The Olympic Trials for Beijing were held this past week in Eugene, Oregon– and there were many stellar performances. Some records were broken, and new champions emerged. However, there were some athletes that were supposed to do better, but didn’t. I was looking at some of the results, and I was surprised. Some dealt with their performance with class and grace, and then there were others where I was like– did they just say that?
One of these athletes was javelin thrower Breaux Greer. Greer was supposed to win the javelin, but ended up 17th overall. Message boards and other articles have been talking about Greer’s interview after the competition, and how it really wasn’t professional and how he really isn’t a role model for young athletes. I have seen some of these articles, and I was really shocked– what was Greer thinking?! Athletes like Greer have to realize even though they are not getting paid as much as some of the other professional athletes– they are still representing the sport, event, and track and field brand to various audiences.
If I had Greer representing my shoe or athletic drink, or whatever– I would really be concerned because he is representing or being “the face” of the company, and people may think– gee, if this shoe company or other organization has this guy representing them, what does that say about them also? In my personal opinion, I think that Greer needs to realize that what he did is definitely what I consider to be a PR Nightmare– athletes have bad days and good days– but he is a public figure in track, and should have acted more with class and less attitude.
If I had any advice for these athletes that didn’t perform to the standard that they wanted to– I would say that it may be time for them to put the track shoes up and retire. You know when it is time to retire when you become the sprinter, jumper, or thrower that people have to beat to be respected. Athletes want to end on a high note, and they should be happy with what they accomplish. Not many people can say that they went and competed at the Olympic Trials! But athletics doesn’t last forever, and these athletes really need to go on with their lives.
These are just a few of my thoughts. 🙂 Hope you all are having a great day! 🙂
Best Wishes,
Karen 🙂
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