Hardloopnieuws

Running for the money

Jeremy Wariner werd al vroeg professional

Door David Woods

As an increasing number of track stars leave college early to turn pro, some wonder if theyre jumping the gun
Track and field has changed so much that college coaches no longer expect to keep their biggest stars for four years, knowing the enticement of turning pro.

Al vroeg professional
Still, East Carolina coach Bill Carson believed LaShawn Merritt would be around for more than a few weeks.
As a freshman last year, Merritt became the second runner ever to run an indoor 400 meters in less than 45 seconds. He was a month away from the NCAA Indoor Championships, and his coach was priming him to break Michael Johnsons world record.Instead, Merritt told his coach a few days later that Nike had signed him and he wouldnt be going to the NCAA meet.
“I didnt even have an inkling,” Carson said.Merritts case is unusual in that a shoe company signed an athlete in midseason, but going pro early has become as common in track as in other sports. Many college-age athletes competing in this weeks AT&T USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at IUPUI are representing shoe companies instead of schools.
That includes Allyson Felix, 20, who turned pro directly out of high school. In what would have been her freshman year, she won the silver medal in the 200 meters at the 2004 Olympics. Others coming here who might have competed in the recent NCAA meet — but were already pros — include Merritt, Jeremy Wariner, Wallace Spearmon, Kerron Clement, Sanya Richards, Tianna Madison and Chaunte Howard.

Geen topsalarissen
Paying athletes to wear a product isnt new in track, nor is going pro early. But the latter was a trickle of athletes until 2002, when miler Alan Webb left the University of Michigan for a reported $1 million Nike contract. (Webb is recovering from an injury, and his agent said he might not run in this weeks nationals.)Its difficult to determine how much track athletes are paid because figures are not divulged by shoe companies. One agent said contracts are for as little as $15,000 to $60,000 a year. Sponsors are awarding less money to more athletes, rather than large sums to a few. Athletes also earn prize money and appearance fees. At the top end, Justin Gatlin, co-holder of the world record at 100 meters, can exceed $1 million in annual earnings.So its easy to understand the ambition to go pro. But the man who may be track and fields greatest athlete ever has a word of advice: Beware.Its not hoops moneyAs long ago as 1981, Carl Lewis turned pro after two seasons at the University of Houston. By then, he was No. 1 in the world in the long jump and 100 meters. He would go on to win a record-tying nine Olympic gold medals.”I think its a big mistake for almost every one of these athletes,” Lewis said of those turning pro early. “The reason is because its not life-altering money.”Lewis said a track athlete cant be compared to a basketball player like LeBron James, who signed a reported $90 million, seven-year endorsement contract with Nike out of high school. James NBA rookie contract was for four years and nearly $19 million.Lewis cited studies showing a college graduate earns twice as much in a lifetime as someone without a degree. He said athletes who turn pro usually dont finish college. Lewis, 45, now an actor living in Los Angeles, said he needs to complete about 20 hours to fulfill degree requirements.”I just think that until an athlete signs a contract in the millions or something that really makes a big difference,” Lewis said, “they should stay in school.

Structuur van college systeem
“Mike Conley, executive director of USA Track & Fields elite athlete programs, can see both sides. He won the 1992 Olympic gold medal and three world titles in the triple jump, and he was a nine-time NCAA champion at Arkansas.
He said he wouldnt trade his college years but conceded he might have gone pro if there had been an opportunity to do so. He emphasized how important it is to have a competent agent managing an athletes career. The shelter of college — coaching, teammates, training and medical facilities — are often taken for granted, Conley said.”In a college system, youve got structure,” he said. “All of a sudden, thats gone.”Gatlin, 24, went pro in 2002 after two years at Tennessee. He said he was influenced by Webbs early departure.Now Gatlin looks back on the transition as an abrupt introduction to adulthood. He had bills to pay, decisions to make. He relocated and changed agents.He said leaving early is a bigger risk than some athletes realize because waiting — and improving — can increase earning power.”That one more year, that 365 days, can make or break the rest of your career,” Gatlin said.Indeed, timing is as important as times.Wariner turned pro at 20 after winning the 400 meters at the 2004 Olympics, signing an estimated $500,000-a-year deal with Adidas. Had he not won a medal, he was planning to return to Baylor another year.Conversely, Miami (Fla.) sprinter Lauryn Williams turned pro after the Olympic Trials but before the Olympics. Unexpectedly, she won a silver medal in the 100.”If I had known I would do well at the Olympics,” Williams said, “maybe I would have signed after the Olympics.”And maybe she could have signed for more.It was a war

Ronselen van atleten
College coaches such as East Carolinas Carson and Michigans Ron Warhurst are critical of pressure applied by Nike in luring athletes away from college.Warhurst said Nike “got to” Webbs high school coach, Scott Raczko, who is paid a salary from Nike.Carson said Nike was “back-handed” in the way it circumvented him to negotiate with Merritts family. The East Carolina coach said Nike wanted to find someone to beat Wariner.”What Nike was smarting over, they lost the war for Wariner. It was a war,” Carson said. “And they just threw their big bucks out there.”Carson said Merritt would have earned more if he had waited and broken the indoor world record. As it was, Clement — who had lost to Merritt earlier — broke the indoor world record at the NCAAs. A spokeswoman for Nike said no one would comment on the issue of athletes turning pro.
Steve Miller, former director of Nikes global sports marketing, said he did not know about shoe companies chasing undergraduates but that it would be unethical to do so. As for how much return the companies get on their investments, Miller said its hard to quantify.”It is very difficult, if not near impossible, to draw a straight line between an athlete and a sale of product,” he said.Nonetheless, an old practice continues in a new century, gaining speed. Those in the worlds oldest sport are still adjusting.

© Indy Star