{"id":397,"date":"2010-09-13T12:46:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-13T19:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=397"},"modified":"2010-09-13T12:46:00","modified_gmt":"2010-09-13T19:46:00","slug":"doug-logan-released-following-weekend-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=397","title":{"rendered":"Doug Logan Released Following Weekend Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

The word out this morning<\/a> is that Doug Logan has been released as CEO of USA Track and Field. Given that in late July he was given 30 days to make significant improvements in his performance, I don\u2019t think this is much of a surprise. After all, I\u2019m not sure what could have been done in a month\u2019s time to significantly alter his performance or the perception of him by those performing his evaluation. <\/p>\n

While there are many opinions regarding his release, from inmates running the asylum<\/a> to rumors of power grabs, the reality of the situation in my humble opinion is that he simply wasn\u2019t the right hire when Craig Masback was hired away by Nike back in 2008. The one thing that almost everyone seems to agree upon is that he was an outsider who wanted to make radical changes within the sport \u2013 though after two years I\u2019m still not sure what those changes were. Everyone keeps pointing to the \u201cProject 30\u201d Report as the cornerstone of his work and vision \u2013 and perhaps one of the reasons that he was let go \u2013 but frankly aside from being highly critical of the way USATF was being run (rightly so in some areas) there was no \u201cvision\u201d set forth to change things and move in a more positive direction. Unless of course one takes into account the changes in the relay program that were undertaken. Or should I say partially undertaken, because while the old program was criticized and dismantled there was nothing of substance put in it\u2019s place. Which sort of marked Logan\u2019s tenure with USATF \u2013 lots of criticism without direction for positive change. <\/p>\n

While I believe that he was the wrong fit<\/a>, his release comes at a time when the sport here in the US clearly needs leadership, and so the board needs to have a sense of urgency in getting the position filled. I say the sport needs leadership because for the better part of a decade we\u2019ve been operating under a cloud of negative news. We\u2019ve had high profile drug busts that those currently competing are still having to live down. We\u2019ve lost stature globally in several events. Our medal count in majors has been declining. Our athletes have been losing ground as the \u201cface of the sport\u201d on a global basis. And domestically we suffer from a reduction in world class competitions, meet attendance, and recognition from the US sporting public, which in turn has a negative effect on fundraising. We could not afford to make the wrong decision in \u201808, and can afford less so now!<\/p>\n

So my plea to USATF is that they look diligently for someone within the sporting community that has a strong understanding of the sport of track and field. Not because I think we need someone that will keep things the way they are, but because I think we need someone that understands how to make the changes necessary to move the sport forward. Moving the sport forward means maintaining the integrity of the sport while making it relevant to a new age of sporting\/viewing public. Because in my opinion the \u201cbase sport\u201d doesn\u2019t need to be altered as there is much that is compelling about who can run fastest, jump highest or throw farthest. It\u2019s how it is packaged and presented that will make it more relevant. And I don\u2019t mean chopping it up and cutting in half or thirds, but better using today\u2019s media resources to advertise, promote and deliver the sport to the public. And in order to do that properly one must truly understand the product that is track and field.<\/p>\n

I also think that USATF needs to take a strong look at acting like a single celled organism and divide in half! Track and field should be TWO sports in this country \u2013 Amateur and Professional \u2013 instead of continuing to try and be the single sport that it currently is. What do I mean? I mean I don\u2019t think that ONE body can successfully run and administrate over the sport of track and field on both the amateur (age group) and professional (elite) level. No other truly professional sport does this and I don\u2019t think that track and field is being very successful at it \u2013 it\u2019s a source of much internal strife not to mention that we are suffering on the professional end. We need an AAU (Amateur Athletics Union) for the youngsters and those just out to have fun and enjoy friendly competition. And we need an AC (Athletics Congress to borrow from the old \u201cTAC\u201d) for our elite forces that are out there attempting to earn a living and medals in global competition. Their needs are different and diverse as are those that support them, and so are their current, and potential, fundraising\/income streams. I believe that formally separating them would make life easier on whoever has to try and run the sport \u2013 or potentially each separate segment of the sport. Just as \u201cLittle League\u201d and MLB are separate entities, and \u201cPop Warner\u201d and the NFL are separate entities, so should \u201camateur\u201d and \u201cprofessional\u201d track and field be. <\/p>\n

