Is Meb not sponsored by Nike anymore?

adult onset wrote:

Hilarious. The top 500 Americans in basketball, baseball, football, etc all make more money than Meb without ever achieving anything on the order of an Olympic medal. He is more than entitled to make a good living from his achievements.

How is he entitled to that? There are Olympic gold medalists that make far, far less money from their sport than Meb has.

I think you're wrong about the top 500 Americans in basketball as there aren't that many Americans in the NBA. But the people you reference in baseball, basketball, and football have people paying to see their teams play. Their teams are making a business decision as to how much they're worth.

Nike makes business decisions about how much someone is worth to them as well. They're not a charity for runners with achievements.

If you think Meb is entitled to make a good living from his achievements and you become convinced that he's not, will you send him a check?

in all honesty wrote:

asdgfh wrote:

Wouldn't Hall being considered a US male major marathon medalist racing today? He got 3rd at Boston in 2009.

A medalist is someone who wins a medal in a major championships. Finishing in the top three in a regular road race does not make you a medalist, no matter how big or rich the road race is.

The "World Marathon Majors" are London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, and New York.

If the OP didn't mean that, then what did he mean? He already had a different bullet that Meb was the only USA Olympic medalist competing today. Meb didn't win a medal at the World Championship.s

the smartest letsrunner wrote:

Let's look at four months ago:

New York City Marathon, Nov 6 2011

6 Meb Keflezighi 02:11:38 CA United States USA

8 Dathan Ritzenhein 02:12:33 OR United States USA

EAT IT.

well, considering both of them ran shitty, I wouldn't consider either of those good performances... but fair enough..

for fun, since 2008...

28 years old - 2:10 for the thon, 1:00:00 for the half, 27:22 for 10k, and 12:56 for 5k all in the same year... 8th at the olympics..

vs

36 years old - 2:09 New York, 2:09 Boston, 2:09 London... are we seeing a pattern...

Again, I'm a big Meb fan, and his consistency is great, but if your a race director or Nike... are you really thinking there is a lot of upside to a one trick pony (marathons) in the twighlight of his career, and are you willing to spend the money on it if it isn't really benefiting your race or bottom line...

I would love for this to get blasted in my face come the olympics...

asdfghe wrote:

If you think Meb is entitled to make a good living from his achievements and you become convinced that he's not, will you send him a check?

No, I won't. But I'm not a company marketing myself as a supporter of the sport, am I? Think.

What I will do, though, is support companies that show loyalty to our best-performing athletes. It's hard to describe Nike's treatment of Meb that way right now.

Get it?

giddy wrote:

for fun, since 2008...

28 years old - 2:10 for the thon, 1:00:00 for the half, 27:22 for 10k, and 12:56 for 5k all in the same year... 8th at the olympics..

vs

36 years old - 2:09 New York, 2:09 Boston, 2:09 London... are we seeing a pattern...

Hey, you make a good argument. I just think, or thought, that the marathon is the only real marque event in distance running, and that wins in majors and Olympic medals counted for a lot. I think more people could name Meb as an Oly medalist or NYC winner than could name Ritz as a 12:56 5000 runner. I have to agree that Ritz's track PRs are at a higher level than a 2:09 marathon, and that he has more upside.

asdfghe wrote:

But the people you reference in baseball, basketball, and football have people paying to see their teams play. Their teams are making a business decision as to how much they're worth.

Great Call. If Meb is being cheated why doesn't Mammoth (his team) chip in to pay him his worth. Mammoth pays Mahon and Larsen and still gives Vigil (consultant) a pay check.

What would happen if the New York Yankees paid just the coaching staff and then told the players to go get theirs from the shoe companies?

Sponsoring athletes does nothing to sell shoes, it's only a marketing tool with limited impact and most runners are overpaid. All any of the pro runners are worth are some free gear because growth in road racing has nothing to do with the fast and the elite. It has everything to do with participation and personal goals. There is more return on a local hero that works full-time and is working within their community than a bunch of doped up, spoiled, overpaid pro runners.

When I go to my local Nike store, the only pictures of distance runners I see is Nick Symmonds and Evan Jager. They need more blonde white guys.

probably so , Kobe sells shoes , Jordon sells shoes , maybe a couple of others , it a long ongoing debate in all marketing promo depts on wether runners sell shoes.

it does though lend a certain street cred to those who sell shoes at running stores , young athletes are aware although they might not ask for what Meb wears , local heros want to emulate the sponsored hero's that get paid.

Participation is all about the new generation of runner wanting a challenge or event experience , something to do athletic with a benefit , running is at an all time peak now.

The big races that get TV/local press draw attention because of elite racing at the front , attention draws money , stimulation and awareness come back to the local running community , people buy shoes to run in the event , the cycle continues with not the actual recognition of the elite you hate. Funny how it all works out.

Of course, Nike makes the decisions that are in the best interest of the businness, and sponsorship is not a reward for sporting achievement, but for publicity. As long as the NBA attracts *a lot* more viewers than the Golden League, there will be *a lot* more sponsorship.

However, I think running shoes make up a sizable share of Nike's income - in that respect, running is quite possibly "underfunded" when it comes to pro sponsorship. The problem for pro runners is that even most casual joggers, who buy their shoes, are more interested in basketball or football than in their own sport. If that changed (but I cannot really see how), someone like Meb would have sponsor falling over themselves to get their shoes on him.

waste of money wrote:

Sponsoring athletes does nothing to sell shoes, it's only a marketing tool with limited impact and most runners are overpaid. All any of the pro runners are worth are some free gear because growth in road racing has nothing to do with the fast and the elite. It has everything to do with participation and personal goals. There is more return on a local hero that works full-time and is working within their community than a bunch of doped up, spoiled, overpaid pro runners.

This is absolutely true. Which is why it makes 100% more marketing sense to sponsor Dean K rather than a 2:10 marathoner.

If I were Meb I would be trying to set myself up and cultivating relationships with sponsors for the long term for a post-competitive career as an ambassador for the sport, like a Bill Rodgers or Joan Samuelson. I would assume squeezing sponsors for every last dime during your competitive days is not the way to do that.

Look on Facebook under mamoth lakes group, they did a long run on 27 February... Meb was doing it in K-swiss shoes??!!!!

Have you ever considered that other shoe sponsors would love to have Meb but maybe Meb is a loyal guy and wants to stay Nike athlete?

South African guy wrote:

Look on Facebook under mamoth lakes group, they did a long run on 27 February... Meb was doing it in K-swiss shoes??!!!!

Couldn't find the page.... link?

meb already pulled the sprewell back in 2006 w/ Nike. meb was on fire (2004 olympic silver, 2004 2nd at NYC, 2005 3rd at NYC) and his contract was up and nike made a reasonable offer (two or three hundred grand...can't remember exactly), but meb said no, wait until after NYC and gimme half a mil because, watch, i'm gonna finally win NYC this year.

2006 NYC result: meb shits the bed with a 2:22 and nike comes back with a hundred grand deal he's forced to take.

boys and girls, don't let your brother be your agent.

Yes you are right it didn't come together that day in 2006 at the ING NYC Marathon but it did in 2009 and I woudn't be surprised if he does it again 2011 or 2012 (win the ING NYC Marathon). He overcame a major career ending injury only to come back and deliver in 2009 and he will do again because he is still running PRs. His agent believed he could deliver and he eventually did.

bump LOLZ

I was thinking of this as well. Good call all those years ago, Nike.