adi Z wrote:
i'd be joining a new club asap.
what a bunch of b.s.
if they were giving that stuff away, sure, but for a fun club for hobby joggers and weekend warriors?
insane.
________________________________________
Not insane.
BAA is the best club overall in the country.
Why? you ask.
I'll tell you why.
Annual dues are what? $75?
And guess who hosts the Boston Marathon?
And, guess who gets their fee waived, and auto-entry?
Dasss Riiight
$75, versus?? $175
True dat
adi Z wrote:
i'd be joining a new club asap.
what a bunch of b.s.
if they were giving that stuff away, sure, but for a fun club for hobby joggers and weekend warriors?
insane.
________________________________________
Not insane.
BAA is the best club overall in the country.
Why? you ask.
I'll tell you why.
Annual dues are what? $75?
And guess who hosts the Boston Marathon?
And, guess who gets their fee waived, and auto-entry?
Dasss Riiight
$75, versus?? $175
True dat
Well folks, here is the latest updated waiver to their new strict uniform policy with Adidas. The last 2 bottom sections sound like the upmost brutal level possible.
After reading the below waiver, should it be a yea or nea to continue with them?
Expectations of All B.A.A Running Club Members:
General Conduct
B.A.A. Running Club Members are expected to adhere to all B.A.A., USATF, IAAF and individual race rules and regulations governing the sport and participation in races.
Membership in the running club is at the sole discretion of the B.A.A. Members of the Boston Athletic Association Running Club are being afforded a privilege. As such, members agree to conduct themselves according to the highest standards of competition and personal behavior at all practices, competitions, club sponsored events or anywhere else that they are representing the B.A.A. Running Club.
Members are subject to the control and guidance of the club's staff and must follow their instructions while representing the club or participating in club-sponsored activities. Members agree to conduct themselves in a quiet and well-mannered fashion at practices, competitions and club-sponsored activities and not cause any disturbances or interfere with the safe use or enjoyment of the event and/or facilities by other members. Members shall neither conduct, purchase nor subscribe to any commercial business, non-profit, or charitable organization while representing the club or participating in club-sponsored activities; Nor shall they solicit other members for any reason without the club's prior written consent. Under no circumstances shall members interfere with the club's conduct of its business. Any complaints (other than those of an emergency nature or requiring immediate attention by the club's personnel) shall be made directly to the athletes coach, in private.
Members agree to grant the B.A.A. and its sponsors and licensees the exclusive right to the free use of his/her name, voice and/or picture in any telecast, broadcast, advertising, promotion, and/or account of a club-sponsored event except when usage suggests an endorsement of any product or service without my consent.
Practices & Competition:
• Practices include weekly interval sessions and long runs during the 16 week training cycle for the Boston Marathon.
• It is expected that B.A.A. Running Club Members will attend practice regularly.
• Practices are conducted in a group setting and are designed to benefit the group as a whole. Due to the nature of these practices, coaches are not able to design and implement individual workouts. Any member not able to participate in the scheduled workout, either at all or without significant modifications, should not attend practice.
• B.A.A. Running Club members must attend the practice for their designated training group.
• Practices may be cancelled at any time at the discretion of the B.A.A. coaching staff and/or administration. While the B.A.A. will make every attempt to provide timely notification of any practice cancellation, that is not always feasible. It is the responsibility of the B.A.A. Running Club member to stay informed of any practice cancellations or modifications.
• Decisions to change, cancel or modify a practice are at the discretion of the B.A.A. administration and/or coaches and the decisions are final. Members should always use their best judgment in determining whether or not to attend and/or participate in a practice.
• Use of practice facilities is not permitted if a practice has been cancelled or without the supervision of a B.A.A. administrator or coach.
• Transportation to and from practice, competition and club sponsored events, as well as any related issues are the responsibility of the individual B.A.A. Running Club Member; this includes, but is not limited to, parking (for vehicles and bicycles), any associated parking fees, and travel conditions.
• Travel to/from and participation in practice, competition and club sponsored events, is the responsibility of the participant. It is up to each individual to make his/her own decision as to whether or not s/he can safely attend and/or participate in these activities for reasons including, but not limited to weather, emergencies, injury, or illness.
• Members of the B.A.A. Running Club may not represent another USATF organization at USATF association and/or national competitions.
• The B.A.A. selects certain races each year for which the club will pay the entry fee for club members. It is expected that all members who request to be entered will compete. On occasions when illness, injury or other unforeseen circumstances prevent the athlete from competing, it is expected that s/he will notify the coach and/or club manager immediately, preferably no later than 24 hours prior to the race. Any club member deemed to be abusing the entry process by entering and failing to show up for races without notifying the coach or manager or who perpetually enters and fails to compete may be subject to monetary fines not to exceed the cost of entries. The club also reserves the right to refuse to enter individuals who repeatedly enter and fail to race.
