Part 2
There is, of course another issue in play. Bolt broke a rule and deserved his punishment. But it’s a terrible rule and not just for Bolt, although it’s especially bad for the sport of track and field when it’s applied to Bolt, because he is carrying the sport on his back and without him, there’s no reason for the casual fan to even watch (and by watching, maybe the casual fan discovers others competing, like U.S. decathletes Trey Hardee and Ashton Eaton, who finished one-two, or two-time world champion long jumper Brittney Reese).
The false-start rule was changed in an attempt to streamline the sport by eliminating the multiple false starts than can slow down a meet (and a telecast). And while there are good intentions behind that thinking, the IAAF missed badly. Collins was asked if it’s a bad rule said, “To me, it is. At least make it one false start on the field, in fairness to the people of the world, they want to see him.”
Mills said, “Tonight people lost their whole purpose of paying for the tickets.” And if Bolt false-starts out of the Olympic final? “Those tickets,” said Mills, laughing, “Cost a lot of money.”
Almost two hours after the race, the IAAF issued a two-page “statement,” explaining the rules. It included the mind-boggling sentence, “While the IAAF is, of course, disappointed that Usain Bolt false-started in the final of the 100, it’s important to remember that a sport’s credibility depends on its rules …” (Imagine, Roger Goodell writing: “While the NFL is disappointed that James Harrison laid out Mohamed Massaquoi last Sunday with a head shot …”)
It’s clear that the IAAF has been caught with its pants around its ankles, ham-handedly trying to justify a boneheaded rules change. But it’s not funny; the stakes are only the survival of its sport. After Sunday’s Bolt Affair, sprinters lobbied for a return to the old rule. “Hopefully it will change by London,” said Dix.
Collins, in fact, spoke as if it was certain to change. “We’ll see what happens when they change the rule because of him,” he said. Because of him? “Not because of him,” Collins corrected. “Because of what it’s done to the sport.”
Ato Boldon, the respected NBC analyst and four-time Olympic medalist, has been railing against the one-and-done rule since it was enacted, suggesting that a major star would be knocked out at a the worlds or Olympic Games. I texted him after the race and asked: “Should the rule be changed?” Boldon’s response: “Yeah, tomorrow.”
Gay said, “Usain worked hard to get ready for the championships, and we can’t see him run because of a rules change.”
There are no perfect false start rules. On general principle, sprinters are supposed to be reacting to the gun, not anticipating it. The previous rule, with the first single false start charged to the entire field, allowed anyone to take a random flyer. Before that, two individual false starts meant disqualification, which led to interminable waits for races to actually begin (and fliers taken by everyone in the field, with no penalty).
But in its effort to find a fair solution, the IAAF has gone much too far. Like when the when NCAA outlawed dunking to neutralize Alcindor/Kareem; how did that work out? Legislating game can be a dangerous thing. On the second page of its awkward post-race statement, the IAAF spokesmen wrote, “In extraordinary cases, the IAAF Council has the right to make interim changes to Technical Rules, pending official approval by IAAF Congress.” If this means it can happen Monday, it should happen Monday.
Bolt left the stadium by walking across the middle of the field in the center of the practice track. He is expected to run the 200 meters beginning Friday and also run on Jamaica’s powerhouse 4X100-meter relay. Reporters and cameramen followed him to a waiting car. “Looking for tears?” Bolt said. “Not gonna happen.”
It’s a lousy image. An angry Bolt, leaving a major championship without having run. No dancing. No fixing the hair. Just anger and frustration. It’s the kind of image that could help bury a sport in its own stupidity.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/tim_layden/08/28/bolt.worlds/index.html#ixzz1WYfFrWgt