Michelle Jenneke

rom

I am a fan of athletics. I am a fan of both male and female end of the sport due to their ability in the event. There is quite an difference in the lack of coverage in the most female races. The video below though it may be entertaining for many including myself it saddens me that a high profile athlete such as herself would endorse such a video that has little focus on her as great athlete. Then again it may be just me as it is simply that its a sport where the money is not there and this is the female equivalent of the mo-bot and the lighting bolt?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSTaK8FDnv0

yaboya1

This one is better:

rom

yaboya1 wrote: »

This one is better:

I don't know. The warmup dance I don't have an issue with but the video I posted basically is not how I want to see an athlete of her ability seen (though the vid is grand like)

Ososlo

I don't know anything about her but did a quick google there. The majority of the images of her that a search throws up are of a sexual/suggestive nature. I don't think she's doing much to help herself with the image she's portraying :rolleyes: I don't think it's all the media's fault.

Netwerk Errer

rom wrote: »

I don't know. The warmup dance I don't have an issue with but the video I posted basically is not how I want to see an athlete of her ability seen (though the vid is grand like)

Sorry rom but what how you want to see her and what she wants to do are two completely different things.

yaboya1

rom wrote: »

I don't know. The warmup dance I don't have an issue with but the video I posted basically is not how I want to see an athlete of her ability seen (though the vid is grand like)

You're probably right about your video. Maybe she's just looking for publicity for herself/her sport.
In the one I posted though, she genuinely seems very happy to be competing. Look at the smile on her face while she's warming up and when she clears the last hurdle knowing she's going to win. Isn't that what we should all strive for? Doing our best, but enjoying it at the same time. Not a hint of stress/pressure there. I think it's great

rom

yaboya1 wrote: »

You're probably right about your video. Maybe she's just looking for publicity for herself/her sport.
In the one I posted though, she genuinely seems very happy to be competing. Look at the smile on her face while she's warming up and when she clears the last hurdle knowing she's going to win. Isn't that what we should all strive for? Doing our best, but enjoying it at the same time. Not a hint of stress/pressure there. I think it's great

Exactly. She is an athlete first. It her own doing clearly.

Netwerk Errer

rom wrote: »

Exactly. She is an athlete first. It her own doing clearly.

She doesn't have a sponsor so she has to get her name out there for potential sponsors and money. She's just not at the level to challenge the top elite women, still a great athlete but just not good enough to draw in sponsors with her performances alone.

Maggie Vessey was doing the same thing this year by wearing some of those outfits in the diamond league. They want to appeal to potential sponsors.

Chivito550

Her PB is 13.23, almost a full second slower than her fellow countrywoman Sally Pearson. She's nowhere near the level of required to be competitive on a world stage. She's in danger of becoming the Anna Kournikova of Athletics.

It is sad to see someone resort to such measures, but you can't really blame her at the same time. It's tough to get sponsorship in this sport so she may aswell use what gifts she has to her advantage. I think there's a fine line though between using this positively, and actually losing credibility.

I do find the dance old and boring now tbh.

corny

'Sex sells' better than 'running quite fast but not really fast over hurdles sells'.

Don't see the big deal personally.

Afair, Gabriella Sabatini used to make more from endorsements than Steffi Graf made in prize money, or so it was said.

It is a bit depressing, but I guess money talks and like everything one has to do a cost benefit analysis, the damage to reputation as a serious athlete v the amount to be made. Would I wear speedos in a video for a fiver...oh go on then...

gerard_65

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il21FZu-IUY

average_runner

rom wrote: »

Exactly. She is an athlete first. It her own doing clearly.

Would u be happy she quit the track, because of lack of funds instead?

YFlyer

How is she the female equivalent to Mo-Bot and Lightning Bolt?

Kournikova has made a fortune from her looks.

ECOLII

rom wrote: »

Exactly. She is an athlete first. It her own doing clearly.

Is she though? Her main source of income is her modelling career. The fact that she is an athlete is her USP in that regard

Itziger

average_runner wrote: »

Would u be happy she quit the track, because of lack of funds instead?

