This piece, by Ken Stone for the Times of San Diego, on Max Siegel is what journalism should be. Ken Stone is a long-time journalist, master’s athlete, and staunch supporter of the sport. This is one of his finest pieces.
Max Siegel is a man of some complication. The bottom line is that he has taken USATF from financially challenging times to a robust financial future. The key is, how does Max bring the partisan groups together to focus on making the sport better?
From his Indianapolis office at USA Track & Field, Max Siegel has been dodging javelins of criticism. It won’t get any better after he arrives Wednesday night for the governing body’s annual meeting near Orlando.
USATF recently revealed that it paid Siegel, its CEO since 2012, $3.8 million in 2021.
“This frankly is the worst week of my life,” Siegel told Times of San Diego in his first public comments since the group’s IRS Form 990 was posted. “It should be the best. We should be going down [to Florida] to celebrate, have reunions and brainstorm.”
Normally, the one-time agent and lawyer for Padres Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn would let his success as a sponsor-fetcher speak for itself. This time, Siegel’s family felt the attacks.
“When my daughter … who’s now 19 sends me crap that people tweet and send her about her dad, you know, or my family, I take it personally because it’s not professional criticism,” he said in a 50-minute phone interview Tuesday.
To read this excellent story by Ken Stone in its proper form, please click here:
Max Siegel on $3.8 Million USATF Pay: ‘Seen One Gold Medalist Critical of Me?’
To watch our RunBlogRun interview, #SocialingtheDistance with Max Siegel from February 20, 2021, please click below:
