This post has been a long time coming, but I am glad I waited until now to start writing it since there have been conversations started by the decision of Competitor Group to cut its funding of elite athletes. I wrote earlier this summer that the numerous doping scandals and cloud of suspicion hanging over our sport was one of the big problems hindering the sport's continued development, but it is far from the biggest. The biggest problem for track and field is that the sport simply would not exist without shoe companies. Shoe companies hold all the power in the sport, forcing athletes to essentially work as independent contractors.
Shoe companies keep the sport alive, plain and simple. Not to say that cannot be changed, but in its current state, track and field would die if Nike decided it really didn't need its track and field athletes to sell shoes anymore. Competitor Group decided it does not get enough return on its investment in elites, what is stopping the shoe companies from doing the same? Does anyone really think that Nike saw a giant uptick in sales of spikes last year because Galen Rupp won a 10k silver medal in London? Probably not.
I believe there is some benefit for Nike to associate itself with elite athletes. After all, the only spikes I have ever bought have been Nike. I'm no psychologist, so I could not really tell you whether I do that because I think they provide the best product or because I associate them with elite athletes. A marketing guru somewhere in Oregon knows the answer to that question.
To avoid sounding too dire, I do not believe Nike or any of the shoe companies are on the verge of cutting funding to elite athletes. Deep down I do believe there is some value for Nike being able to have its athletes all decked out in their Nike kits consistently smoking the adidas or Brooks athletes. I believe we actually would see a surge towards a different company if its athletes were the most consistently dominant. The problem, however, is that Nike consistently snaps up the best of the best America has to offer, and the power of their brand allows them to get whoever they want and pay them whatever they want.
We saw this all year with the sad case of Leo Manzano. Leo is the defending Olympic silver medalist. He is one of the most clutch racers this country has ever seen. His PR's are not really all that impressive, and he often tanks in the rabbited Diamond League races. But, when it's time to show up at a national championship or a world competition he always performs. He has not missed a US team since 2007 (for those who don't realize what that means, Leo has represented the US at the 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013 World Championships and the 2008 and 2012 Olympics). At a time when US men's mile running has seen the most depth and talent ever, one runner has risen above all the rest to make the team, and that runner is Leo Manzano.
That runner is also unsponsored, essentially unemployed.
This to me, should have been the ultimate wake up call for track and field. Our country's first medalist in the men's 1500 since 1966 cannot find a job. While I realize I was not privy to the negotiations between Leo and Nike, it still boggles my mind that a contract could not be worked out.
This situation would never happen in any of our American ball sports. Could you imagine an MVP caliber baseball player having to worry about not having a job at the end of the season? Leo Manzano is an MVP caliber American runner, but he has no contract and therefore, no job. Our ball sports have leagues and players unions and we have shoe companies. Runners for Nike are essentially no different from any other employee for the global brand. There is no union looking out for track and field athletes the way that MLB's players union looks out for its players and make sure they are getting a fair share of the league's revenue. Anyone know where all of that billion dollar Olympic broadcast contract is going? It's definitely not going to the athletes.
You would think the national governing body of track and field in the US, USATF would be able to have some impact in this situation, but they do not because they are in bed with Nike. Nike makes a lot of money for the USATF. Nike makes all of the officially licensed Team USA and USATF gear and buys much of the advertising at major US meets, making USATF beholden to the shoe company.
The sport needs a new business model where runners are under a legitimate contract with a team rather than a business. I could go online right now and tell you exactly how much money each of the players in the NFL game I am currently watching makes per season. Track and field? Yeah right.
That lack of transparency keeps the power in the hands of the shoe companies, not the athletes. Without any knowledge of how much professional runners make, how can the public have any voice in determining whether athletes are underpaid and undersupported? Without a shift away from the current shoe company driven state of the sport, track and field athletes will not see any improvement in their pay or the condition of the sport.
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