Monzano won NCAA's with a time that rivals all but Alan Webb's domestically. As a guess, he could command at least $60K and also continue training with the Longhorns, develop with 'B' meet competitions if necessary, go to school and make some cash. Now that'd be the life.
You have waaay too much time on your hands.
Jamaari wrote:
You have waaay too much time on your hands.
Actually, you're right. It's 7:30 and the boss doesn't get in (crack the whip) for another few minutes. Even so, I'd think a company would want to invest in an 18 year old who just won NCAA's with a 3:37. And if I was that collegiate freshman, it wouldn't kill me to let them fill my pockets.
One major risk is that he is 18 and that he may be over training and there are still risks of burn-out. If I were him I would stick with Texas and develop before I went pro.
He had one outstanding race and he's had one year of college. As encouraging as his performance is, he's not in Webb's league yet, and he's not a worldbeater like the sprinters who turned pro early (ie, Wallace Spearmon). Let the kid enjoy being an NCAA competitor a little longer.
Yours Truly wrote:
He had one outstanding race and he's had one year of college. As encouraging as his performance is, he's not in Webb's league yet, and he's not a worldbeater like the sprinters who turned pro early (ie, Wallace Spearmon). Let the kid enjoy being an NCAA competitor a little longer.
Good points, although you don't have to be in Webb's league to be a pro. But it's one side of the coin (what you said) versus the other (capitalizing now & gaining financially).
He\'s 20 years old chief. But promising nonetheless. Any word yet on his plans for the rest of the summer?
is going "pro" a good idea?
for some maybe but if ritz' injury is due to a soccer game then most college runners do not have the maturity to be "pro's". it is a short term investment for shoe companies or aother sponsors. their history show they could care less regarding the long term development of athletes.
my hope is that kids will find direction from their college coaches and realize the money will be there later.
Finish line Fiasco wrote:
One major risk is that he is 18 and that he may be over training and there are still risks of burn-out. If I were him I would stick with Texas and develop before I went pro.
Good idea, because NCAA's frequent racing has a much smaller chance of burning someone out.
tike redman wrote:
He's 20 years old chief. But promising nonetheless. Any word yet on his plans for the rest of the summer?
Forgot that he's 20. But anyway, he's done racing for the running year. Read below and you'll totally understand why.
http://www.highlandernews.com/articles/2005/06/17/sports/03nationaltreasure.txt"For the third meet in a row, Manzano's body almost didn't let him compete. After suffering first from a right hamstring injury that limited him in the Big 12 Conference meet and then combined hamstring and back stiffness that led to difficulty at the NCAA Midwest Regional two weeks ago......Then he came down with a mysterious knee ailment in the days leading up to the championship meet that left his left knee stiff, sore and very swollen."
"It was been a long grind, but I am very happy that I have been able to accomplish all that I have this year," Manzano said.
One small note, no one really cares about Leonel Manzano. Nike does do a bit of charity work giving runners small contracts so they can live and train, but the guys they really want are the ones who create all the buzz. Normally, buzz is created with a few AMAZING performances for short-term folks (Kerron Clement, LaShawn Merritt), or a consistent record with long-term success (Daniel Lincoln, Alistair Cragg).
They are not paying Lebron 90 million because his scorecard displays 25 pts 7 reb 7 asst per night, they are paying him for the attention he commands. Marketing ability. If Michael Jordan was doing push ups at the local HS track, he would attract a crowd. That's what it is about. On the U.S. track level, when Alan Webb (esp. in HS) or Bob Kennedy (in his prime) appear, it is a pretty big deal. Runners love those guys.
With that said, Leonel could snag a contract, but he will not be demanding anything.
Quick, what are Leonel's best 400/800/3000? Without being a Longhorn or looking them up, you wouldn't know. But you would know Dathan's 1500/3000/5000/10,000 and Webb's 400/800/1500/mile/HS mile/ HS 1500/ HS 2-mile etc. most likely.
Leonel would still be charity work, or a risky investment - just in case he ever did make it big and command attention, Nike will have already snagged him.
Lastly, even with his 6th place finish, Lukezic would probably get the most money of the 1500m field. He has the most star power currently.
kkkk wrote:
One small note, no one really cares about Leonel Manzano. Nike does do a bit of charity work giving runners small contracts so they can live and train, but the guys they really want are the ones who create all the buzz. Normally, buzz is created with a few AMAZING performances for short-term folks (Kerron Clement, LaShawn Merritt), or a consistent record with long-term success (Daniel Lincoln, Alistair Cragg).
They are not paying Lebron 90 million because his scorecard displays 25 pts 7 reb 7 asst per night, they are paying him for the attention he commands. Marketing ability. If Michael Jordan was doing push ups at the local HS track, he would attract a crowd. That's what it is about. On the U.S. track level, when Alan Webb (esp. in HS) or Bob Kennedy (in his prime) appear, it is a pretty big deal. Runners love those guys.
With that said, Leonel could snag a contract, but he will not be demanding anything.
Quick, what are Leonel's best 400/800/3000? Without being a Longhorn or looking them up, you wouldn't know. But you would know Dathan's 1500/3000/5000/10,000 and Webb's 400/800/1500/mile/HS mile/ HS 1500/ HS 2-mile etc. most likely.
Leonel would still be charity work, or a risky investment - just in case he ever did make it big and command attention, Nike will have already snagged him.
Lastly, even with his 6th place finish, Lukezic would probably get the most money of the 1500m field. He has the most star power currently.
I agree. But with 1-2 more races like he's shown, his popularity would increase dramatically. Granted that's not a "bird in the hand", but a great possibility.
Manzano caught us by surprise and unfortunately will not be able to follow up on it for a while. But I bet if he competed at USATF's, there'd be a lot of attention on him. Remember also he's in a glamour event, and that attention is guaranteed to happen if he even maintains. In otherwords, very good upside.
ttc,
obvoiusly with him not racing this summer, his possibilities were/are quite low. also, i think because next year isn't even a WC year, companies will be less likely to be handing out contracts. i'm guessing that if he adds another title in the next two years and drops his time into the 3:35 range, he'd be able to command a much better contract in 2007. it's like a guy who is a frosh and a projected late first round pick in the NBA draft. stay another year or two and he's a lottery pick.
he isnt 18 he is 20 and will be 21 in sept...
Maybe he could go pro if he won USA's. But since he isn't running, I would stay at Texas and get an education.
When Manzano runs 3:32 at the NCAA's and jogs the last 50 meters, he should turn pro immediately.
ttc wrote:
As a guess, he could command at least $60K
I highly doubt he could get a contract worth that much. There are two kinds of contracts for distance runners out there:
1. The Webb/Ritz special for guys who are very fast and have a huge market appeal; and
2. The contract for everyone else which provides for 30K or less and free shoes every now and then.
not true. torres got 125k.
When Manzano runs 3:32 at the NCAA's and jogs the last 50 meters, he should turn pro immediately.
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3.37 for Gods sake is not enough....i only got gear from sponsors when i ran 1.45 800m
ttc, changing your opinions about running contracts? Did you note that Spearmon and Gay got close to $3 million each deal! T&F is on the rise...
Furthermore, people, what does it matter if Manzano is 20 or 40? It is performance that counts. I'm sure Gay is close to 20. If Manzano is 20 and runs 3:37, an agent would look at that and say that at 25 he could run 3:32. Who knows...