It's summer. The news cycle is set on slow. So, it's time to engage in some articles there just isn't time for during the rest of the year.
Here we go on a series of comparisons between track and cross country...
Meet Length
Cross country wins handily. The longest cross country meets last about four, maybe five, hours. Most last about two hours. The longest track meets go into multiple days. There's a reason those track meets last so long, but the length of bigger track meets is not one of their more endearing features.
Event Variety
The last topic was a slam dunk for cross country. This one is a slam dunk for track and field. If you don't like watching people running at more or less the same pace for 20 minutes, give or take a few, there really isn't much for you at a cross country meet. Track is a little like a three-ring circus.
Spectator Participation
Cross country. There is no better sport for spectator participation than cross country. None. Not only is track not very good for spectator participation, but it can get downright hot in the stands as well. Hint: It's better if you have a camera in your hands.
Officials as Part of the Spectacle
The worst sports for officials as part of the spectacle are, in no particular order: soccer, baseball/softball, and basketball. Cross country and track are, thankfully, both on the low end of officials becoming part of the spectacle. But, between the two, cross country is better. Officials almost never become part of the spectacle, or a decisive force in the outcome, in cross country. As it should be, but never will be (in some sports).
Team Bonding
Advantage cross country. Team bonding can be very good in track and field, but it's typically better in cross country. Really good team bonding requires intentionality, but less of it in cross country than track and field. It helps that everyone is doing the same thing in cross country.
Post Season
Again, advantage cross country. And, it's a big advantage. It's true that cross country has two "national championship" meets (though if this year's trend of athlete choices continues, there may not be much more time with anything meaningful to argue over), but track and field has no clearly defined national championship whatsoever. Nor do the regional track and field meets (Great Southwest, Golden South, Golden West) have any particular meaning going forward. Track and field just generally slowly withers and then disappears over the summer. Especially so after the middle of June. Most track athletes are in decline as we get deeper into summer. Cross country builds to a crescendo with Nike Cross Nationals and Foot Locker, and then it's over. It helps some that the school year is still going on while cross country is having its national meets.
Accessibility
I believe track and field has a very small advantage here. Greater variety means greater accessibility overall, but some track events are also rather pricey to get into. The economic entry bar for cross country isn't very high, but it does tend to be limited in the type of individual it appeals to.
Uniforms
This is getting to be a bit of a toss-up. When track was deep into speedsuits, though, it was definitely advantage cross country. There are just too many body types that aren't flattered by the speedsuit. I'll decline any further detail on that assessment.
The Professional Ranks
Advantage track and field. Philosophically, I'm a throwback to an earlier day where sports weren't a professional activity. Sport stays purer that way. But, I will still allow that the professional level of track and field exerts a greater gravitational pull for the sport than the professional level of cross country. Good grief, there barely even is a professional level of cross country. The Olympics don't have cross country, but that's not to their credit.
Time of Year
Frankly, at least here in Rocky Mountains (though it's true most other places as well), fall is a nicer time of year for outdoor activity than spring. I like being outdoors almost any time of year, but this advantage falls in cross country's direction. That said, a week of afternoon thunderstorms such as we often see in cross country season can get highly exasperating.
Photography
Track and field, by a mile. Honestly, you have to work pretty hard to find interesting shots at most points on a cross country course. And faces are routinely not in a position that most people find flattering. There is much, much more of interest to work with in track and field. Non-flattering faces is also an issue in track and field, but not as much so as in cross country. Runners spend an enormous amount of time in low to moderate level pain in cross country. That does very little for pleasing images.
Video
Track and field. Full cross country race video is too long for most people to watch unless they have a serious rooting interest in the race. Almost of necessity, cross country video is limited to snippets. Even then, the snippets tend to look a lot alike. Cross country is a couple of orders of magnitude better live than on video. Track race video is, honestly, a lot more compelling and generally doesn't require a massive attention span. Nobody has yet quite mastered the art of field event video production, however, unless you have the money to hire folks to shoot everything and then edit out all a very small number of top jumps/throws/vaults.
Coaches Meetings
Cross country. I'd rather do ten coaches meetings for cross country than one for track and field. Coaches meetings are longer in track and field in proportion to how a track meet is longer than a cross country meet. And, I'm forever thankful that the uniform and jewelry rules have been simplified to the point that it's no longer the case that every coaches meeting devolves into a debate over that stuff.
Getting Started
Cross country. Line 'em up. Shoot the gun. And off they go. So far as track goes, I love watching sprinters run. But I loathe the time it takes to get settled into blocks, heat after heat after heat. And, false starts are so anti-climactic. Ah, yes, and timing system failures....
The Chess Match
Advantage track and field. There's a lot of hiding and misdirection that goes on during the invitational season of track and field, and especially so in the last week or two before state declarations are made. And it's fun to play the game. There is more cloak-and-dagger kind of stuff to cross country than meets the eye, but the advantage here still belongs to track and field.
On balance, then, my thought is that cross country wins the battle of comparison. But, I'm not naive enough to believe I've convinced anyone here who wasn't already convinced. Truth is, I love both sports. I hope you do, too.
Feel welcome to add any additional comparison observations you have below.