I'm sorry AR, that makes no sense. If you're good enough to make a living out of running, tennis, piano playing or whatever it is you do, then fantastic. If you're not good enough, IN THAT FIELD, then I'm sorry - move on.

It's harsh, but it's how life works. I watched a little of the first clip. The girl is getting out of a swimming pool a lot. She's very good at it but I don't think that's an Athletics event (yet)!!

ECOLII

Itziger wrote: »

I'm sorry AR, that makes no sense. If you're good enough to make a living out of running, tennis, piano playing or whatever it is you do, then fantastic. If you're not good enough, IN THAT FIELD, then I'm sorry - move on.

It's harsh, but it's how life works. I watched a little of the first clip. The girl is getting out of a swimming pool a lot. She's very good at it but I don't think that's an Athletics event (yet)!!

Take a hypothetical situation and say that Soccer had the same sort of money available as athletics. Meaning in England instead of +80 Full time teams you now had 6 how many players 1st team players in these big teams would have been lost because they were on the cusp.

Talent matures at different levels and developing this talent with with a more long terms view ultimately benefits the sport. In this country often times the only people who are given this luxury are people with a more middle class background who are supported at the expense of their family. Sourcing alternative funding should be encouraged (to a point)

Itziger

ECOLII wrote: »

Take a hypothetical situation and say that Soccer had the same sort of money available as athletics. Meaning in England instead of +80 Full time teams you now had 6 how many players 1st team players in these big teams would have been lost because they were on the cusp.

Talent matures at different levels and developing this talent with with a more long terms view ultimately benefits the sport. In this country often times the only people who are given this luxury are people with a more middle class background who are supported at the expense of their family. Sourcing alternative funding should be encouraged (to a point)

No argument with that. I'd love to see more kids being brought into sport - any sport. As someone once said about the Formula 1 champion, 'there could be 50 kids in Africa who are quicker than him! - but we'll never know'

I just think it's a bit sad and demeaning to have to do what she's doing in the video.

ECOLII

Itziger wrote: »

I just think it's a bit sad and demeaning to have to do what she's doing in the video.

I do agree just for clarity however it does seem to be something which she she seems to be comfortable with (from the original warm up to her modelling work and now this)

While I don't full agree with the concept of the performances not being the focal point I think that sometimes the athletics fanbase can almost be too sophisticated (maybe not the right word but rather knowledgeable)

There is no low level entry point for the casual fan and I think ultimately this is a huge obstacle in the non participation element of the sport on a global level outside of the Olympic. Effectively the majority of people who follow the sport to a reasonable level are the product of a background in the sport as an athlete themselves.

There needs to be some happy medium which can allow the casual fan to develop an interest in the sport and while some of these side attractions might annoy the purist ultimately these are the things which need to be done to save the sport on a spectator level

average_runner

Itziger wrote: »

I'm sorry AR, that makes no sense. If you're good enough to make a living out of running, tennis, piano playing or whatever it is you do, then fantastic. If you're not good enough, IN THAT FIELD, then I'm sorry - move on.

It's harsh, but it's how life works. I watched a little of the first clip. The girl is getting out of a swimming pool a lot. She's very good at it but I don't think that's an Athletics event (yet)!!

Be a good event though?

average_runner

Itziger wrote: »

I'm sorry AR, that makes no sense. If you're good enough to make a living out of running, tennis, piano playing or whatever it is you do, then fantastic. If you're not good enough, IN THAT FIELD, then I'm sorry - move on.

It's harsh, but it's how life works. I watched a little of the first clip. The girl is getting out of a swimming pool a lot. She's very good at it but I don't think that's an Athletics event (yet)!!

Be a good event though?

Itziger

average_runner wrote: »

Be a good event though?

It would! (It would!).

PVincent

In fairness to her, the whole warm up thing was something that went viral on utube a few years ago when I think an Aussie station posted it( might be wrong there) , and her famed warm up grew from that. She adds a bit of character to the sport