Are Superstars that important?

with out a dout i am sure that every athlete dreams about runnning down the finish line in kona first, with out the superstars we would never have these dreams

As i young person its the superstars that inspire me to start the sport i dont really care about some 45yr old mum who has 4 kids

Andy

Superstars" as in those who can compete at a ridiculous level and post fantastic times are important. They motivate us to continue to try to improve and give us something to try to achieve.

It is also important to have "superstars" who are out there competing for the love of the sport and having fun doing it, who are willing to interact with age groupers and be real, and who are promoting the sport by sharing their passion for it. They might not be winning every race like the other big-name athletes, but they are there encouraging more people to get involved. As an AGer, I enjoy following the blogs of some pro Ironman triathletes; they put themselves out there for us to see and they draw us in to a part of the sport that most AGers would never otherwise experience. Plus we get to see what goes into training to be a pro (and then we can cry when we realize that most working individuals will never have the chance to train 5-7 hours per day!).

I don't think there are any "superstars", I'd go as far to say that there aren't even any real stars.

I've haven't seen Chrissy or Macca on the front cover of Hello or OK recently (we'll I haven't seen the cover of either but that's an aside).

For people not participating in the sport then these pro's aren't known on the global stage. Possibly NZ is an exception but here in the UK no one knows we have Chrissy, Dibbens, Don etc.

Try typing "Triathlon Star" into google.

For the sport to stay as a monority sport then we don't need stars. For the sport to grow, for true media interest, for spectators, for prize money, for hype then we do need stars.

Fegan

Yes! Every sport and every athlete needs someone to look up to. Although most of us do not have the time or ability to match their results, it still shows us what is possible. Triathlon stars are also great because of the access that they grant us through blogs, websites and monthly articles in magazines that give us a glimpse into their lives. These greatly improve the visiblity of our sport.

I think it very much depends on your definition of Superstar. If you just mean the top pros then I'm not sure they are imperative but if you mean inspirational figures in general then I think they are important in capturing the public's imagination and inspiring people to take up the sport.

For some people this may be Chrissie or Crowie, but for others it could be Rick and Dick or your colleague who's gone from 18-14st to get round an Ironman in just under 17 hours.

Inspiration comes in many forms and although I'm sure everyone respects and marvels at the pro performances, they are probably too far removed from your average Joe's "zone of feasibility" (I should be a management consultant!!) for them to relate to. This is probably highlighted by the Kona coverage which tends to focus on the people that the public feel a connection with.

Having said that, I am one of those that is inspired more by the top pros than by the emotional stories.

Just look at the effect the superstars of the 80's early 90's have had on the sport. Tinley, Molina, Scott, Allen. Even today, these personalities shape our sport and make it desirable to be fit and go fast. I agree there are not the dominant personalities like those individuals right now in the sport, but I am positive there will be more like them to come along. R.J.

Even in little leagues there are superstar kids. Every sport needs and benefits from superstars. Sure Ironman has a few superstar pros, they are important and necessary for the sport - without them it wouldn't be sport.

Although I haven't been around that long in ironman, it is my wife who has become a real superstar though - some superstars may provide necessary inspiration, but they don't cook, clean, wash, and put up with me. If I were to choose which type of superstar Ironman needs more of, it would have to be those who support us on a daily basis, give up their time for others like the volunteers, and the makers of great podcasts like IMTalk!!!!

Any question of this nature begs the question of doping in sport. I know this risks sounding like a cynic, but I think we need to define a sport clearly before asking if it needs stars.

There’s a continuum between a “pure” sport that is a test of athletic skill and one that only exists for entertainment purposes. The original Hawaii ironman is an example of the former and professional wrestling is the best example of the latter. This is open to debate, but it’s a pretty safe bet that American football, pro football/soccer, pro baseball, and possibly all of the “big” sports around the world should be classified as more entertainment than a “pure” sport. For entertainment-only sports, it’s clear that the average fan needs stars to keep plunking down money.

But I’m not naïve enough to think that triathlon, running/athletics, or cycling (especially) is anything close to the ideal of “pure.” But maybe a little closer than other sports. For these sports, where anyone can line up at the same start line, go to their local track, or clip in at the bottom of le Alpe, stars aren’t as important. For these sports, the real stars are the Jon Blaises, Sarah Reintertsons, or Sister Madonna Buders of the world.

Everyone benefits to having someone to look up to... I'd love to have a poster of Macca "smacking it" at Kona. Sometimes these stars help to motivate, help sponsors sell product, and in triathlon there is really any promotion of athletes. I think IRONMAN or Challenge needs to get out there and pump up the sport & ATHLETES.

If we only had a few more Macca's in the sport (his personality etc)...insert sigh.

But I think it is next to impossible to have super stars in the sport especially when you get a full shot of the athlete and they have those butt ugly compression socks on ugh!

Seriously we need another guy/girl to come along like Mark Allen and win win win...but they need a personality...not sure if Chrissie fits this bill she seems a little like shes in it for now but might walk away tomorrow if something else gets her interested...and she's not like macca who has a history and knowledge of the sport...

We need the media to pump up the stars we already have...and make it seem interesting, I was inspired by Mark Allen he was the main reason I got into triathlon, so a super star worked to rope me in...The feel good stories are important and have a place etc but until the media gets to the point of only focusing on the pro's we will never have super stars....