Page 10-Friday, September 25, 1981-The Michigan Daily
Runni:
n'I
for.
money:
Amateurs and
pros faring well
A
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31
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By SARAH SHERBER
The thought of an athlete earning
over$100,000 a year does not seem
unreasonable. In fact, that figure ap-
pears somewhat modest compared to
the million-dollar-a-year contracts
which professionals like 'Earvin John-
son and Dave Winfield work for.
But what if the sport is track, and the
participant is supposed to be an
amateur? The thought of a non-
professional earning so much money
seems far-fetched, almost im-
possible-but it does happen..
ACCORDING TO Peter Cava, a
spokesman for The Athletic Congress
(TAC), the governing body for amateur
track and field participants in the U.S.,
a runner is allowed to receive money
from a meet and still retain his or her
amateur status, as long as the athlete is
not paid for running in the race itself.
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This enables sponsors to pay top per-
formers fees in the range of $5,000 if the
athlete agrees to hold clinics (usually
lasting a half-hour or so) or serve as a
"meet director."
Michigan cross country coach Ron
Warhurst says that there is another
way to lure the big name tracksters to a
race-by paying the athlete "under the
table."
GREG MEYER, a former
Wolverine harrier still being coached
by Warhurst, explained how a person
could accept money for competing in a
race without forfeiting his or her
eligibility: "As long as the person,
claims the money on their income tax
records, there is nothing anyone can do
about it," he said.
"TAC does not have investigative
personnel like the NCAA," reported
Cava. "If I suspect any athlete (of
illegal actions), there Is not much I can
I £ai * * I' 140
do until I get proof.
"Your income taxes are private;
unless you have a court order, a
Federal court order," there would be no
way to tell if an athlete received money,
explained Cava.-
MEYER AND 11 other runners have
simplified, TAC's job by openly accep-
- ting prize money. Meyer won the
Cascade Run Off in Portland, Oregon
this past summer and took home.
$10,000. On October 5, TAC will almost
certainly announce that his amateur
status is revoked.
The Michigan graduate does not
seem upset by the prospect of losing his
status, though. In fact, Meyer seems
content at being a professional.
"I don't think it's fair that a big-name
runner can be out of shape and receive
money for just running in a meet, while
a new guy right out of college wins and
just gets a trophy," explained Meyer.
The act of turning professional has
some advantages in and of itself. Ac-
cording to Warhurst, a road racer can
make up to $75,000 or even $100,000
legitimately.
WHILE MEYER agreed that, for the
right people, professional road-racing
could be very lucrative, he also believes
that, through shoe contracts and illicit
funds "an amateur can (also) make
that much."
At least one amateur agrees. Mike
McGuire, an up-and-coming runner,
said that "(Bill) Rogers makes well in
excess of $100,000 a year."
Rogers
... running into money
PUBLIC
SKATING
STARTING SEPT.4
Monday-Friday
12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
STARTING OCT. 3
Saturday & Sunday
12:30 to 2:15 p.m.
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Thursday
8:00 to 10:00 p.m.
SKATE SHARPENING
AND RENTAL AVAILABLE
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1016 S. State St.
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(located just south of Packard)
Palmer hurls Bid
past Yankees, 5=1
NEW YORK (AP)- Jim starter Odell Jones, 4-4, beyond
Palmer pitched a four-hitter and the right field fence. The hit
Rich Dauer slugged his fourth boosted Lee's batting average to
homer of the season to lead the .400.
Baltimore Orioles to a 5-1 victory Montreal added another run in
over the New York Yankees. last the fifth as Warren Cromartie,
night. who had four hits and scored
Palmer, 7-8, who pitched his fif- three runs, followed Lee's homer
th complete game of the season, with a double, moved to third on
pushed his career mark against an infield out and scored one out w
the Yankees to 27-15. later on Andre Dawson's a
DAUER smacked a two-run sacrifice fly.
homer in the fifth after Rick Indians 5, Red Sox 2<
Dempsey opened the inning with
a walk. BOSTON (AP) - Mike
The Orioles scored two unear- Hargrove and Toby Harrah
ned runs, one in the first and one drilled three hits apiece and
in the third, keyed a three-run seventh inning
In the first inning, Dauer last night as the Cleveland In- ~>
walked, went to second on a wild dians rallied for a 5-2 victory over
pitch and scored on Eddie the Boston Red Sox.
