Bolt, Lewis defend track and field

Jamaican track legend Usain Bolt and his United States counterpart Carl Lewis, rarely agree on anything, but both have stood firmly beside each other in chiding ESPN reporter Max Kellerman, over disparaging comments about their sport.

Kellerman, on a television show, had suggested track and field was barely a sport and that people who failed at other disciplines made up its numbers.

“It’s only a sport by a very broad definition,” Kellerman was quoted as saying.

Kellerman’s reasons for saying so, had to do with the nature of the sport, saying it did not properly test one’s ability.

“It only tests your fast twitches, right? Like, how fast can you go from Point A to Point B? How fast can you do that? Well, that’s an athletic ability but it’s only one specific kind. We don’t know his manual dexterity, we don’t know his ability to think on the fly etc,” he said.

Because of its simplicity, Kellerman had gone on to say, just about anybody with athletic ability can do it.

“ … which is why track and field stars are usually failed football and basketball players. The best athletes – because that’s where the money is – go to basketball and football and the others fall down to track and field,” said Kellerman.

Bolt was not amused.

“Why ppl always want to disrespect Track and Field Athletes.. smh (sic),” Bolt said in a tweet.

Lewis was less diplomatic in his response, attacking Kellerman directly for failing to achieve excellence as a reporter.

“You take your privilege filled with failure, and troll just for attention. We’ve seen this movie … say more and more until you’ve gone too far. The sad thing is that you’re the last to know. Athletes strive for excellence. And then we have you,” Lewis tweeted. (SportsMax)