Uniform:
All B.A.A. Running Club members are required to:
o compete in the uniform issued by the B.A.A..
o race in adidas footwear;
o wear the current club-issued uniform with no alterations or modifications. You are also required to wear adidas shoes, apparel and accessories exclusively for all competitions, including pre- and post-race. This includes hats/headwear, arm/calf warmers, compression socks, eyewear, etc. It is also required that you wear adidas in formal B.A.A. practice sessions and training runs.
B.A.A.Running Club Members may not:
• Wear apparel or footwear from a competing brand in any competition, award ceremonies and interviews. This includes but is not limited to undergarments that are visible beneath the uniform (i.e. tights, t-shirts), sleeves, compression or other socks, hats, or any other gear not expressly named but that may be visible.
• Embellish the uniform in any way; this includes sewing or taping items to the uniform, writing on it, iron-ons, patches, pins and anything else that is visible during competition, awards ceremonies and interviews.
• Have a logo from a competing sponsor visible on their person during competition, awards ceremonies, and interviews. This includes, writing, drawings, stickers, tattoos, etc.
Failure to Comply:
At the sole discretion of the club, a membership may be suspended or revoked at any time if, in the reasonable judgment of the club, a member fails to abide by the Membership Agreement or has otherwise behaved in a manner contrary to the best interest of the club or the club’s members.
The B.A.A. reserves the right to change or modify the Membership Agreement at any time with or without prior notice..
Holy crap. Sounds like the BAA is being run by lawyers on a power trip.
any Central Park Track Club members starting to sweat a little?
You guys act like this is the first group to ever do this. What good does sponsoring the BAA running club (forget about the marathon or other events they put on because those are only slightly related and could be/are sponsored separately) do for Adidas if everyone on the club is running in other brands gear? If everyone on the Adidas sponsored team is wearing Nike spikes, does that look good for Adidas? No
Last time I checked, everyone on the team voluntarily signed up to join and can leave the team any time they'd like.
do BAA members get free adidas gear? or just at a discount?
if it is free, then fine, make them wear it.
if the gear is 25% off...that's not such a great deal if you have to completely restock your running wardrobe.
loot wrote:
do BAA members get free adidas gear? or just at a discount?
if it is free, then fine, make them wear it.
if the gear is 25% off...that's not such a great deal if you have to completely restock your running wardrobe.
I agree. When selecting my college, one of my official visits was to a school sponsored by Adidas. If you are part of their team, you must always wear Adidas. The school did supply some clothing, shoes, but almost all my running clothes, and I have a lot of them, are Nike. I would not have been allowed to wear them even on training runs.
However, the more important issue for me involved shoes. I am prone to injury and finally found a training shoe that worked for me. I wear Mizunos to train and a Nike shoe for race day. Both of those would not have been allowed. So, I eliminated the school.
In other words, it is up to the runner to decide if they wish to abide by the Adidas rules or find another school, or in the case, club.
If you're talking about elite runners, people who will get noticed because they're among the first across the finish line and whose photos may turn up in the local newspeper or in the running magazines, I would say that you're right and adidas has every right to want them in their gear and shoes.
And most sponsored athletes are given free gear and shoes by their sponsor.
But if someone like me joins the BAA and finishes far enough back that spectators have lost interest and photographers have gone home, it seems a bit much for adidas to expect me to buy their shoes, discount or not. If I'm paying for my shoes I'm going to buy something I like. And I don't really see where adidas is going to get much publicity value out of having 40-50 minute 10k types in their gear.
A shoe deal was enough to eliminate a college from consideration?
I don't see what the deal is. BAA is moving in a direction that will create a top-tier training club. As a club does this, they have to tighten up the ship a bit and part of that involves new rules/uniform policy.
Perhaps there is also an element of membership-attrition at play. Imagine 40-min 10k'ers in an NOP kit... Imagine Rupp/Ritz/Farah racing in a pair of Saucony's while part of NOP...
Adidas is stepping up to the plate to help a running club take it up a notch. Isn't this the kind of action we've all been waiting/asking for...?? "Oh, wait, it comes with new rules...?" - you're living in a fantasy world if you don't think this is how the world works.
Anyone who's been part of a college team that had a shoe/kit-sponsored know the drill. And if you weren't, this is how it works.
seems to me the issue is that rec runners don't get anything from these deals.
At a university, we're talking elite athletes, so a shoe contract is appropriate. Seeing the Ducks all in Nike is a meaningful image. Seeing me run a 36 minute 10k...means nothing.
I'm on a sponsored team, but I don't get much out of the deal . The elitish people get free gear...I'm just in it for the camaraderie and some minor coaching.
I already pay $150 a year ni dues...if I had to spend another $500 restocking my clothes and shoes, I'd be pretty upset.
I think the sponsors pay some of our coaches, to be fair.
