Why Netflix series are unlikely to trigger an athletics revolution

The arrival of the new Netflix series sprint is to be welcomed wholeheartedly, but one should not expect it to solve all of athletics’ problems, writes Cathal Dennehy

Stop the printing presses. Cancel the advertising campaigns. The people in the innovation department? Take a well-deserved vacation. We like the long jump as it is, thank you very much, and who ever asked for a one-mile obstacle course?

In case you haven’t heard, our sport is about to be saved, and it didn’t require a big commercial deal or a grand world championship. No, our knight in shining armor is barreling towards us and will arrive on July 2nd and blow our minds away.

SPRINT, the long-awaited Netflix The documentary series tells the stories of the fastest 100-meter runners in the world. Produced by Box to Box Films, the company that Formula 1: Driving for survivalit will have a similar, groundbreaking effect on athletics. Now that we see what Sha’Carri Richardson eats for breakfast, how Noah Lyles chooses his outfits, how Marcell Jacobs warms up, the effect will be mind-blowing. Groundbreaking.

The Diamond League meetings will sell out months in advance. Television ratings will triple. NBC will issue a blank cheque for the rights to all major events, while the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV in the UK will wage war to secure these rights. This is the Drive to survive And this effect will also reach athletics. Or maybe not.

OK, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, an honest statement: This series will be good for athletics. That the world’s largest streaming service, with nearly 270 million subscribers, found athletics interesting enough to commission a series is a sign that rumors of the sport’s demise were greatly exaggerated. The fact that hundreds of thousands around the world, many of whom have probably never seen a 100-meter dash, will learn the stories of the world’s fastest athletes is also significant.

A well-packaged sport can certainly get people to watch. But to get them to really participate? That requires things like this that teach fans WHO watch them; love them or hate them, but make sure they feel something when they see them racing. Aside from the easy win that patriotism offers in major championships, far more fans are likely to tune in when they want a particular person to win – or lose.

The fact SPRINT will help us get to know the fastest men and women in the world is undoubtedly positive. But anyone expecting a surge in interest like that experienced by Formula 1 in the years since, Drive to survive will probably be disappointed. If it happens, it won’t be because of that.

The full version of this article can be found in the July issue of AW magazine, which you can purchase here.