Can the U.S. track program ever grow to be an Australian track program? VN & PM

VeloNews has an interview with Pat McDonough, final question goes like this:

"VN: Can the U.S. track program ever grow to be an Australian track program?

PM: No. I say that because we aren't government funded, and they are extremely government funded. They have seven velodromes in their country and they are all owned and run by the government. That's never going to happen in this country, but we can come up with American solutions. I think we stepped back and saw that we've been trying to follow the Australian model and it doesn't work for us. What I truly hope is that over the next four years we can increase the hell out of the direct-athlete funding, so that every step an athlete takes comes with incentives. Those incentives will probably start at a pretty high level. But eventually we can bring them down. That's a theme that is universally American - we'll pay you a lot of money if you're really good. That's what I see us moving toward. I just don't think we'll ever be the Brits or the Aussies and we need to stop trying. We need to try to be the best American team."

Honestly I disagree. I think we're stuck in an old way of thinking, it's not very entrepreneurial, and it's not very "American." The sport's changing in this country. There are people out there who are working to turn track racing into the media/spectator friendly sport it was once and will be again. We're the country of big business and big sports and money. Sure Australia has several velodromes, but Britain has one, and that's where it's track program has developed from. We need to raise the awareness of track cycling in the country, and get LA Velodrome, the Home Depot Center, ADT Event Center, to raise its profile, and do some high profile events more consistently. Look at what Machester's done with it's Revolution program!! Let's get the events going at ADT for God's sake, it's LA, it's the home of big entertainment, big sports, big money, and a much bigger population (of athletes I'm sure) than Manchester could ever dream of. I bet if LA Velodrome turned its focus to really getting some good events going, enable the athletes, I bet the US Track program would grow in leaps & bounds. And where's AEG in all this, they've poured millions into road cycling (God bless 'em), but track cycling is much easier to make a successful business model out of, and they built the thing. Let's get some commisstment for serious prize money & events from AEG, and get some exciting & consistent events going there!! Come on guys, there's no reason with the US's great ability to develop sports into money-makers (think NASCAR, Arena Football League, UFC, the list goes on) can't work for track cycling, but it needs a vision and it needs execution. Talk to people like Dave Chauner & Jack Simes, they'll set you straight. nd before you know it we'll have a program like Australia and Britain. But enough of this limited tihnking already, with that we stand no chance. And if LA won't get a track program going San Francisco will, just you wait & see. Anyway, that's my rant and I stand by it.