How to Make the Diamond League Sparkle

Posted on 2 September 2010

As the first year of the Diamond League drew to a close last weekend, reviews and commentary are beginning to pop up online. The comments so far, however, have focused mostly on whether or not the series has been good for the athletes. I think that’s a fairly simple question to answer: it tends to be better for some of the minor events and worse for the top events. The shot putters I’ve talked to have loved the series. The event was rarely included in the Diamond League in the past decade, but this year they have been included in a high-profile meets getting the athletes both more exposure and more money. Other events have seen a decline in competitions and earnings. Because more events have been included, appearance fees have become rare in order to pay for the extra events (except for the select few Diamond League Ambassadors). A Twitter exchange between sprint star turned TV announcer Ato Boldon, high jumper Jamie Nieto, and sprint Lisa Barber concluded with Nieto saying “The Diamond League is making it real hard to make a living. Something has got to change.” The split program concept, where meets alternate hosting certain events, also means less meets for 100m runners and stars from events that used to be included in every meet. Sprinter Carmelita Jeter told Spikes Magazine that “This year I had about 40 to 50% less races, because of the split programme concept.” (By my count, she’s only done 13 meets outdoors this year versus 23 last year). This also hurts mid-level athletes, since some of the top athletes are now entering mid-level meets to fill the gaps in their schedule, which is leaving the mid-level athletes with fewer chances to compete.

So, to summarize, some athletes win and some lose. And that doesn’t even mention the hammer throw, which was excluded from the series all together. Of greater interest to me, however, is whether the Diamond League met its goal of expanding the brand of athletics…

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I’m the Swiss national hammer throw champion by day and an international tax attorney by night. Follow me as I train towards the 2012 Olympics and explore this site to learn more about the hammer throw and my various pursuits. Also consider donating to the Evergreen Athletic Fund, a non-profit organization I’ve founded.

• How to Make the Diamond League Sparkle ()
• August Results (31 August 2010)
• Stone Throwing With Flower Power (23 August 2010)
• In Memory of the Greatest Hammer Thrower (20 August 2010)
• The Big Shot: A Lesson in Thinking Outside the Box (19 August 2010)

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Name: Werfernachmittag

Date: 8 September 2010

Location: Löffingen, Germany

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Competing at the Mt. SAC Relays on 17 April 2010. Read my reflections on the meet here.