By Alex Fox
Qualifying for a World Championships team often involves drama; unfortunately, most of the drama this summer has been off the track. I am of course referring to Nick Symmonds, who qualified for the USA’s Worlds team after winning his 6th US title in the 800m, was left off the Worlds’ team after his refusal to sign the team’s contract. The controversy surrounding Symmonds began with an unclear definition of “team functions,” and if/when non-Nike athletes like Symmonds would be able to don their own sponsors’ apparel. Following Symmonds’ exclusion from the roster, USATF announced that non-Nike athletes would in fact be able to bring and wear apparel from other brands; this was largely perceived as a slap in the face of Symmonds. Although the controversy started over vague language, Symmonds expanded his disillusion beyond the contract dispute and brought attention to larger issues like USATF’s profit-sharing. What this situation has brought to light is an issue in the sport of track and field: USATF’s unabridged and unilateral control over the entire sport in this country; there is a clear imbalance of power between the sport’s governing body and the ability of athletes to use their voice or influence. This inequality in the sport will continue to cause problems until athletes feel they have some control in their work. The solution: a union.
It is not often I able to apply my studies (Industrial and Labor Relations) to things outside of my academic life that I am passionate about (like sports), but this is a situation that has presented itself in other sports in the past and has resulted in unionization. Through my studies and work experiences, I have come to find that workers in the United States are often unprotected from powerful employers as Labor Laws are weak in this country compared to other Western nations, and the best way for an employee or group of employees to fight for themselves is through a union organizing campaign. Not all of you readers may know much about unions (we aren’t taught much about them and I only know as much as I do because of my college-education), but simply, unions are organizations that are approved by either a majority of workers or accepted by an employer. Unions negotiate the terms of employment for their workers, and this can include wages, hours, discipline procedures, seniority, etc. If any of you are interested in learning more about unions in general, I’d be happy to answer questions in the comments, but I doubt that is the case, so I will continue. The whole Symmonds controversy has highlighted the fact that US track and field athletes have little to no power in their work, and individual struggles to change terms of employment yield no change due to the imbalance of power. These exact circumstances are common in all career fields, and often lead to union campaigns and elections. It is clear that a union may be beneficial, but how would a coalition of Symmonds-lead athletes go about forming a union?
Unions are common among professional sports leagues in the United States; the NHL (NHL Players’ Association, or NHLPA), MLB (MLBPA), NFL (NFLPA), and NBA (NBAPA) are all unionized. Athletes’ rights are protected by collective bargaining contracts, and the unions represent athletes in all labor disputes. Sports Unions are responsible for creating major changes in sports leagues; a much larger percentage of profits in all major sports leagues is allocated to athletes, and free agency, which resulted from union negotiations, allowed for athletes to have more freedom and not be treated as a team’s property. It is not a stretch to say that athletes have benefited from unionization, and that sports league as a whole have improved with athletes having more rights. I think this model could be applied in track and field. If Symmonds and his peers did decide to pursue a union-organizing campaign, they would have to go through the National Labor Relations Board. I imagine that they would form their own union and not go through a national union; this means that like other sports unions, track athletes would most likely have a United States Track and Field Athletes Association, while workers at a Chevy Plant would be represented by a national union like the United Auto Workers (UAW), with a local chapter (ex. UAW Local 100) conducting the collective bargaining for the workers. The organizing campaign would include defining which employees would be represented by the union (presumably all athletes participating in USATF sponsored events), rallying support, and signing authorization cards. (Once again, I doubt many of you are interested in the details of a union-organizing campaign, but if you have questions, ask me or I can refer you to a source that can answer your queries) For the organizing drive to ultimately be successful USATF would have to either recognize the athletes’ union or a union election would occur, where a majority of the defined representative body would be required to vote in favor of the union. Once this occurs, USATF and representatives from the newly formed union would be required to bargain in good faith towards a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). I’ve greatly simplified this process, but for our purposes, it will do. A union-campaign can be long, slow, and ugly. Moreover, they are often unsuccessful in the US. However, because of the precedent of unions in other major sports, US track and field athletes would have a model to use if they decided to unionize. If other athletes share Nick Symmonds’ feelings about not having enough of a voice, a union is a realistic goal and outcome for this controversy.
I’ve given you a fairly unbiased take on the situation, but I feel I should explain why I think a track and field athletes’ union would not only benefit the athletes, but us as fans. If we’ve learned anything over the past few weeks, it is that USATF is unreasonable, and their unilateral control over track and field has gotten out of hand. When Symmonds came forward with his complaint, I thought it would be resolved immediately; the language was not clear, and USATF would benefit from Symmonds running at Worlds. He is high profile as far as track athletes go, not to mention his uncanny ability to come through in the clutch. As a fan, I wanted to see Symmonds run because he earned the spot on the team, and I thought he and USATF could work together to ensure Symmonds’ place on the team. The fact that USATF was unable to work with one of their most productive and popular athletes shows a lack of willingness and effort to care for US track athletes and their concerns. This is a major problem. Track and field is about the athletes. We as fans don’t watch races for sponsors or venues, but for the athletes we root for. USATF does not. They are out of touch with their athletes and fan-base. In addition to Symmonds’ exclusion from the roster, USATF had the audacity to make a statement allowing for athletes to wear their brand after the fact. This was not a subtle move, and I feel was disrespectful to Symmonds and his supporters. The actions of USATF say “this is what happens when you challenge us.” That is not a healthy relationship. It takes away from the sport, which is already facing enough challenges with doping scandals. USATF should be encouraging athletes to use their voice, and not be using scare tactics to deter action. This is why I feel a union is the solution. If US track and field athletes are able to unite and fight together, USATF will not be able to bully them as they did with Symmonds acting alone. It is hard to stand up to your employer, and what happened to Symmonds is an example of why many athletes may not want to stand up in support of an organizing campaign. However, if this imbalance of power is not addressed, track and field athletes will continue to be subject to unchallenged rules and regulations laid down by USATF. Conflicts will continuously occur, fans will be deterred, and in the long run, the sport of track and field will suffer. Collective action can bring the focus back on sport, and allow for issues to be settled without athletes getting punished. This is how American track and field can continue to grow. This is the future of the relationship between athletes and USATF.
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