My Prize is a Wristwatch? Time-Honored Tradition Falls Out of Favor

Tuesday, 26 April 2011 | by Pat's Picks

The times, says the Des Moines Register, they are a-changin’. For almost one hundred years, the winners of the Drake Relay, one of the nation’s premier track-and-field competitions, have received watches. Winning one used to be a milestone in the career of a track star. Jesse Owens got one. So did Bruce Jenner and Gwen Torrence.  But there’s just one problem: few of the competitors wear watches anymore.

Granted, the decades-long absence of Kelly green blazers on fashion runways hasn’t stopped the Masters from altering its top prize. But organizers say over the past few years the watch prizes have so puzzled the new generation of track stars that many don’t even bother to pick them up. So, in order to appeal to “trend-savvy athletes,” this year’s winners will get Drake Relays-inscribed Oakley sunglasses. Who knows, maybe next year the prize will be a smartphone.