Elite Athletes Considering Strike Action and Seeking Support from Sponsors

In a non-olympic/wc year, athletes might(unlikely) strike. I don't consider the TFAA a strong enough union to force anyone's hand. Many athletes won't tow the union line.

This is exactly what they need to do, but I don't think they have the collective balls to stick it out.

USATF needs to be disbanded.

Hope the athletes prove me wrong; if they can get critical mass, that could peer pressure the other athletes to join them.

They should find a way to sanction athletes who don't support them.

Also, the athletes need to realize that the agents are not their friends and the athletes are simply cattle. The athletes need to find a way to force the hand of the USOC.

Just so the parents and spouses are aboard, the strike will work, given that they provide 90% of US elite athlete funds.

what I would love to see is athletes still line up, but then just turn around and walk off when the gun sounds, that would be amazing to watch.

The biggest name active athlete I see on the TFAA board is SRR, and she may not be active for much longer.

Does anyone know what (if any) other big name active athletes are members of TFAA?

[I guess Nick Symmonds counts, but I don't think anyone at USATF is going to lose sleep over Nick going out on strike.]

What about non-elites, at the grass roots level? Masters and clubs.

Many good points on here and about thirty more that I doubt TFAA has even considered. This union is long overdue but it must be structured such that athletes want to be associated with it and see the need to be.

As sport goes too many athletes think that the invincibility on the field automatically translates to success in other endeavors.

Basically, "We who are not NOP/OTC".

Felix is probably the biggest name, while Lolo and Kara, despite criticism on this board, have substantial mainstream media impact. It's a step in the right direction.

Get a real job or take responsibility for making T and F profitable like MAJOR sports. You want to get paid like LeBron? WOW america like LeBron can.

clandestine wrote:

In a non-olympic/wc year, athletes might(unlikely) strike. I don't consider the TFAA a strong enough union to force anyone's hand. Many athletes won't tow the union line.

I agree. There will be individuals who will still show up in Sacramento.

Moe's Tavern wrote:

Many good points on here and about thirty more that I doubt TFAA has even considered. This union is long overdue but it must be structured such that athletes want to be associated with it and see the need to be.

As sport goes too many athletes think that the invincibility on the field automatically translates to success in other endeavors.

I don't think too many track and field athletes / runners feel invincible.

First, few of them get paid that well.

Second, they are very aware that they are one injury away from the end of a career, or a bad earning year, with many of them having contracts that include "reductions" for not reaching certain performance marks or levels for the year.

Lastly, I think the TFAA is structured well enough that athletes want to associated with it -- how hard could it be -- after years of nothing -- it is something.

Why would they strike? What are their demands?

Carl Lewis and some of his Santa Monica Track Club pals, back when they were the strongest team by far, would routinely not show up at the USATF meet if it wasn't an Olympic or Worlds qualifier.

I also don't understand the demands.

That TFAA statement is shaky because the so called sponsors are really in truth, a minor part of the financial equation. Post collegiate elites are mainly financed by personal and family means, and not by corporate sponsors. So I think TFAA has very little leverage with shoe companies.

Elites can have leverage only if they are empowered by the hundreds of groupie, fanboy scribes, videophiles, and webbies who volunteer their own time, and family trust fund money; behaving ridiculously as silly groupies and glassy-eyed middle-aged stalkers.

The fanboys have been the magic free labor that sponsors have exploited for decades to help publicize their brands. If you can organize the fanboys then you will have the leverage to reform USATF.

Mr. Obvious wrote:

Why would they strike? What are their demands?

Their demands are here:

All they asked for was "that there be athlete representatives observing the protest and appeals process at future USATF championships" that's not an unreasonable request to accommodate in the short term.

USATF doesn't want to see a strike, it makes it harder for them to find bidders for future Championships in the non-OG/WC years, and it's going to put them on even thinner ice with the USOC.

It's funny, this is the most important thread up right now and the viewership of this board has decline so much over time that people care more about bs threads.

USATF needs to be blown up / decertified and a new governing body created -- I don't know what that would look like right now -- or who that governing body would consist of.

In most all the other pro sports in the USA you have team owners and a players association (defacto union).

How do you do that here???

With TFAA, wouldn't you just be having Adam Nelson, a Saucony loyalist, stepping in with his crew and a whole new set of cronyism stepping in? (It might be more fair cronyism, but human nature being what it is, it would probably end up with a bunch of old athletes paying themselves really well and the same dynamic would re-run itself.)

As to some of the NIKE hate that is going on with the athletes, they need to be very smart and very careful in how they proceed.

I know some of them are mad because Nike let them go, or Nike has certain solid terms in their contracts that are non-negotiable. Irrelevant if they go on a witch hunt against Nike -- they will all lose.

Nike provides 50% or way more of the income/sponsorship and prize money opportunities that filter to the elites.

TFAA will need to be very smart and use complete Detente with Nike -- and Adam Nelson knows this -- and is on record about it.

No one, I repeat, NO ONE, no company is going to step in and replace the massive amount of money Nike provides to keep the sport alive in the USA.

The decertification, and whatever governing body would take over, needs to be done with DETENTE with NIKE, et. al. for the sake of the elites and the money a few hundred of them make via NIKE or win via NIKE sponsored events.

If the TFAA can succeed in a group action / general strike / walk en masse / force decertification of USATF -- the new governing body would need to act VERY SMART politically with NIKE, seeking a better situation for all athletes, and not just some biased witch hunt by athletes who are biased because TFAA was founded by an athlete from Saucony, and has other vocal former NIKE athletes -- who frankly act like babies who didn't understand the pro sport they were getting into was not as lucrative as the NBA/whatever.

The goal should be to be able to create a much better, and fair system for the athletes -- and NOT alienate the biggest sponsor out there / their biggest source of potential income and sponsorship. --To create a more competitive market for their services. Sure, NIKE might be nonplussed or more for a while with the change...but it is not like they can't adapt like any smart company, and it is not like they couldn't actually afford to spend more on the sport.

These changes need to be done with real world smarts, real business world smarts, and adult supervision, and with out illogical passion and prejudice. When emotion is high, intelligence is low -- the TFAA and their leaders need to have a real plan, and a cogent list of changes they demand, and take this action with cool heads and complete resolve.

The outcome goal should be to create more revenue opportunities not just in sponsorship, but in prize money, so that like other pro sports, the athletes are getting around 50% of the profits made.

TFAA is preparing some group action?

What is their end game?

Someone suggested that they all show up at the starting line for USA's and then walk away after the gun is fired.

That would take balls, and create massive headlines.

However, they would need total unity, and that means even Nike athletes would have to show solidarity with their peers and risk losing their contracts, let alone performance bonuses for winning at USA's....

Are they planning some namby pamby protest that will get them some small changes? Or do they want to hit a home run and effect real, needed, and lasting change???

I guess we'll find out.