Formula One and track and field both have large fan bases. Since both fan bases are built on the personalities of the athletes, these stars are thought of as very high-maintenance. Recently, Paralympian, Hunter Woodhall was inspired by an F1 documentary and brought it to light on his X account.
Woodhall stumbled upon a quote while viewing the documentary. Even though the two sports couldn’t be more different, this quote helped him see parallels between them.
“Watching an F1 documentary and this quote stuck out. ‘To keep an audience you need personalities’ referring to the drivers. I think track & field is on the way up because of this”
The allure of the sport that motivates automakers to compete is the driver. According to the Paralympian, this is analogous to track and field, as the track personalities are the sport’s crown jewel.
Watching an F1 documentary and this quote stuck out. “To keep an audience you need personalities” referring to the drivers.
I think track & field is on the way up because of this
— hunterwoodhall (@hunterwoodhall) March 30, 2024
As they navigate corners at a speed of over 100mph and may reach around 250mph on the straights, F1 drivers encounter several obstacles during a race. The F1 cars produce a lot of lateral g-forces; therefore, the drivers have to be in terrific shape and train hard.
Moreover, track athletes are no different since they too undergo rigorous training regimes. Hunter Woodhall exemplifies how this alone shapes an athlete’s identity in the eyes of their supporters. Because of this, the sport gains a lot of new followers and keeps the ones it already has interested.
Many well-known sportsmen have voiced their concerns about track and field, claiming that the sport isn’t doing enough to promote its events. However, track and field will see tremendous development if these issues disappear.
Just like Hunter Woodhall, Usain Bolt highlights another factor in track and field
According to Hunter Woodhall, the personalities of the athletes are crucial. Even the legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt voiced his worries about the sport a few days ago. There are a lot of long-standing records that he brought up, including his several WRs.
100m world record holder Usain Bolt ⚡ 🇯🇲 wants changes to be introduced in track and field.
"I love the competition, but I think track and field needs to evolve. To really look in ways they can evolve, change the scenery, and change the way they go about doing meets. And I… pic.twitter.com/Jj7ATnCP1n
— Track Spice 🌶️ (@trackspice) March 25, 2024
He makes the point that track and field hasn’t updated its regulations in a while and that the sport’s officials should do something about it if they want to attract a larger audience. Bolt isn’t worried about how competitive the sport is; he just wants it to grow more by introducing new rules.
