Jorge's Contract

Been There Lost That wrote:

I don't agree that the 5-10k are not exposure events. I think that the lack of success at the world level has been our problem not the event itself. Geb seems to be doing ok as far as exposure (even before the marathon).

Geb is popular in countries other than the US. The only 'distance' events Americans care about are the mile - not the 1500m - and the Marathon.

I still don't see this whole McArdle thing. Is McArdle is the same league as Jorge and Ritz?

Ok, Torres is definitely a NIKE man...I just can't see him in a Fila or NB or Addidas uniform.

It is all about success not the event.

Billy Mills still earns 6 figures a year in the sport of running (as a speaker) and it has been over 30 years since his gold medal. He was never a miler or marathoner.

Steve Prefontaine's name (who never medaled in the Olympics) is still worth millions a year, and he has been dead since 1975. He was never viewed as a miler or a marathoner.

I chose the dollar and the most convenient training situation when I graduated in 1984. It was a mistake. I obviously never had the upside that Jorge has. Find or create the best training environment for yourself the day you graduate. Don't wait 3 years for Dathan to graduate. Look in your own backyard at how difficult it has been for Goucher. I know your guys opinions of Goucher. Don't make the same mistakes. Choose the training environment where the guys are showing the greatest improvements and not where is comfortable. Good Luck and I will be cheering for success in whatever decision you make irreguardless of whether or not I agree with it.

I\'m pretty sure he is staying in Boulder.I read an article where he said he\'d be living in the \"Fight Club\" for the next few years.

I'm not sure about him being a Nike man...for one, Wetmore once told the folks at Nike he would never send another athlete to them. Take it for what it's worth.

Everyone can get on here and speculate. What Jorge earns upon graduation is dependent on so many things. Like, how fast he runs this year on the track, the agent he chooses, his preferences towards each shoe company, which shoe companies would want to sign him, etc.. Look at the Webb scenario, Nike had him for about $125k before Reebok decided they wanted him as their poster boy...thus, Webb relishes in their pissing match and gets almost twice as much per year in a matter of two and half weeks.

For Jorge, the bidding will begin at around $40k per year, about what Riley signed for last year. I'll assume Nike, adidas, New Balance, and Reebok would want a piece of the action. The price will increase quickly and it'll settle around $60k plus rollovers and bonuses. If he wins US Nationals, expect that to go up to about $75k. Again, he may tell his agent I only want to run for XXXX or YYYY. His agent would go to that company and try and work out a deal to their satisfaction. Who knows, the Dathan factor could play into this and greatly increase his salary.

As far as I know, the "six figure or very close to club" is a little larger than most of you would imagine: Kennedy, Meb, Culpepper, Abdi, Marla, Drossin, Suzy, Ragina, Webb, KK, Williams (still), Goucher (was making over $150k per year, but Fila bought out the contract. I think there are some legal things going on, like suing and stuff) and Krum. There are a lot of guys making a lot less than they should, but besides running fast, they have to be marketable, there has to be a story. Joe Jogger doesn't comprehend the difference between 14:20 and 13:20, it's just too damn fast. They do understand the dumbed-down vignettes NBC does during the Olympics. I would guess that 90% of all marathon finishers couldn't pick out one of the athletes listed above in a line-up. This is a really long post, sorry about that. Bottom line, Jorge will make more than most of us for awhile. The faster he runs, the more teams he qualifies for, the more he'll make.