Brett Gotcher Quote is Misleading

I think you kind of missed the point...

I don't think they are trying to convey that he gets no support from McMillan Elite or Adidas, that would be a ridiculous statement. Maybe they should have specified a bit more.

Theres a difference in getting $20k in a running bonus for winning a race but not having a retirement fund, you hear me? When you make only $8k in a print shop and you still have to pay for some things (minus rent, health insurance, transportation) little expenses add up real quick.

I think the point they are trying to make is that while 4th string football players in the NFL make $250k a year, the best runners in the United States are still getting by (with money they can pocket) on $16k

You might not be able to afford a weekly massage, or an top end coach but you can live that lifestyle if you want. I guarantee you can quit or job tomorrow work at a place part time and run your ass off, twice a day every day. No massages and as far as treatment for injuries, well lets just say you better take care of yourself. But you can go to the 20k National Champs and run and see if you can win. Until that day, stop bitching because some guy whos working to make $8k in a print shop and ya maybe $20k in total bonuses but cant do this forever, is better then you.

I think the point was made pretty clear that Adidas did not have matching funds, because Bret Gotcher does not have a shoe contract. They sponsor the group McMillan Elite, but not Bret himself.

The Passenger wrote:

I think the point was made pretty clear that Adidas did not have matching funds, because Bret Gotcher does not have a shoe contract. They sponsor the group McMillan Elite, but not Bret himself.

Is that the case with Zap and Hansons as well? I thought that they still have a bonus structure.

I would guess that if you have to travel for work that your employer picks up some if not all of your travel costs and you don't calculate that into your $40k salary or the benefits you might get with that $40k like health insurance, retirement, etc. Most of the second tier runners (the ones that don't graduate from college and sign a big contract, which is most) do not have benefits if they are working part-time and are trying to train & race as well.

Traveling to races is a requirement for their profession, not a luxury vacation, so I think your point is moot.

Finally, the point of the article is that on a day to day basis Brett (and others like him) are not living off of much $$ in order to reach the top of their profession. Trying to get there takes 24/7 effort with training and the very important recovery period so it does restrict the types of jobs and hours you can work. When they can earn an award check of $8,000 (or even a bit more with bonuses, though I don't know that there were any) it DOES make a big difference.

Finally, I "get so tired" of the everyday runner on this board trying to compare their life to what the elite runners are trying to do. They are apples and oranges. Until you live a season in their shoes, please don't go there.

Cannot compare - you absolutely correct. By any measure, most of these athletes are living on a shoe string and whatever the math may be, Gotcher is undoubtedly being sincere when he relates that his 8k award is significant.

This, however, confirms to me why running after NCAA Div. 1 competition can be viewed as an irrational act - although I admire people who follow their passion. But irrational it is at the levels of support that exist.

Kind of a sad day in America when an $8000 pay day is "life-changing" for a Stanford University graduate. What does that say about the academic institution?

Now, as a parent, if my child attended, was highly successful, at Stanford University, and was breaking even at $8 grand, I would be highly disappointed and feel guilt.

There are sevreral successful dreamers and distance runners that can have the educational background of a Stanford and have a part-time, entrepreneurial business to generate income well above $20K per year with some creativity and application of skills learned at a school like Stanford.

Poor kid, but he is running great and I congratulate him on his achievements and quest for 2012, but with the networks of a Stanford, you have got to be kidding me that you are incapable of producing a sponsorship of business opportunity of any kind.

I read the article rather quickly, so perhaps I missed something, but I didn't notice anything terribly misleading about what Gotcher said.

I might, however, take issue a bit with McMillan's statements about "poor" runners who are "living at or near the poverty line." (I think that quote is accurate.) My issue is not whether these runners meet some government-supplied definition of "poor." My issue is that there is a huge difference between, on the one hand, a voluntarily underemployed Stanford graduate choosing to pursue his hobby (or passion, if you prefer) rather than more gainful or remunerative employment and, on the other hand, a truly poor person who is legitimately and desperately concerned about keeping his or her head above water. Voluntary underemployment can be a happy, rewarding, and relatively stress-free time in which a shortage of money is a mere inconvenience; real poverty is very different, and I suggest that we respect the difference.

you got it right.

