High Trajectory for Decathlon Type Events in U.S.?

For example, we might have three-day, 15 event competitions.

New events might include the hammer throw, triple jump, and the 800 meter which is deliciously on the edge between a sprint and an endurance event.

Your ideas please. :)
 
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In Rio 2016, American Ashton Eaton won his second straight Olympic decathlon and somehow it's not a big deal?
 

Ashton Eaton’s second decathlon gold medal truly an Olympic-sized feat


Sports Illustrated, Michael Rosenberg, August 19, 2016.

https://www.si.com/olympics/2016/08/19/ashton-eaton-decathlon-gold-medal-rio-olympics

' . . . he [Eaton] slept a solid six hours in between decathlon days. That’s a lot for a decathlete. . . '

' . . . Eaton’s U.S. teammate, Jeremy Taiwo, who rented a bed-and-breakfast near Olympic Stadium precisely because decathletes get so little sleep. Taiwo didn’t want to lose a minute in traffic or in a security line at the athletes’ village. . . '
Not that 5 events themselves take so much time.

But so much waiting around at Olympic Stadium while the events are worked in among all the other equally important track and field events.
 
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-olympic-decathlon-3258679

' . . . the heptathlon, a seven-event contest that consists of the 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter sprint, the 800-meter run, the shot put, javelin, long jump and high jump. . . '
If it becomes socially acceptable for women to compete in the Olympic decathlon, it might also become acceptable for men to compete in an heptathlon event,

which is a better event anyway

It's a better distillation down of running, throwing, and jumping, and with only 3 or 4 events a day, it's not going to have as much of a sleep issue.
 
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American Bob Mathias won the 1948 Decathlon at age 17. He then won four years later at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.

They even made a movie about him entitled The Bob Mathias Story (1954).
 


The 1960 Decathlon in Rome ended up being a great contest between Rafer Johnson of America and C.K. Yang of Taiwan, both who were coached by Ducky Drake at UCLA.





Yang won the 1500m just barely, but Johnson had more total points.
 
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Caitlyn Jenner appeared on the cover of the July 2015 issue of Vanity Fair (released to newsstands June 9, 2015).

And yes, in her former life as Bruce, Caitlyn won the decathlon at the 1976 Montréal Olympics. And to me, this added publicity is all to the good of the decathlon.
 
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I think the answer is that some sports got bigger, and others got smaller.

For example, NASCAR is much, much bigger than it was in the 1970s. But there really is a finite amount of public attention. All sports can't go high trajectory. Even with 24 hour ESPN, a larger total amount, but still finite. Many sports bigger, but some smaller.
 
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