The August 27, 2001, issue of Sports Illustrated featured what SI writers believed to be the most over and underrated people, places, and things. In the "Track Star" category, Steve Prefontaine was named the "Most Overrated" by SI's Tim Layden.

Notable excerpts from the article...
"There's no better way to become an American legend than to achieve early success and then die young...Two (two!) movies have been made about his life, so Prefontaine's ghost lives on as a greater runner than the man was in life...He was fourth in the 5,000 meters at his only Olympics, in 1972, and never ranked higher than fourth in the world in any event. His supporters, who remain numerous, argue that Pre was about to become the greatest distance runner in the world. Given the explosion of Africans who have dominated distance running since shortly after Prefontaine's death, that is a dubious prediction."

The inside scoop on Layden...
- Although a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, Layden has only recently begun to cover Track & Field for SI. His main expertise is in College Football. After joining the magazine in March 1994, he became SI's leading College Football contributor and provided insight on CNN's "College Football Preview." (see Tim Layden page at CNNSI.com)
- While writing several track & field articles, Layden never mentioned his negative feelings on Pre. For example, he called the Prefontaine Classic "the best track meet in America" (see article, first paragraph) and implied Steve Prefontaine was one of track & field's greatest (see paragraph two, in this article).

Of course, StevePre.com does not support or agree with any of Layden's claims. Please, support Pre and write a letter or email to Sports Illustrated against Layden's false words.

take action online:
- Give feedback at Sports Illustrated Online
- Tim Layden Feedback Page
- Email SI (letters@si.timeinc.com)