Murray 's single and left fielder In handing the Red Sox only
Dave Winfield's throwing error. their third loss in the last 11
Yankees starter Ron Guidry games, the Indians foiled
11-4, left -the game after the' "Boston's bid to move into a first- }
second inning after being hit by place tie with idle Detroit in the
Ken Singleton's line drive. The American League East.
left-hander bruised the first twow
toes on his left foot and was AL East
replaced by rookie Andy McGaf- A E
figan. W L
Expos 7, Pirates 1 Detroit ......... 26 17 -
Boston ......... 25 18 1
MONTREAL (AP)- Bill Lee Milwaukee ..... 25 19 1/2
hit his second career home run Baltimore ...... 23 19 2/Z
and limited Pittsburgh to six hits New York ...... 22 21 4
over 7 2-3 innings, and Gary Car- Cleveland 21 23 5/2
ter drove in three runs as the
Montreal Expos defeated the Toronto ........ 19 21 51/2
Pirates 7-1 last night for their fif- Today's games
th straight victory. Milwaukee at Detroit
The Expos, who lead the Cleveland at Boston.
National League East, held a 1-0 Baltinore at New York
margin when Lee led off the fifth Baltimo at New ork
inning by belting a 3-1 pitch from Toronto at California
saamasseasWe're Saneious
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Ali-
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i Like Meyer, marathoner Rogers has
added his support to the Association of
Road Racing Athletes (ARRA), an
organization which is trying to gain a
stronger voice in road racing.
IN M cGUIRE'S opinion, "The ARRA
doesn't pack the clout that they seem to
have. So many people are wavering. I
think that Greg Meyer is the only one
who is really into it. Bill Rodgers is
pushing for it, but he's pushing for him-
self, too."
There has been some progress made
in favor of the professional trackster
TAC recently announced that the Inter-
national Amateur Athletic Federation,
the worldwide governing body for
amateur athletes, gave the United
States permission to discontinue the use
of the "contamination rule," which
stated that any amateur athlete who
knowingly participates in a race with a
professional automatically losesa
amateur status.
"I think the time is definitely right for
the open system," said McGuire about
the recent ruling. "The TAC and IAAF
(are) backing down."
Regardless of the upcoming ruling by
TAC on Meyer's eligibility, amateur
athletes will continue to run in
professional competitions which offer
prize money. Meyer plans to run next in
the Boston Freedom Trail-ironically,
the meet is being held on October 4, the
day before TAC makes a final decision
on his status.
GRIDDE PICKS
First there were "girlie" calendars,
in which voluptuous co-eds wore only
their smiles. Now we are about to see
thinly clad Michigan men spread
across each month of the year. What
could possibly be next?
How about Shirley Temple posing
nude with the sailors of the Good Ship
Lollypop on the cover of this week's
football program?
However, none of these cheap thrills
could ever compare with that
exhilarating feeling one gets after win-
ning the Griddes. If you want the chan-
ce to experience that feeling, as well as
the taste of a free one-item pizza from
Pizza Bob's, just drop off your picks at
the Daily (420 Maynard) before mid-
night tonight. An extra incentive: The
winner gets the opportunity to test his
gridiron predicting against the Daily
football staff experts.
1. Navy at MICHIGAN (pick score)
2. Indiana at Syracuse
3. Bowling Green at Michigan State
4.UCLA at Iowa
5. Ohio State at Stanford
6. Notre Dame at Purdue
7. Utah at Northwestern
8. Miami (Fla.) at Texas
9. Penn State at Nebraska
10. Florida at Mississippi State
11. Oklahoma at USC
12. Maryland at North Carolina State
13. South Carolina at Georgia
14. Auburn at Tennessee
15. Kentucky at Kansas
16. Idaho at Hawaii
17. Holy Cross at Harvard
18. California State at Slippery Rock
19. Humboldt State at Occidental
20. DAILY LIBELS at Edmund Fitzgerald
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