{"id":404,"date":"2010-09-28T17:48:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-29T00:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=404"},"modified":"2010-09-28T17:48:00","modified_gmt":"2010-09-29T00:48:00","slug":"should-the-usoc-be-overseeing-usatf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=404","title":{"rendered":"Should the USOC be Overseeing USATF?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I ask this question in the aftermath of the Doug Logan firing, as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gazette.com\/sports\/usatrack-105301-usatrack&amp;field-usatrackandfield.html\" target=\"_blank\">word<\/a> out of Colorado Springs is that the USOC is \u201cmonitoring\u201d the selection process for a new CEO. <\/p>\n<p>This was the second time in the past couple of weeks that I had read about the USOC\u2019s interest in the process. And it came on the heels of learning that the USOC may have had a hand in the selection of Logan back in 2008. All of which made me curious as to why the USOC has such an interest in what is going on with USATF. So I began to do a bit of research, and found that in 1978 Senator Ted Stevens sponsored Senate Bill 2727 which passed and became Public Law 95-606 \u2013 better known as the <a href=\"http:\/\/thomas.loc.gov\/cgi-bin\/bdquery\/z?d095:SN02727:@@@L&amp;summ2=m&amp;|TOM:\/bss\/d095query.html|\" target=\"_blank\">Amateur Sports Act<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The Amateur Sports Act amended the corporate charter of the USOC giving it the power to (among other things):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>recognize as a national governing body any amateur sports organization (but only one for each sport) which submits an application for recognition and complies with eligibility requirements\n<li>create eligibility requirements for national governing bodies\n<li>authorize the national governing body to represent the United States in international sports federations\n<li>review the actions of the national governing bodies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Quite a bit of power over the national governing bodies (NGB\u2019s) of the United States\u2019 amateur athletics organizations and athletes. As a matter of fact because of the Amateur Sports Act, The Athletics Congress (TAC) was created in 1979 to replace the AAU as the governing body of track and field in the US \u2013 because the AAU could no longer govern all sports. Since then there has been much confusion within track and field as the various regional and local bodies (formerly AAU) have had their issues trying to cope under the umbrella of first TAC and now USATF \u2013 as the name was changed to in 1992.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly however for this conversation, the sport evolved during the 1980\u2019s and 90\u2019s from being an \u201camateur\u201d sport to having both an amateur AND professional component. Likewise the IAAF (of which USATF is a member) has moved to a professional base. And the Olympic movement has moved to a combination amateur\/professional base. Which brings me to the question \u2013 just what jurisdiction does the USOC hold with respect to USATF? Because its charter and reason for existence is to oversee AMATEUR sports in this country related to participation in the Olympics and global events. However, our athletes that now compete in the Olympics and global events are PROFESSIONALS!<\/p>\n<p>Granted USATF oversees a large base of amateur athletes in this country. Which is why I stated previously in discussing the dismissal of Doug Logan that one of the problems with the position of CEO of USATF is that it has diametrically opposed goals \u2013 the oversight of both an amateur segment of the sport AND the elite professional side. And why I suggested that the sport take a look at forming two separate divisions or even separate entities. Understanding what I do now about the relationship of the USOC to the sport, I would strongly advocate for the latter. Because:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the sport (USATF) needs restructuring if it is ever going to become efficient at what it\u2019s supposed to do\n<li>the needs of amateur and professional athletes are vastly different and need to be addressed separately so that each can get the proper focus\n<li>professional track and field needs the same kind of autonomy that exists within the NBA, MLB, and NFL, among other \u201cpro\u201d sports\n<li>track and field needs to be run by track and field, for track and field, not by an arm of the Olympic movement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>An organization dedicated solely to professional track and field would take that segment of the sport from under the umbrella of the USOC, as the original law reads. Giving it the ability to function as it sees fit. Of course that could open up Pandora\u2019s Box too. You know, be careful what you wish for and all. But track and field has been treading water for about 20 years now in it\u2019s pursuit of becoming a professional sport. Not only here in the US but globally as well. It\u2019s time to stop being a quasi professional sport and become a professional sport in the mold of basketball, baseball and football. <\/p>\n<p>Right now we still function like an amateur sport. Of course, understanding that we are still being \u201coverseen\u201d by the amateur sports movement, I understand in part why. The Amateur Sports Act has run its course and is clearly outdated. That aside, the way that track and field is structured, has run its course and is clearly outdated. Both need to be \u201c\u2019brought up to date\u201d. We need to get back to a functional model at the amateur level. Potentially even reverting back to the AAU. And we need to move forward at the professional level. Now is as good a time as any to begin to effect change. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I ask this question in the aftermath of the Doug Logan firing, as word out of Colorado Springs is that the USOC is \u201cmonitoring\u201d the selection process for a new CEO. This was the second time in the past couple of weeks that I had read about the USOC\u2019s interest in the process. And it came on the heels of learning that the USOC may have had a hand in the selection of Logan back in 2008. All of which made me curious as to why the USOC has such an interest in what is going on with USATF. So I began to do a bit of research, and found that in 1978 Senator Ted Stevens sponsored Senate Bill 2727 which passed and became Public Law 95-606 \u2013 better known as the Amateur Sports Act. The Amateur Sports Act amended the corporate charter of the USOC giving it the power to (among other things): recognize as a national governing body any amateur sports organization (but only one for each sport) which submits an application for recognition and complies with eligibility requirements create eligibility requirements for national governing bodies authorize the national governing body to represent the United States in international sports federations review the actions of the national governing bodies Quite a bit of power over the national governing bodies (NGB\u2019s) of the United States\u2019 amateur athletics organizations and athletes. As a matter of fact because of the Amateur Sports Act, The Athletics Congress (TAC) was created in 1979 to