Except that:-There are other semi-elite teams in the area that do not have annual dues. (New Balance Boston women come to mind as a good example. Since were talking about BAA GENERAL membership rules/dues - not rules/dues for its ODP - the comparison seems valid.)-BAA members are NOT guaranteed auto-entry to the Boston Marathon anymore - a change that I believe came along with all these new rules, or perhaps had something to do with the increased 2014 field size.So the "low annual dues" argument isn't convincing, and the "auto-entry to the Boston Marathon" isn't accurate. Leaving only "the club hosts Boston" (not sure I see that as a particular "benefit" to individual members) and "fee waived" (I'm not even sure that's true, but perhaps it is.)
Business interest wrote:
adi Z wrote:i'd be joining a new club asap.
what a bunch of b.s.
if they were giving that stuff away, sure, but for a fun club for hobby joggers and weekend warriors?
insane.
________________________________________
Not insane.
BAA is the best club overall in the country.
Why? you ask.
I'll tell you why.
Annual dues are what? $75?
And guess who hosts the Boston Marathon?
And, guess who gets their fee waived, and auto-entry?
Dasss Riiight
$75, versus?? $175
True dat
no kidding wrote:
I agree. When selecting my college, one of my official visits was to a school sponsored by Adidas. If you are part of their team, you must always wear Adidas. The school did supply some clothing, shoes, but almost all my running clothes, and I have a lot of them, are Nike. I would not have been allowed to wear them even on training runs.
However, the more important issue for me involved shoes. I am prone to injury and finally found a training shoe that worked for me. I wear Mizunos to train and a Nike shoe for race day. Both of those would not have been allowed. So, I eliminated the school.
In other words, it is up to the runner to decide if they wish to abide by the Adidas rules or find another school, or in the case, club.
Did you consider that your injures may have been caused by something other than the shoes you wore?
[quote]sweat wrote:
Except that:
-There are other semi-elite teams in the area that do not have annual dues. (New Balance Boston women come to mind as a good example. Since were talking about BAA GENERAL membership rules/dues - not rules/dues for its ODP - the comparison seems valid.)[quote]
Not valid. Correct me if I'm wrong, NBB doesn't accept everyone to join the club.. BAA ODP (semi-elite AND new elite group that's being formed) doesn't pay annual dues.
yellot wrote:
seems to me the issue is that rec runners don't get anything from these deals.
At a university, we're talking elite athletes, so a shoe contract is appropriate. Seeing the Ducks all in Nike is a meaningful image. Seeing me run a 36 minute 10k...means nothing.
I'm on a sponsored team, but I don't get much out of the deal . The elitish people get free gear...I'm just in it for the camaraderie and some minor coaching.
I already pay $150 a year ni dues...if I had to spend another $500 restocking my clothes and shoes, I'd be pretty upset.
I think the sponsors pay some of our coaches, to be fair.
There are plenty of other Boston-based clubs that can absorb the BAA's disenfranchised rec-runners.
Is part of this a strategy of membership-attrition??
HRE wrote:
If you're talking about elite runners, people who will get noticed because they're among the first across the finish line and whose photos may turn up in the local newspeper or in the running magazines, I would say that you're right and adidas has every right to want them in their gear and shoes.
And most sponsored athletes are given free gear and shoes by their sponsor.
But if someone like me joins the BAA and finishes far enough back that spectators have lost interest and photographers have gone home, it seems a bit much for adidas to expect me to buy their shoes, discount or not. If I'm paying for my shoes I'm going to buy something I like. And I don't really see where adidas is going to get much publicity value out of having 40-50 minute 10k types in their gear.
I agree. I'm certainly not fast enough to be noticed so I would not go through great lengths to be decked head to toe in someone's gear that I had to buy.
I suspect they will lose some of the slower types that won't want to buy new gear just to run a few races. OR, I guess they could just NOT race.
The real travesty here is that Mr. Crudale is allowed on the BAA team. Considering his past, I think a little bit less of the brand whenever I see him racing in the yellow and blue..
joho wrote:
HRE wrote:If you're talking about elite runners, people who will get noticed because they're among the first across the finish line and whose photos may turn up in the local newspeper or in the running magazines, I would say that you're right and adidas has every right to want them in their gear and shoes.
And most sponsored athletes are given free gear and shoes by their sponsor.
But if someone like me joins the BAA and finishes far enough back that spectators have lost interest and photographers have gone home, it seems a bit much for adidas to expect me to buy their shoes, discount or not. If I'm paying for my shoes I'm going to buy something I like. And I don't really see where adidas is going to get much publicity value out of having 40-50 minute 10k types in their gear.
I agree. I'm certainly not fast enough to be noticed so I would not go through great lengths to be decked head to toe in someone's gear that I had to buy.
I suspect they will lose some of the slower types that won't want to buy new gear just to run a few races. OR, I guess they could just NOT race.
It is also required that you wear adidas in formal B.A.A. practice sessions and training runs.
krispy kremlin wrote:
There are plenty of other Boston-based clubs that can absorb the BAA's disenfranchised rec-runners.
Is part of this a strategy of membership-attrition??
Looks to me like the heads of this BAA and Adidas are in bed together at the expense of the runners who they will throw a few crumbs to.
Kind of like the stock market