Nick Symmonds Speaks Out on Being Left Off USA World Championships Team

Olympic runner Nick Symmonds, who will not be on Team USA during the world track championships that start on August 22, believes he's being blacklisted for his involvement in a dispute concerning athlete endorsement rights.  

The runner contends that having to abide by Team USA's endorsement deals conflicts with his individual commitments.

Symmonds confirmed on Twitter that he had been left off the United States team heading to Beijing in two weeks. He followed up that post with an explanation for why he is fighting for athletes' individual rights:

"We respect Nick’s decision not to represent the United States at the IAAF World Championships," USATF said in a statement released following Symmonds' comments, attributed to chief public affairs officer Jill Geer, which continued:

"

The Statement of Conditions is part of USATF’s governance documents, and its requirements are common in professional, Olympic and National Team sports, both domestically and internationally.  It has been in place for years, and athletes and agents are familiar with the provisions of the document, which include requirements pertaining to athlete conduct as goodwill ambassadors for the United States, proper handling of the American flag, wearing the designated Team uniform at official Team functions, attendance at official Team practices, meetings and other events, commitment to train and report fit to compete, and following doping rules.
 
The only restriction USATF places on athletes’ apparel or appearance at any time is when they represent the United States in National Team competitions, award ceremonies, official Team press conferences, and other official Team functions tied to these National Team events. USATF places no restrictions on athlete footwear, eyewear or watches. As part of USATF’s bylaws, the Statement of Conditions must be signed by all athletes who compete for Team USA, and it cannot be unilaterally changed or waived by any USATF officer. 

"

Symmonds responded to the statement on his Twitter account, taking issue with USATF's assertions:

On August 6, Symmonds told Ben Fischer of Sports Business Daily he was concerned with the contract athletes have to sign with Team USA:

"

My concern is that...how far back can they go? If they wanted to, they could say I have to wear Nike from the moment that I make the team at USAs, and then all of a sudden they’re buying up the entire season. USATF and Nike are just taking way too much of the pie, so far as to violate my rights as an athlete.

"

In January 2014, Symmonds signed a deal with Brooks Running. According to Jere Longman of the New York Times, Symmonds is exploring the possibility of seeking arbitration and had spoken with an ombudsman from the United States Olympic Committee. 

As far as the document Symmonds is refusing to sign goes, he told Longman that Team USA said "they were not going to change" it prior to the world championships.

ESPN's Darren Rovell spoke with Geer, who said the organization allows runners to wear whatever they want during USATF Championship Series races, which does not include the world track championships.

"USATF pays the broadcasting bill for the athletes to wear their sponsors in USATF Championship Series meets on TV, including national championships," she said. "Athletes and their personal sponsors don't have to pay for that national exposure. USATF pays for it."

Disputes between athlete sponsors and organizational sponsors have been frequent in sports. The NFL has a sponsorship with Bose, so the league banned individual players who have a deal with Beats by Dre from wearing them whenever they appear on screen.

UFC recently signed a uniform deal with Reebok that requires athletes to wear officially sponsored equipment. Wearing trunks with various sponsors on them as a way of supplementing income is now prohibited. 

Athlete compensation in a sport like MMA or track and field is tied to individual sponsorships because athletes are independent contractors and don't have the support of a union. 

Symmonds' fight, while not exactly new in the sports world, is a crucial one that if successful could bring change to the way sponsorships in a sport like track and field work.