Track and Field Finds More Respect in Europe

I used to think that track and field was more popular in Europe. Growing up in Seattle, I would always tune into CBC and see European stadiums packed with fans to watch the world’s best run, jump, and throw. But as I’ve visited and lived in Europe more and more, I’ve decided that it just isn’t true. Track and field is not more popular in Europe. With the exception of soccer, sports in general are less popular. American sports provide mass entertainment to millions of people. The Super Bowl tomorrow provides a perfect example. Die hard fans from coast to coast see their moods swing along with the win-loss records of their favorite teams. I haven’t seen anything like that in Zurich, where even the local soccer team fails to sell out its mid-sized stadium. Locals find it hard to believe that the Seattle Sounders have better attendance numbers (a sold out stadium of 36,000 for each match in 2010) because according to the stereotype, Americans aren’t supposed to like soccer. Even participation is much lower in Europe. The number of track and field athletes at my local high school is almost as high as the number of youth track and field athletes in the entire city of Zurich.

LC Zürich won the sport development award at the annual Sportpreis Zürich awards ceremony on Friday.

Yesterday I attended the Sportpreis Zurich awards ceremony and was invited to sit at the head table as a Swiss champion. Seated beside be were Zurich’s other national and European champions. As we talked over dinner, a common theme emerged. With the exception of the chess player, none of us were solely professional athletes. We all held down regular jobs and are constantly looking for sponsors. This situation is no better than it is for non-mainstream sports in America.

But while track and field may not be as popular in Europe, it is definitely more respected. If you are good at something, people respect it. Just take a look at last night’s winners. Not one mainstream sport won an award. Instead, my club LC Zürich won the award for development of sport. The athlete of the year was Nicola Spirig, European triathlon champion. And the youth of the year award went to sport climber Petra Klingler. I’d never even seen the sport before, but she had my vote too after I watched video of her competing (you can see some others compete in this video). All the major sports awards in a major city went to relatively minor sports. This isn’t an isolated incident either. Twenty years later, shot put star Werner Günthör remains a national hero here too (his name was mentioned again during the ceremonies). And it happens in other European countries as well. European hammer throw champion Libor Charfreitag was the Slovakian athlete of the year last year. Although, like us, he still struggles to find sponsors too.

In America, where sport participation is so high, it seems that the line gets blurred between elite athletes and recreational athletes unless you are a professional football or basketball player. I’ve run into too many gym rats that are certain they could break 200 feet in the hammer if they just gave it a whirl. I mean, it is only 16-pounds after all, right? I still have to put on a suit and tie to earn a living in Zurich, but I get the respect of my co-workers, which is somehow a little more valuable. It’s that same respect that sells out Letzigrund Stadium for the annual Weltklasse Zürich meet every year. The fans may not be as knowledgeable as those at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, but that’s the fun in it. Average guys off the street wait in line for a ticket because they want to witness some remarkable athletic feats, no matter what the sport.