USATF CEO Craig Masback leaving for job at Nike
Craig Masback, who pays attention to masters track only when forced to, is quitting as CEO of USA Track & Field and taking a job with Nike, USATF reports today. Although he’s been honest on why USATF Masters hasn’t gotten the marketing it deserves (“You don’t have the numbers,” he would say), he hasn’t done much with his bully pulpit to grow the masters movement. (And he’s never entered a masters meet himself, despite his world-class credentials as an open miler.)
So now we ask: What’s next? I hope the USATF board, which includes our chairman Gary Snyder, makes sure any new CEO does more than give lip service to USATF’s large masters membership. Now may be a good time for USATF Masters Track & Field to say adios to the parent organization. We could collect our own dues, and spend according to our priorities, rather than beg at the master’s table for scraps.
6 Responses
Good Riddance!!
Im with Milt 100%…Masback did NOTHING for Masters and could care less about us. I have a few GREAT memeories of him…like when i approached him at the opening of the Track and Field Hall of Fame at the Armory and asked him why USATF provided uniforms for National teams both open and junior but NOT Masters??? The look on his face was PRICELESS..how DARE ANYONE ask him an intelligent question based on facts!!!!He stammered something about how we will get a reduced rate on OLD uniforms and ran off into the crowd!!! That was a great moment for me.. to ask the question to the person in charge and SEE how they would respond to it. Now that i have been around awhile i understand USATF way better they give us crap BECAUSE we take it…simple. Nike deserves another employee like Masback…long live New Balance.
Hey Frank, don’t be so cynical. Maybe one of his first projects at Nike will be to draw up a sponsorship deal for masters track in the US. Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll see it in my life time…or my childrens life time..or their childrens..so on and so on.
Long live Adidas.
So, Nike gets the Oly trials to Eugene twice consecutively, (the second WITHOUT going through a bid process!?!?!?!?!!!!!) and Masback gets a cushy job with Nike. You connect the dots…
From the Sac Bee 12/26:
Sacramento was awarded the 2004 Olympic Trials after drawing rave reviews for hosting the 2000 event, which averaged 23,338 spectators for the eight-day meet. But Eugene was given another Trials before hosting the 2008 meet next summer, and without a bid process.
Instead, Eugene officials, with Nike’s financial backing, cut a deal with USA Track & Field to bring all those big meets to Oregon.
“I think that surprised everybody,” McCasey said. “Obviously they put one hell of a deal in place for them to do this.”
Craig Masback, USA Track & Field’s chief executive officer, said Eugene officials came forward with a proposal to host the 2012 Olympic Trials and the ’09 and ’11 USA Outdoor Championships. USATF responded with a counterproposal, which Masback said Eugene accepted.
“That’s what happened, plain and simple,” Masback said. “We’re thrilled with the decision and outcome.”
Masback praised Eugene’s commitment to track and field ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú the city hosted the Olympic Trials in 1972, ’76 and ’80, the USA Outdoor Championships in 1999 and 2001, and the Prefontaine Classic for 33 years ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú noting ticket packages sold out months ago and there is “a buzz in the air” about the Trials.
He also said Sacramento would be in the running for future events.
“I don’t think it’s lacking anything,” Masback said.
John Mansoor, the California International Marathon race director and the director of meet operations for the NCAA meets here, said giving Eugene a second consecutive Trials before holding the 2008 event raised some questions.
“We were very disappointed that the 2012 Trials have been awarded to Eugene and they have not conducted the 2008 Trials,” he said. “It’s one thing to have the money to be able to do these things. ?¢‚Ǩ¬¶ The other thing is, can you stage the event successfully?
“There’s a lot of us who are not convinced that Eugene can pull this off.”
Full link: http://www.sacbee.com/395/story/591673.html
You guys still don’t get it. Everybody keeps going after the CEO. Craig was professional management fulfilling the wishes of the Board of Directors and the President, Bill Roe. Craig didn’t have the power you all give him credit for. Your issues about what more you want for Masters are with the Board and President. If you think things aren’t to your liking now, wait till you see the new Board,President and CEO. Does anyone remeber the previous CEO?
Craig was the Best CEO USATF will ever have!
The NSGA looks better and better all the time.
USATF is a youth and professional athlete’s organization and it will be more so in December
George Mathews has more insight into what goes on within USATF than most of us. Perhaps Craig Masback is a great improvement over prior holders of the CEO post. Personally I do not know. But sometimes the devil we know maybe better than the one we do not know.
However George continues to beat a dead horse. NSG will not take over masters track and field — and if they did – heaven help us – if you think we are short changed now – just wait until you see how far down on the scale we would be with NSG.
Remember that they were just about bankrupt a few years ago, the leadership consults little or not at all with representatives of the sports – and my bet is that they will care far more about pickle ball than track and field. They should work with the organizations that promote a particular sport -which they do not do with USATF.
They will not look out for each sport that participates in the games. Aside from organizing a National meet outdoors every two years – what do they do for masters track and field?
As much as I like the senior games, at the state level the organization is often very thin to invisible. The money will not roll into masters track and field if we leave USATF and join the NSG. That is a pie in the sky dream.
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