Right up Nike’s alley. They’ll sign her and then have The NY Times post a puff piece about how they saved her from a toxic environment (while matching her with another coach who probably dopes athletes)
Justin Gatin got suspended for drugs TWICE and he still got sponsored by Nike.
Sponsors aren't as picky as some of you are imagining they are.
+1
They won't care about a suspicious runner - see not only Gatlin but also the long-term support for Decker + Graham + Houlihan + Kersee + M. Jones + C. Lewis + Mitchell + Salazar + Schumacher etc. etc.
On the contrary, there is reasonable hope that she'd do whatever Kersee or Schumacher or whoever will tell her to do. No worries there.
Is the goal of a runner who runs fast to make money or run for the intrinsic joy of running? I say she should take a stand for amateurism and turn down all offers by shoe companies that make their products in countries that exploit their workers and have suspect or low records with respect to basic human freedoms.
I noticed @addywiley follows and is followed by @doylemanagement on IG, but think the other managed athletes (Allman, SAFP, Hall, Jenneke, et al.) would not be very happy to see her join the group.
Athletes don't get to tell their agent who that agent can or can't represent. That’s not how it works.
Her chance of a big contract is slim to none, unfortunately.
Unless she removes herself from the Huntington cesspool, it won’t happen. There’s just too much baggage there, and it’s unfortunate. Even Nike won’t take a chance in the dumpster fire.
This what I think some folks really miss: it's not the doping thing that is the cause of the hesitation. It's the walking PR nightmare of her former coaches and the university that would cause sponsors to be hesitant, especially as these things wind their way through the courts.
As little as some posters like it, the shoe companies obviously agree with you.
We know that they know who she is.
We know that they have done a cost/benefit analysis.
We know that they like to sign athletes before their full value is realized, and be there as the athlete's stock goes up. Signing an athlete like this a year before the Olympics would be ideal.
We know that they are will to take some risk (we can insert a long list of names here, and some posters already have; Armstrong, Kaepernick, etc.).
And yet we also know that nobody has signed her yet. That could change any day, obviously. But as of today, it is what it is.
Her chance of a big contract is slim to none, unfortunately.
Unless she removes herself from the Huntington cesspool, it won’t happen. There’s just too much baggage there, and it’s unfortunate. Even Nike won’t take a chance in the dumpster fire.
This what I think some folks really miss: it's not the doping thing that is the cause of the hesitation. It's the walking PR nightmare of her former coaches and the university that would cause sponsors to be hesitant, especially as these things wind their way through the courts.
You aren't looking at this correctly. Sponsors don't make decisions based on someone's FORMER coaches.
And if Wiley goes pro, then she is no longer a student athlete at Huntington.
She’s running as fast or faster than any collegiate ever, but who’s willing to take a risk on someone tied to such major allegations. Until she removes herself from Huntington it seems like a huge risk to sign her.
Nike would definitely sponsor her. They have a long list of shady runners, doesn't seem like they care. Most runners at the top dope.
She’s running as fast or faster than any collegiate ever, but who’s willing to take a risk on someone tied to such major allegations. Until she removes herself from Huntington it seems like a huge risk to sign her.
Nike would definitely sponsor her. They have a long list of shady runners, doesn't seem like they care. Most runners at the top dope.
nobody has signed her yet. That could change any day, obviously. But as of today, it is what it is.
There are reasons for that.
Yes, there are reasons for that, but not necessarily the reasons that you think.
It's normal for these negotiations to take awhile, which is one possibility for her delay in making an announcement about a sponsor. Also, it's possible that Wiley is still deciding whether or not she wants to run another year for her school.
Give me a break. Sydney McLaughlin is very religious. So is Britton Wilson. So are plenty of other athletes. That doesn't automatically make someone suspicious.
Give me a break. Sydney McLaughlin is very religious. So is Britton Wilson. So are plenty of other athletes. That doesn't automatically make someone suspicious.
And Sydney is coached by a drug cheat/associate of a drug cheat. Of course she's a "nice girl." But is she clean? I doubt it. Do I wish they were all clean? Yes. Are they? Hell no.
Give me a break. Sydney McLaughlin is very religious. So is Britton Wilson. So are plenty of other athletes. That doesn't automatically make someone suspicious.
And Sydney is coached by a drug cheat/associate of a drug cheat.
Sydney has posted religious stuff on social media since she was in high school. So once again, just because because someone is religious doesn't automatically make them suspicious.
I noticed @addywiley follows and is followed by @doylemanagement on IG, but think the other managed athletes (Allman, SAFP, Hall, Jenneke, et al.) would not be very happy to see her join the group.
Athletes don't get to tell their agent who that agent can or can't represent. That’s not how it works.
Not directly, but they can certainly leave the agent. I’m pretty sure gold medalists have other options. The athlete is more valuable to the agent than the other way around.
Every single major running/shoe brand has had dopers. Nike just happens to sign more athletes in general. More apples, higher chance you'll find more bad ones. Additionally, not one single NOP athlete was ever convicted of doping. That fact seems to be washed over time and time again. Ten years later, would we even care about L-Carnitine when you've got 90% of athletes slurping down Maurten baking soda on the start line?
Anyways, someone will sign Wiley, but it likely won't be Nike. The weird situation and her young age of just 19 probably feels a bit too much like the girl from NY they went down this road with 10 years ago. I'm sure a couple of agents are camped outside her house, though. Look for Adidas to sign her. They're at an arms length from the US market and they likely don't care if Wiley stay in that cook-oo situation.
Wiley had an incredible year, but this all seems too much too soon. She may be America's next great female distance runner, but if history has taught us anything, buckle up.... The red flags are already waiving.