USA Track & Field will give its athletes an additional $9M in cash compensation over the next five years, a step that is earning high praise from the NGB’s critics. The funds will be distributed in two buckets beginning next year -- $10,000 annually for any athlete that qualifies for either the World Championships team or the Olympics, and then bonuses for medal winners ($25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver, $10,000 for bronze). USATF said that a “Tier 1” athlete who makes the team would enjoy a base of roughly $35,000, counting the $25,422 they receive under current rules. Gold medalists would clear $60,000 or more. USATF brass and its Athletes Advisory Committee (AAC) agreed to the terms over the weekend, following USATF CEO Max Siegel’s pledge last year to increase athlete assistance. U.S. runner Nick Symmonds, who skipped the Worlds in August to protest USATF's rules, said, "It’s a huge step in the right direction." He added that the clothing rules are more justifiable if the Nike revenue benefits athletes. Symmonds: "Now that they’re paying $10,000, they get to actually make those requests." Former U.S. Olympic long jumper and AAC Chair Dwight Phillips said, "Our meetings in Indianapolis were groundbreaking." Siegel and Phillips will sign a memorandum of understanding this week and work out final details over the next month. They expect the plan to be finalized at the USATF annual meeting in December" (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer).
IN THE NICK OF TIME: Siegel said that the language of the contract "will be changed, then reviewed and voted on at USATF's annual meeting in December." He added that Symmonds "would have input into any changes if he attends the meeting." The AP's Eddie Pells noted USATF at last weekend's meeting "brought in an attorney with ties to the NFL Players Association and other lawyers to discuss the contract." Siegel said, "I commend Nick for building a platform, creating a dialogue." He added, "If there's anybody who understands the need to pay athletes, it's me. But the money's got to come from somewhere" (AP, 9/28). The HUFFINGTON POST's Maxwell Strachan noted Symmonds yesterday "celebrated USATF's announcement." But Symmonds pointed out that USATF "only makes up a 'small fraction' of the races in which U.S. runners compete in." He said that the bigger problem "exists within the two of the most powerful organizations in sports." Symmonds: "The USOC and IOC are perhaps the biggest thieves of all. We don’t get compensated for what we do at the Olympic level, so I’m very pleased that USATF is now willing to share increased revenue with the athletes. But it’s time for the IOC to follow suit" (HUFFINGTONPOST.com, 9/28).
