Can anyone explain why Kara disclosed what her sponsors paid her?

Once again, another paywall site that we can’t even read the article to make an informed decision.

Want to read about Goucher’s pay she got as a runner? Runner’s World. Oh wait, you have to subscribe.

Want to read about something the New York Times wrote about a runner? Have to subscribe.

Want to read about something some random online publication wrote about a runner TWENTY YEARS ago? Have to subscribe.

I’ve been a track and field athlete and fan for 44 years now. There is more information out there now than we could have ever dreamed of decades ago. There are also just too many entities wanting money to make it anywhere near realistic to access everything for the normal person.

I’m beyond the point of annoyed.

Thing with NDAs is they are very expensive to enforce. Going to court over Kara talking about her contracts would a) generally look bad to the public given how they handled her contract with them and make them seem vindictive and b) take time and money to get enforced via courts.

Nike probably just want this to blow over as quickly as possible. Suing someone who has just written a book about you being a jerk is a great way to draw even more attention to the bits in the book they want hushed up.

It is easy for Kara to take this risk. For a current Nike athlete Nike could make life hell without going to court. They could reduce the athlete, they could stop them getting into meets, and breaking an NDA will make other companies hesitant to work with you.

So while the NDA on contracts is tough from a cost and PR angle to enforce on a retired athlete, it is still worth those companies having them since it keeps athletes quiet while they are under contract which still gives shoe companies big leverage.

Sorry, I should have specified that the link is on the LRC home page. If you click on it, the RW article should open up for you.

For people too lazy to read the article Kara was making $35k base to start in 2001 and bumped up to $325k a year after 2008. If she ran well in a marathon the prize money, sponsor bonus, appearance fees, etc would total more than her annual base pay.

Kara appears to be an astute business woman - negotiated a higher appearance fee and lower agent fees. I have no doubt that she and Adam are financially set for life but she is swinging madly to stay relevant in the running community

While I find Kara to be increasingly annoying (directly correlated with her plummeting down the racing relevancy scale) this type of info is extremely useful to other runners and nosy bodies like myself.

We have Glassdoor and other avenues to share compensation info, pro runners do not. I applaud her openness and willingness to share.

Why do you think they are financially set for life?

Haha, certainly not your fault.

That is where I clicked from. Paywall.

Thank you for sharing!

Yes, this is very interesting, and quite frankly I feel that the professional-contract side of the sport should be more transparent.

So the potential bad PR is secondary to the legalities. Very interesting. Thanks for the response, former agent.

Ugh, I got that backwards. I meant to say that the legalities are secondary.

What does Adam do for a living?

**Tiniest violin**

It is amazes me what people will write here, when they wouldn’t dream of doing or saying the same thing in person.

Read her book, she explains it. Or at least take some time to listen to a couple of her podcast interviews from this spring.

You’re right, I should read the book. There may be more to her reasoning than what she said in the article. I just thought someone here might have some insight.

He is Kara’s husband.

Can anyone explain why all the pro runners salaries aren’t known? We all know that other sports athletes are paid

Babysit Colt.

“Sponsorship contracts are one of the most secretive things in the sport of track & field. Basic details such as their value and length, widely available in major professional sports such as football or basketball, are hidden behind the walls of nondisclosure agreements.”

Written by Letsrun’s Jonathan Gault. See full article series here:

letsrun.com

How To Turn Pro In Track & Field, Part II: Signing the Shoe Contract

Jonathan GaultJanuary 23

So you've hired an agent. Now it's time to secure a shoe deal. Do you go for the biggest offer, or the one that lets you work with your preferred coach? Do you chase bonuses or go with a smaller, more secure contract? And wha...

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Very much a moochers attitude. What makes you so special that articles written should be free to you?