USA Track & Field dumps CEO Logan

This is great. Now they can finally hire Bobby Knight and get this show on the road.

BK is not a successful TV media executive nor producer.

Kathy Griffin (not the famous one) was the search firm. i met her in Eugene. She was (is?) a bit of a kook but claims a large sports client list.

A major problem with USATF is that it is utterly meaningless to my life as a serious middle-aged distance runner. I am on a team, I race once a month or so, roads and track, but I have never participated in a USATF event. I became a member this year for the first time despite running for 30 years.

If USATF wants to be relevant, they need to put on events in which I will want to participate. These lame '7.5k road championships' that no one attends need to go.

Probably a way for USATF to become relevant is to work with the club teams and put together some sort of regional competition series - I know this half exists already, but they could push it more.

Rumor has it that Logan was given contingent bonuses (that his contract allowed but we not automatic). Possibly even an extensive or modification of his contract in early 2010. If this is the case, the entore Personnel Committee of the Board (http://www.usatf.org/about/committees/BoardOfDirectors/) needs to resign.

Did his recent hires get contracts - do we have to pay them off if/when they go? Note 25 of the 42 staff are called manager, director, or officer.

Saying that Logan hasn't implemented the strategic plan isn't really telling the USATF membership and the public very much. The plan is one of those classic strategic plans with vague, unmeasurable goals: "We'll be extra super terrific and everyone will think we're the best!!!!!"

http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUID=USATF_2009_12_03_14_20_48

"Develop a Track & Field brand that resonates with consumers"

"Develop an aggressive business model that creates and exploits monetizable assets"

"Develop a culture and systems that maximize competitive excellence and a superior professional experience"

So are we supposed to believe that Logan (or anybody on the planet) had the power to accomplish these things in 9 months given how that USATF functions?

agip wrote:

A major problem with USATF is that it is utterly meaningless to my life as a serious middle-aged distance runner.

Interesting perspective, but quite different than my own. I'm a master and belong to, and run in, the fantastic Pacific Association (PAUSATF). The PAUSATF offers ots of races of all kinds, a decent web site, strong support of regional running and local elites. I think the PAUSATF does almost all of this without any meaningful support from the USATF, and I think this is fine.

My beef with the USATF is that they try to be all things to all people, by trying control running from youth events all the way to the elites, they do a poor job at everything.

Elite athletics should really be run by a different organization. Right now it's as if one commissioner ran little league, local co-ed softball and Major League baseball. In my opinion this is why professional running is so poorly marketed in the US.

The whole board of directors needs to be audited. I'll bet that there's still a lot of the outrageous overspending going on that was an issue a couple of years ago.

http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20081202103249/http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2008/11/dysfunction-run-amuck-part-iv-cannons-allegations-financial-mismanagement/

Why should the USATF be wasting its time with 50-year old joggers? Your local 5K is sufficient for that.

eb white wrote:

Why should the USATF be wasting its time with 50-year old joggers? Your local 5K is sufficient for that.

Because I am rich and tend to spend a lot of money.

NTE 1559 wrote:

Rumor has it that Logan was given contingent bonuses (that his contract allowed but we not automatic). Possibly even an extensive or modification of his contract in early 2010. If this is the case, the entore Personnel Committee of the Board (http://www.usatf.org/about/committees/BoardOfDirectors/) needs to resign.

Did his recent hires get contracts - do we have to pay them off if/when they go? Note 25 of the 42 staff are called manager, director, or officer.

I hope your claim isn't true about the bonuses.

Many people on the staff have been there for ever.

I was looking at the annual report to see who was on the board.

Some interesting things. Logan says, "After nearly

six years of a flat budget of approximately $15 million, we have submitted an annual budget for 2010 of $21 million."

That may be the problem right there. Increasing the budget nearly 50% sounds like a recipe for disaster. Does anyone have any insight on what the finances for 2010 are looking like? I doubt Logan or the board would say, "Our budget is $21 million this year" without anticipating that type of revenue but maybe I'm wrong. As an uninformed outsider I don't see anything that would make me think USATF's revenues are increasing 50% this year. With the economy struggling I'd assume they 'd be hoping to hang on to what they got with modest growth. If the board signed off on 50% growth they would seem to be just as responsible as well for any sort of financial mess that results if the numbers don't materialize.

The goals of USATF are pretty amorphous but that's probably pretty common at non-profits. The Annual Report sure sounds like things are going great. It just came out recently although it's for 2009.

Here's the link again:

He talks about becoming a $30 million a year organization. Easier said than done.

The board has 15 people on it. Steve Holman and Deena Kastor.

The present Board did not hire Logan.

Ray Flynn (former great miler, Alan Webb's agent) sent us this comment on Logan's dismissal:

"While Doug Logan was successful in making structural changes within USATF that will likely make it easier with it's inner functioning, he had very little knowledge of our sport. In order to lead well, he would have needed to understand the many different groups and factions that constitute USA Track and Field. He sequentially alienated so many of these groups and it was only a matter of time before he had to go. I hope that our governing body will have learned from it's mistake in coming up with better search criteria for Doug Logan's successor."

oldmanbythesea wrote:

The present Board did not hire Logan.

The board used to have 27 members and now has 15 which is heading in the right direction. I assume however some on this board were on the old board as well?

I found the 2010 financials:

$20 million budget.

There are only a few members of the present board who were on the previous board:

(position in USATF on the last board)

Stephanie H (women's track chair)

Elizabeth Phillips (women's LDR chair - retired from LDR two years ago and a new chair voted in)

Bob Hersh (IAAF Council Member)

Jeff Darmen

Darlene Hickman- (secretary - non voting member on new board)

It's surely not interesting to discuss the sad state of USATF, its board, and its CEO problems. However, it IS a bit interesting to ask again, for the umpteenth time: Should road running become a separate governing body, distinct from track/field?

It hasn't done USATF any good to "own" road running, which appears fairly healthy. Maybe in some perverse way, USATF would be better off without road running.

Here we go again wrote:

It's surely not interesting to discuss the sad state of USATF, its board, and its CEO problems. However, it IS a bit interesting to ask again, for the umpteenth time: Should road running become a separate governing body, distinct from track/field?

It hasn't done USATF any good to "own" road running, which appears fairly healthy. Maybe in some perverse way, USATF would be better off without road running.

well then all of a sudden you have a racial battle.

When you add up all the USATF volunteers that show up and work your road race for free as flaggers, photographers, writers, certified officials, athletic trainers, videoographers, press officers, stats guys, buggy drivers, etc. then it will be obvious to you that you should stay with USATF.

oldmanbythesea wrote:

There are only a few members of the present board who were on the previous board: [list of 5 people omitted]

So 2/3rds of the current USATF Board wasn't there when Logan was hired just 2+ years ago? If true, that would seem to be part of the problem right there - hard to keep the bosses (board) happy if their identities, and presumably priorities, shift so rapidly.