replace the AAU as the governing body of track and field in the US \u2013 because the AAU could no longer govern all sports. Since then there has been much confusion within track and field as the various regional and local bodies (formerly AAU) have had their issues trying to cope under the umbrella of first TAC and now USATF \u2013 as the name was changed to in 1992. More importantly however for this conversation, the sport evolved during the 1980\u2019s and 90\u2019s from being an \u201camateur\u201d sport to having both an amateur AND professional component. Likewise the IAAF (of which USATF is a member) has moved to a professional base. And the Olympic movement has moved to a combination amateur\/professional base. Which brings me to the question \u2013 just what jurisdiction does the USOC hold with respect to USATF? Because its charter and reason for existence is to oversee AMATEUR sports in this country related to participation in the Olympics and global events. However, our athletes that now compete in the Olympics and global events are PROFESSIONALS! Granted USATF oversees a large base of amateur athletes in this country. Which is why I stated previously in discussing the dismissal of Doug Logan that one of the problems with the position of CEO of USATF is that it has diametrically opposed goals \u2013 the oversight of both an amateur segment of the sport AND the elite professional side. And why I suggested that the sport take a look at forming two separate divisions or even separate entities. Understanding what I do now about the relationship of the USOC to the sport, I would strongly advocate for the latter. Because: the sport (USATF) needs restructuring if it is ever going to become efficient at what it\u2019s supposed to do the needs of amateur and professional athletes are vastly different and need to be addressed separately so that each can get the proper focus professional track and field needs the same kind of autonomy that exists within the NBA, MLB, and NFL, among other \u201cpro\u201d sports track and field needs to be run by track and field, for track and field, not by an arm of the Olympic movement An organization dedicated solely to professional track and field would take that segment of the sport from under the umbrella of the USOC, as the original law reads. Giving it the ability to function as it sees fit. Of course that could open up Pandora\u2019s Box too. You know, be careful what you wish for and all. But track and field has been treading water for about 20 years now in it\u2019s pursuit of becoming a professional sport. Not only here in the US but globally as well. It\u2019s time to stop being a quasi professional sport and become a professional sport in the mold of basketball, baseball and football. Right now we still function like an amateur sport. Of course, understanding that we are still being \u201coverseen\u201d by the amateur sports movement, I understand in part why. The Amateur Sports Act has run its course and is clearly outdated. That aside, the way that track and field is structured, has run its course and is clearly outdated. Both need to be \u201c\u2019brought up to date\u201d. We need to get back to a functional model at the amateur level. Potentially even reverting back to the AAU. And we need to move forward at the professional level. Now is as good a time as any to begin to effect change.<\/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-404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-6w","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1425,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1425","url_meta":{"origin":404,"position":0},"title":"Sanya Richards-Ross and the Money Tweets","author":"CHill","date":"July 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Now to paraphrase Mrs. Ross, she wants the athletes to get paid much more than they are currently earning. She would love to have sponsorship opportunities such as using your uniforms\/warm ups, a la NASCAR. And she would like to get paid for her Olympic participation. Before I give my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Richards Ross\"","block_context":{"text":"Richards Ross","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=richards-ross"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Sanya-R-R2-150x150.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":240,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=240","url_meta":{"origin":404,"position":1},"title":"Time for USATF to Bid for the World Championships","author":"CHill","date":"October 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The early exit of Chicago as a bid city for the 2016 Games means that there will not be Olympic level track and field in the United States until at least 2020 - and that's only if the USOC decides to submit an application for a bid city.While most of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2010,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2010","url_meta":{"origin":404,"position":2},"title":"USATF Should Be Split","author":"CHill","date":"January 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"As the year ended I reflected on the sport as I see it. I continue to look at a sport that many say is dying, and continue to see a sport that I feel just needs tweaking.\u00a0 Not the sport itself. The full slate of events should be contested -\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2010#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"Placeholder","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Placeholder_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":428,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=428","url_meta":{"origin":404,"position":3},"title":"USATF CEO Search \u2013 What Do They Want to Accomplish?","author":"CHill","date":"December 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"A couple of weeks ago USATF posted the job description for the incoming CEO. At least it\u2019s the job description that they are using in their search to fill the position. While it\u2019s nice to know that the organization is looking for someone that is: A passionate leader Innovative marketing\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":244,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=244","url_meta":{"origin":404,"position":4},"title":"Coaches Association Emerging","author":"CHill","date":"October 27, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"As I take a look at the state of professionalism in the sport of track and field it comes to my attention that the coaches may be the ones to lead the way. In talking with various individuals regarding the current state of the sport I've received information on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":124,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=124","url_meta":{"origin":404,"position":5},"title":"Track Shorts","author":"CHill","date":"March 19, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"In a Track and Field News report from the Adidas Running camp it was revealed that Tyson Gay's fall and winter training were delayed due to a knee injury. While athletes need a good fall program to prepare them for the season, Tyson as the defending World Champion in both\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404","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=404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}