I just read that article in the newspaper.
The Skechers PR person deserves a raise. They got Meb on the cover of the Marketplace section and then article makes it sound like Skechers is saving athletes while Nike athletes are on food stamps.
If I was Nike I'd be pissed off. They shell out millions of dollars for track athletes and Skechers who sponsors one athlete comes out looking ahead, so does Brooks.
Looking at the article again it really is poorly composed. The author doesn't understand the industry that well and compares Meb to an athlete who may be the 5th ranked discus thrower in the US. That is a misleading comparison. Skechers is paying Meb more than Nike wanted to, but it's not paying Meb more than Nike pays athletes like Galen Rupp or Andrew Wheating. Apples to apples.
Meb talks about "reduction clauses" a ton in his book and you can tell he doesn't like them.
In some ways it's just like a non guaranteed contract in other sports.
Some athletes may still take reduction clauses because they'll start with a higher base. A reduction clauses in itself is not a bad thing.
Top 10 in the US in a lot of events isn't that high up in the world. Just as the 750th ranked tennis player doesn't make much money neither will the 750th ranked distance runner.
Skechers signing Meb was a good move on their part.