i do pretty well and have the luxury to train how i want. i think some of these guys should think about what sacrifices they must make after their college programs so that their jobs compliment their future endeavours(sp). like a consulting job or coaching high end clients or personal training. i think its silly when they get a finance degree or history from a great school like stanford but know that they want to devote a lot of time into their sport. first, you arent going to get ahead in your job that way working part time or youll just have some lame job that has nothing to do with your degree and make next to nothing. it just doesnt seem that bright to me. i have some friends who have their mba but are doing nothing with it because of some pipe dream of making it to the CFL (not even the NFL). all this time they could be excelling in their dream AND future career. i think people should really take into consideration what they hope to accomplish athletically in choosing their degree path and profession. there are ways to do it and when your passion and career compliment it really leads to a happy and fulfilling life. then again im purely speaking from experience... none of us can really give a black and white answer on whats the right path to take. some of us just get lucky and chose correctly, but we all have to see for ourselves. just my two cents. and for brett to win that prize, that alone would convince me that he made the right decision and i congratulate him. im sure he thinks that it was all worth it.

I think he and a lot of others could not have trouble finding a job with better pay that gave them time to train and race but the jobs some guys prefer while competing are low-stress, low responsibilty with predictable hours.

I and a lot of others did it this way when we were his age, 25-40 hours at a shoe store, etc.

I agree its silly that he complains about being poor though, that's his choice.

Show me where he is complaining.

The $8,000 isn't "life-changing" in and of itself. Winning a national title, however, will certainly open some doors for Brett. His future earning potential was significantly enhanced by his run this weekend... I think that's the point.

Avocado is right about voluntary underemployment. No doubt Brett's lifestyle is far from "luxurious", but it's not at all akin to someone who's trying to get by on minimum wage. Ultimately, Brett has other options if his running career were to end tomorrow.

I'm not sure offhand, but he has to be close to the Hanson's 100k line, no?

Whatever you guys are smokin' - I want some as it must be really good.

nepoks wrote:

Now, as a parent, if my child attended, was highly successful, at Stanford University, and was breaking even at $8 grand, I would be highly disappointed and feel guilt.

There are sevreral successful dreamers and distance runners that can have the educational background of a Stanford and have a part-time, entrepreneurial business to generate income well above $20K per year with some creativity and application of skills learned at a school like Stanford.

.

Are you nuts? He got an 8k pay day, not 8k for the entire year......not sure why you're making this 20k part time comparison crap. An 8k pay day is a big pay day for almost anyone....not sure what your pay days look like. If he's used to bringing home 500 or 1k here and there, and you bring home 8k all at once in a weekend....that's a big deal and means he doesn't have to worry about costs as much as usual.

R.L. Scribner wrote:

Show me where he is complaining.

He wasn't. My bad. He's calling an $8,000 pay day life changing. (Its really not, but it helps a lot for a year or so).

He's sacrificing for his running. I guess he was just pointing out how significant that money was. But there are also some runners (I wasn't one) that with a little inconvenience can compete at their best and still earn a decent living which also builds a resume for down the road.

Like I say I can't criticize because I did the same.

Hanson's and ZAP do indeed have bonus structures.

I believe ZAP's is 1st to 8th at any usatf championship road or track. I am uncertain of the amounts - but it is a great plus for these programs to offer this outside the realm of the normal individual shoe contract. Not sure who pays for it all. Keep up the good work keith, kevin, zeka, pete etc.

Bif Bradley wrote:

He wasn't. My bad. He's calling an $8,000 pay day life changing. (Its really not, but it helps a lot for a year or so)..

I guess that depends on what you call lifechanging. Does life changing have to extend beyond a year? This can change his life for a year for sure. If you're living paycheck to paycheck, an extra 8k will make living much more enjoyable if you're already maintaining as you mentioned.

Also how do you know where he was mentally? Maybe he was on the verge of saying, this isn't worth it, or stressed out about wanting to be a runner and also paying his bills and thinking about the future. Perhaps this was a turning point, which could be life changing, and allows him to focus fully on running right now without worrying as much about his financial situation. I'm sure many runners have been on that verge of hanging them up...and a payday like that will give security, and hope for better things to come. Rather if he had won nothing, that would clearly be less encouraging and potentially life changing in another way away from running.

Hansons-Brooks athletes would have received an additional $8,000 plus whatever it falls on the time bonus plus another $2,000 for making the World Team. I am sure the numbers are similar, if not greater, with McMillan Elite. Adidas is a much larger company than Brooks.