Build a stadium, and they will come. Or will they?

End of the week musings …

In my family, my younger son is a track and field fanatic. Waking him up for school is a nightmare, but on the days I have to wake him at 6 am for his early morning, pre-school practices, he springs out of bed like a Jack-in-the-box … eager to go.

Not surprisingly, when the World Track and Field Championships roll around every two years, he’s glued to the television to watch events of the world’s greatest.

This year, the event is being held in Doha, Qatar. The stadium looks fantastic. The special effects are impressive. The talent on hand is impressive, and I’ve been having fun watching the nail-biting races alongside my son.

But looking at the winners taking their well-deserved victory lap, it becomes painfully obvious that very few people are filling the stands.

Like the World Cup coming up later this year (for which I assume they’ll fill the stands), Doha lobbied for this event, but track and field just doesn’t have a big audience in the country. My son did beg me to go. We obviously would have gotten a great deal on event tickets, but October isn’t an easy time to get away.

Great stadium. A shame they didn’t come. But for those of us watching from our living rooms … an amazing competition!