Logan\u2019s dismissal means that the hard work lies ahead. Thankfully the athletes did their part this year by showing substantial improvement in several areas on the track and field. And my final plea to USATF is to recognize that the athletes are our product and that whomever is brought in must be supportive and have their needs at the core of any vision for the sport. Yes, the sport needs some overhauling, but the needs of the athletes should be central to changes moving forward. Without an athlete\u2019s union or collective bargaining such as exists in other professional sports, it will be incumbent upon the leadership of track and field to advocate from that point of view as a new vision for track and field is put together and implemented. Because without the athletes the sport is nothing \u2013 and in the end I think that is the one area where Logan truly failed and we can\u2019t afford to fail again. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The word out this morning is that Doug Logan has been released as CEO of USA Track and Field. Given that in late July he was given 30 days to make significant improvements in his performance, I don\u2019t think this is much of a surprise. After all, I\u2019m not sure what could have been done in a month\u2019s time to significantly alter his performance or the perception of him by those performing his evaluation. While there are many opinions regarding his release, from inmates running the asylum to rumors of power grabs, the reality of the situation in my humble opinion is that he simply wasn\u2019t the right hire when Craig Masback was hired away by Nike back in 2008. The one thing that almost everyone seems to agree upon is that he was an outsider who wanted to make radical changes within the sport \u2013 though after two years I\u2019m still not sure what those changes were. Everyone keeps pointing to the \u201cProject 30\u201d Report as the cornerstone of his work and vision \u2013 and perhaps one of the reasons that he was let go \u2013 but frankly aside from being highly critical of the way USATF was being run (rightly so in some areas) there was no \u201cvision\u201d set forth to change things and move in a more positive direction. Unless of course one takes into account the changes in the relay program that were undertaken. Or should I say partially undertaken, because while the old program was criticized and dismantled there was nothing of substance put in it\u2019s place. Which sort of marked Logan\u2019s tenure with USATF \u2013 lots of criticism without direction for positive change. While I believe that he was the wrong fit, his release comes at a time when the sport here in the US clearly needs leadership, and so the board needs to have a sense of urgency in getting the position filled. I say the sport needs leadership because for the better part of a decade we\u2019ve been operating under a cloud of negative news. We\u2019ve had high profile drug busts that those currently competing are still having to live down. We\u2019ve lost stature globally in several events. Our medal count in majors has been declining. Our athletes have been losing ground as the \u201cface of the sport\u201d on a global basis. And domestically we suffer from a reduction in world class competitions, meet attendance, and recognition from the US sporting public, which in turn has a negative effect on fundraising. We could not afford to make the wrong decision in \u201808, and can afford less so now! So my plea to USATF is that they look diligently for someone within the sporting community that has a strong understanding of the sport of track and field. Not because I think we need someone that will keep things the way they are, but because I think we need someone that understands how to make the changes necessary to move the sport forward. Moving the sport forward means maintaining the integrity of the sport while making it relevant to a new age of sporting\/viewing public. Because in my opinion the \u201cbase sport\u201d doesn\u2019t need to be altered as there is much that is compelling about who can run fastest, jump highest or throw farthest. It\u2019s how it is packaged and presented that will make it more relevant. And I don\u2019t mean chopping it up and cutting in half or thirds, but better using today\u2019s media resources to advertise, promote and deliver the sport to the public. And in order to do that properly one must truly understand the product that is track and field. I also think that USATF needs to take a strong look at acting like a single celled organism and divide in half! Track and field should be TWO sports in this country \u2013 Amateur and Professional \u2013 instead of continuing to try and be the single sport that it currently is. What do I mean? I mean I don\u2019t think that ONE body can successfully run and administrate over the sport of track and field on both the amateur (age group) and professional (elite) level. No other truly professional sport does this and I don\u2019t think that track and field is being very successful at it \u2013 it\u2019s a source of much internal strife not to mention that we are suffering on the professional end. We need an AAU (Amateur Athletics Union) for the youngsters and those just out to have fun and enjoy friendly competition. And we need an AC (Athletics Congress to borrow from the old \u201cTAC\u201d) for our elite forces that are out there attempting to earn a living and medals in global competition. Their needs are different and diverse as are those that support them, and so are their current, and potential, fundraising\/income streams. I believe that formally separating them would make life easier on whoever has to try and run the sport \u2013 or potentially each separate segment of the sport. Just as \u201cLittle League\u201d and MLB are separate entities, and \u201cPop Warner\u201d and the NFL are separate entities, so should \u201camateur\u201d and \u201cprofessional\u201d