I
am excited to have had the opportunity to do an interview with
Slowtwitch. If you haven't heard of it, Slowtwitch is the LetsRun of
the triathlon world.
I am also happy to have been able to stir the
pot with the pro/amateur argument because I think the current system
has some legitimate problems and have tried to sum up my thoughts on
the issue here.
Triathlon
distinguishes between “professional” or “elite” athletes and
“amateur” athletes, but it's a vague distinction and this limits
the value of using the distinction. As an amateur, you can still win
money and have sponsors and even be paid by sponsors though it's
unlikely. You can do everything that a professional athlete can do
except compete in races with a cash prize purse of over $5k. In order
to become a professional all you have to do is meet one of USA
Triathlon's requirements, like top 5 at Age Group Nationals, and then
send in an application. A lot of people talk about how hard it is to
become a professional, but it is actually very easy to meet one of
the requirements if you are legitimately fast enough to race
professionally. As an amateur even though you can't compete for over
$5k in cash, because USA Triathlon does not extend this limitation to
prizes Hy-Vee was able to give away $151,000 in prizes to amateurs
last year at their race and first place was a car worth $22k and a
gift certificate to Orbea for $6k for a total of $28,000. I think if
you win $28,000 in a race you aren't an amateur. Even if you can only
sell those prizes for $20k, you've just made a year's worth of living
expenses.
Even
using the term professional isn't clear. USAT uses the term elite for
professional racers and elite amateur for the amateurs that are
faster than most other amateurs which creates confusion.
If
there is going to be a distinction between professional and amateur
athletes, I think it's important to only use the term professional
for professional athletes and reserve elite for the elite amateurs at
the front of the amateur pack. I also think the cash limitation
should be extended to prizes. This creates a clear distinction
between professional and amateur athletes which is valuable in two
ways: athlete marketing and increasing the sport's legitimacy. Having
clearly defined professional athletes gives those athletes a better
ability to market themselves. The term professional implies that you
are an expert in your sport at the top of the field and your
opinion/recommendation is worth more than a non-professionals. This
isn't actually true, but for marketing purposes implications can
create realities which helps athletes market themselves to potential
sponsors. As for the sport of triathlon clearly separating and
acknowledging professional athletes as just that, professionals,
helps to increase legitimacy compared to other professional sports.
Of course triathlon is a far far cry from the MLB, NFL, etc., but why
would outside companies ever invest large amounts of money into prize
purses for the professional race when many people don't seriously see
those athletes as professionals.
Basically,
if we as a sport are going to have professional athletes we shouldn't
stop halfway and need to commit to the system. Have fewer pros that
are all legitimately professional and use those athletes to elevate
and market the sport in order to give companies a reason to invest
money into the big race series. Elite amateurs can spend a few more
years racing as elite amateurs until they are faster.
In
the end as an endurance sport I don't think triathlon will ever
capture interest and investments like football or baseball and so we
shouldn't have a separate professional system in the same way that
running doesn't. But if we're going to have the system we ought to do
it right.
