★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★
★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★
≡ INTEL REPORT ≡
“U.S. Figure Skating announces that Tracy Marek, CEO, has resigned to pursue new opportunities. The Board of Directors thank Marek and wish her well in her new endeavors. The Board has full confidence in the current staff and is working diligently to determine the best path forward for future leadership.”
That was from a Friday announcement by U.S. Figure Skating, with Marek having taken the position in December 2022, coming from 19 years with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, where she was executive vice president and chief marketing officer. She essentially replaced David Raith, who had been Executive Director from August 2005 to June 2021, when he left over health concerns; there was an interim director until Marek was hired.
U.S. Figure Skating is the third National Governing Body in the market for a new chief executive, as US Sailing and USA Swimming are both looking for new executive leadership:
● US Sailing announced on 23 August:
“Chief Executive Officer Alan Ostfield, who has been instrumental in driving the organization’s recent transformation, will step down from his role and transition to an advisory position for the Association.”
Ostfield joined US Sailing in April 2021, after prior chief Jack Gierhart left in November 2020. Gierhart had been with US Sailing since 2010 and had been the acting Executive Director since 2010 and Executive Director since February 2011.
US Sailing has gone through a turbulent period, with complaints about fund-raising, governance and the performance of the national team.
● USA Swimming posted on 29 August:
“USA Swimming Board of Directors today announces that Chief Executive Officer and President Tim Hinchey will be leaving USA Swimming to pursue other opportunities.”
Hinchey joined USA Swimming in July 2017, after six highly-successful years as president of Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids franchise. He replaced Chuck Wielgus, who died in April 2017 after becoming USA Swimming’s Executive Director in 1997.
Shana Ferguson was named as Interim CEO, after being elevated to Chief Operating Officer in late July, from her position as Chief Commercial Officer for five years, leading efforts in sales, sponsorships, marketing, communications, productions and creative.
And there are more post-Paris changes at the U.S. NGBs:
● USA Volleyball saw chief exec Jamie Davis announce in March 2024 that he would not renew his contract, after serving as CEO since 2017. He replaced Doug Beal, who had been the USAV chief executive for 12 years from 2005 to 2 January 2017.
UCLA head coach John Speraw, also the coach of the U.S. men’s national team since 2013 was named as the new President and Chief Executive of USA Volleyball, beginning on 1 October.
● USA Water Polo, interestingly, hired Davis as chief executive beginning 1 October, following the retirement of Chris Ramsey, at the end of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Ramsey had been in charge of USAWP from November 2006, to 2024, with the federation membership more than doubling under his tenure, to more than 50,000.
And then there is USA Badminton, whose chief executive, two-time Olympian Linda French, was suspended for five years in January 2024, by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, after being hired as Interim CEO in July 2019 and appointed as chief executive in April 2021. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has now filed a complaint against USA Badminton to de-certify it as a National Governing Body, a process which involves a hearing and will take some months.
She replaced Jeff Dyrek, appointed in November 2016, who replaced 17-year chief executive Dan Cloppas, who retired in 2016.
These six federations are this year’s turnover (so far), following changes at USA Fencing in 2022 (Phil Andrews), USA Weightlifting in 2022 (Matt Sicchio replaced Andrews), and, of course, USA Gymnastics, which went through multiple chief executives during the Nassar abuse scandal, but has settled down since Li Li Leung was installed in February 2019.
Observed: Notice a pattern here? In short, it’s getting harder and harder to run a U.S. National Governing Body.
The days of having the same person in charge for decades appears to be mostly over, as worries over funding, facilities, inflation, medal prospects and performance and communications to multiple levels of athletes, coaches and officials from grass-roots to elite continue to get more complex.
There are exceptions. The dean of U.S. NGB chiefs is likely USA Wrestling’s Rich Bender, who was named as acting Executive Director in November 2000 and full-time chief executive in February 2001. His federation recently set an all-time membership record of more than 300,000 members in March of this year.
He’s a success story, but other U.S. National Governing Bodies are now looking ahead, with the rare circumstance of a home Olympic Games coming in 2028, to Los Angeles.
The LA28 organizing committee is focused on putting the 2028 Games together and has already signaled that it has very modest interest in doing test events prior to 2028 – Chair Casey Wasserman said in June, “I think in most cases, test events are a thing of the past” – and that the venues to be used for track & field and swimming will not be available for U.S. Olympic Trials use as they will be under construction.
So, U.S. NGBs are going to be working with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee to promote their sports mostly outside of Los Angeles on the road to 2028. And if they are not successful, look for the merry-go-round to spin even faster in October 2028.
¶
★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 885-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024, 2025 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!