The last print edition of T&FN featured high jumper Mutaz Barshim.
This really hurts: Track & Field News on
Tuesday announced that it has mailed its last print edition. (Only online from now on.) I’m preparing a story for Times of San Diego. If you have a “Bible of the Sport” story to tell, please post a comment or
shoot me a note. I’ve been a subscriber since 1970, when I was a sophomore in high school and first saw the magazine (black and white at time) at an Orange County invitational pro-level meet. (
John Carlos was there.) I was a listed contributor in the late 1970s and 1980s, covering
Jim Ryun’s retirement press conference at KU and doing the first (and maybe only) non-staff-written Q&A interview (with
Al Oerter around 1979). I was rough on editor
Garry Hill for his infamous “nobody gives a rat’s ass about masters track” comment of 20 years ago. But I was a fan of the mag. This is the end of an era to end all eras.
16 Responses
Very sad news! I’ve been a subscriber since 1959.
Wow. Can not believe it.
I remember pouring over T&FNews all through my high school and college years and beyond when I became a coach. A treasured possession is a copy of the first issue of the mag when it came out in 1948. I stumbled across it in a second-hand book and magazine store in Hollywood back in the 70’s. I paid 50 cents for it! It’s a sad day indeed….
While researching the T&FN story, I came across the history of the U.S. Olympic Trials (up to 2004), which I have in print edition.
Lots of our masters friends mentioned:
http://masterstrack.com/wp-content/uploads/Olympic-Trials-History.pdf
Hate to see them stop the print edition of T&F News and will miss it but fortunately they remain in business with a digital magazine. I wish them well and just renewed my subscription.
Newspapers and magazines have been moving in this direction for several years to save costs and to provide up to the minute news.
REALLY SAD , WILL LOSE A LOT OF US “OLDER SUBSCRIBERS, ME INCLUDED !!!
I will miss the print edition, but I find read the digital version most of the time.
Here’s my story:
https://mynewsla.com/sports/2018/01/18/death-of-a-bible-track-field-news-ends-print-edition-stuns-old-fans/
Ken, That pro-level meet you spoke of, and that I attended was the Orange Invitational at Fred Kelly Stadium on the El Modena High School campus in the city of Orange!! Not only was John Carlos there, but Ludvik Danek, Jay Silvester, Randy Matson, Willie Davenport and Bob Beamon…just to name a few. I snuck onto the field was was actually able to say hello to Bob Beamon
Great magazine
Long time ago they even printed Masters information.
Guess we will have to get used to electronic version.
Wierd my last delivered copied arrived torn in the mail … like our hearts feel
today … torn from missing the good old days..
I’ve been a subscriber since the 60’s (The GOLDEN AGE of T & F) I saw this coming. Seems like everyone these days has their nose in their cell phones. I find it annoying when I try to read the digital version of the L.A Times. I’m constantly moving from east to west to north and south just to read the newspaper.
T & F News discontinued their hard copy magazine because subscriptions were DOWN. WHY? Because the interest in Elite Track and Field is DOWN. As long as the news media continues to put us on the back page it will continue its spiral downward.
But WAIT! Track and Field is # 2 in all high school sports in the number of participants. Let’s forget about trying to compete with the BIG $$$ PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS. Let’s highlight our popularity among high school ATHLETES.
Steve # 10 is right. I coach track and it is big in high school. We need to play that up and do better at retaining people in the sport both as athletes and as fans. Lots of adults run 5K’s because they are plentiful and easy to find. The Europeans are doing events on their streets and malls with success – maybe we can learn from the 5K guys & what is being tried elsewhere.
been reading it since 1960, This is the worst. So sad.
I just received by email the first of the “preview” articles that T&F News promised as part their move to a digital only format. Like most of us masters, I loved the old paper magazine but maybe the new format will turn out to be an improvement
Michael D Walker is correct, many people run in H.S. and even college and of course 5k’s, and most of them have no idea Masters Track and Field exists. Those places are where we need to be sharing our story and building interest.
Very disappointed. I’m 81 and been a subscriber for many years and am not interested in sitting in front of a computer screen to read a magazine.How about a refund for my unused portion of my subscription?
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