USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel is expected to call on the body to publish new details about elite athlete income at a speech tonight to open the NGB’s annual meeting in Orlando. Broaching the controversial topic at the gathering for the second straight year, Siegel said he hopes to develop a consensus on what parts of USATF support constitutes salary, and who benefits from the support. "We have a lot of data on how much of the general pool is going to specific athletes, so we’ll be working with athlete leadership on how much of that we actually publish," he said. "While we want to be as transparent as possible, we want to protect the privacy and integrity of peoples’ financial situation."
The end result is uncertain, he said, but he noted that prize winnings and contractual salaries of pro athletes in golf, tennis and team sports are generally public. His presentation tonight will show summary data over total USATF support by category, and how many members of the elite team reach certain thresholds of income. Siegel has come under fire from athletes who believe they are not sharing in the body’s improving financial picture while he earns large bonuses and enjoys executive perks.