track and field be. Logan\u2019s dismissal means that the hard work lies ahead. Thankfully the athletes did their part this year by showing substantial improvement in several areas on the track and field. And my final plea to USATF is to recognize that the athletes are our product and that whomever is brought in must be supportive and have their needs at the core of any vision for the sport. Yes, the sport needs some overhauling, but the needs of the athletes should be central to changes moving forward. Without an athlete\u2019s union or collective bargaining such as exists in other professional sports, it will be incumbent upon the leadership of track and field to advocate from that point of view as a new vision for track and field is put together and implemented. Because without the athletes the sport is nothing \u2013 and in the end I think that is the one area where Logan truly failed and we can\u2019t afford to fail again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-6p","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":370,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=370","url_meta":{"origin":397,"position":0},"title":"Does USA Track & Field Need a New CEO?","author":"CHill","date":"July 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"That seems to be the question on the table amid reports that two years into the position, USATF CEO Doug Logan is being evaluated and is possibly facing dismissal pending improvement by mid August. The word that he is being evaluated doesn\u2019t come as a surprise as most employees within\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=370#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jun 26, 2010; Des Moines, IA, USA; USA Track & Field chief executive officer Doug Logan at the USA Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium. Photo by Image of Sport Photo via Newscom","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view4.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9256290\/track-and-field-usa-track\/track-and-field-usa-track.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":402,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=402","url_meta":{"origin":397,"position":1},"title":"The Tribe Has Spoken \u2013 You\u2019ve Been Voted Off the Island","author":"CHill","date":"September 24, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 One of my favorite TV shows is the reality show Survivor. If you aren\u2019t familiar with it, it\u2019s where 18 to 20 people are put together in a remote location \u2013 usually an island. They are there for approximately 40 days and every 3 days someone gets \u201cvoted off\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=402#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/survivor.download-tvshows.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/survivor_cover.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":108,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=108","url_meta":{"origin":397,"position":2},"title":"Track and Field could use a League of its own","author":"CHill","date":"February 5, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"During the recent Armory Meet in New York, USATF's new CEO, Doug Logan gave an interview on various topics concerning Track and Field. During this interview Logan touched on issues such as \"Drugs in the Sport\", the performance of the US Team at last year's Beijing Olympic Games, and \"The\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":398,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=398","url_meta":{"origin":397,"position":3},"title":"Who Should Replace Doug Logan?","author":"CHill","date":"September 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been asked a lot over the past 24 hours who I think should replace Doug Logan as head of USA Track and Field. That\u2019s a very tough question. I feel that it should be someone that has a strong knowledge of track and field. That broad catch all could\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=398#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jun. 09, 2010 - Erasmia, South Africa - epa02193735 Joachim Loew (R), head coach of the German national soccer team, and first Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, Edwin Moses (L), attend a press conference of the German team at Velmore Grand Hotel in Erasmia near Pretoria, South Africa, 09 June 2010. The German team prepares for the FIFA World Cup 2010 that starts on 11 June 2010.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view1.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/9070742\/germany-press-conference\/germany-press-conference.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":113,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=113","url_meta":{"origin":397,"position":4},"title":"Update on Elite Athlete’s Perspective on the Sport","author":"CHill","date":"February 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I was informed by a friend earlier today that USATF CEO, Doug Logan, has sent out an invitation to athletes attending this weekends Indoor National Championships inviting them to meet with him on Friday to discuss concerns they have about the sport. Follow up calls confirmed that indeed athletes have\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":312,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=312","url_meta":{"origin":397,"position":5},"title":"Not Another Mistake !","author":"CHill","date":"April 22, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Once again we get the report of another positive drug test. This time it\u2019s Lashawn Merritt who according to his press release inadvertently used a product that contained DHEA. While it depresses me that, yet again, we have an individual testing positive in this sport it\u2019s more depressing that this\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=312#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}