Throwing Our Weight Behind the Sport
Feb 28, 2022
by Steve Backley I’ve always believed that athletics is at its most powerful when every event is given its place — not just on the schedule, but in the spotlight. As a thrower, I know what it’s like to perform at the highest level while feeling like you’re on the fringe of your own sport. You could be breaking records in the stadium while the cameras are still searching for a sprinter doing strides on the back straight. And while I understand how the dynamics of broadcast and crowd attention work, I don’t think we should accept that as the status quo.
The throws — javelin, shot, discus, hammer — are some of the most explosive, technical, and deeply human expressions of power and control in all of sport. These are athletes who train with an obsessive attention to detail, combining brute strength with precise biomechanics, all to execute a single, perfect release.
And yet, far too often, they’re presented as a side show.
No post-competition interviews. No big build-up. No hero stories.
But here’s the thing: fans love performances. And if you take them inside the journey — the rivalry, the stakes, the technique, the tension — they will respond to throws with the same energy they give to a sprint final. Because the drama is already there. What’s missing is the focus.
We’ve seen glimpses of it. Crouser rewriting the shot put record books. Chopra igniting India’s pride through the javelin. These aren’t just throwers — they’re global stars. And the sport needs more of that. Not by accident, but by design.
It’s time we gave throws the respect they deserve — in programming, in coverage, in storytelling, and in the way we speak about our sport.
Because athletics isn’t just track.
It’s track and field.
And we should never forget the field.
