LRC note: I didn't realize someone had already started a thread on this great article so I started my own thread on it. I have merged the two threads but kept my thread title as I'd already linked to it from the front page. The other thread was titled, "USATF CEO Max Siegel speaks — first public comments on his $3.8M pay."
Ken Stone of the Times of San Diego has published a must-read piece in which Siegel tries to defend his exorbitant salary.
Siegel starts out by playing the victim card.
“This frankly is the worst week of my life. It should be the best. We should be going down [to Florida] to celebrate, have reunions and brainstorm.”
Siegel said the criticism of him is "not professional criticism" and Stone wrote that Siegel implied it's racially motivated.
"When my daughter … who’s now 19 sends me crap that people tweet and send her about her dad, you know, or my family, I take it personally because it’s not professional criticism."....
Siegel (who is biracial with paternal grandparents being Russian Jews) hinted a racial aspect at play in the social media criticism, noting that Fleshman and Beach, both white, are among “the same people” who find fault with USATF.
He asked: “Have you seen one gold medalist in there that’s been critical of me?”
What? What do you have to do with gold medallists? I'm pretty damn sure Sydney McLaughlin would win gold whether you or a third grader were running USATF. Sorry, Max, the criticism is professional. Even if I thought you were doing an amazing job (I don't. We don't even have a site or qualifying standards for 2023 USA Indoorw which takes place in 3 months), I think you are grossly overpaid for a non-profit of USATF's size. Part of a CEO's job is to keep expenses down. That's professional criticism.
Siegel's main defense is that revenues have gone way up under his watch.
“The eight years before I got here, the organization’s actual revenue was about $129 million,” he said. “Since I’ve been here [it’s been] $359 million. Those are just facts. That’s not my hyperbole, right?..”
“I hate the fact that somehow or another, this organization figures out how to create drama. Good lord. Can we just have one annual meeting where everybody goes home happy?”
Max, we aren't creating drama. You and the board are. It's hard to comment on the revenue without seeing all of the individual contracts (I've always believed revenues have gone up almost exclusively due to the Nike deal), but again we don't care that revenue went up 3 times. Your compensation has gone up way more than that and it's way too high when most pro runners are struggling to get by.
As Ken Stone points out, the USA Tennis brings in ten times the money that track does (Does anyone think Tennis is ten times more popular than track) and paid their CEO roughly 1/3rd of what you earn.
There is some good news near the end of the article.
Siegel says at he has been recruited to leave USATF “for a bigger job.”
Great. Please take it and don't let the door hit you on the way out.