the very nature of the sport showcases the bodies of these participants….tight skimpy uniforms and muscular sweaty bodies exerting and contorting themselves to their limit. There are a couple ways which the beauty of this sports athletes can be highlighted. What can you think of…(keep it tasteful please!!)