Word: tracked
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...changes hands -and that the need for such an exchange exists in a country that has not subsidized the training of athletes after their school years-is an open and conveniently ignored secret. With 20,000 spectators looking on, an American runner stood on the victory stand after a track meet in Europe and received a medal and an envelope. The envelope contained a cash "appearance fee"-remuneration for showing up to compete in the event-and the provider was a member of the host country's amateur federation. An American track-meet promoter, anxious to lure...
World-class milers, the heroes of track's glamour event, have for years been among the best-paid amateurs. Few have pulled on their running shoes for less than $1,000. Pole vaulters have been paid bonuses of $100 for every inch they soar over 17 ft. 6 in., a height easily within the range of top performers; the world record is 18 ft. 8¼ in., and the vaulters can pick up a tidy sum before the going gets serious. One former Olympic medalist once hinted to a shoe manufacturer that he wanted...
...supporting themselves. Says one former Olympian: "Worldclass athletes would not be world-class athletes without taking money. They would never be able to afford the proper training and diet." Unlike Communist countries and many Third World nations-where athletes are virtual wards of the state-American and Western European track and field stars receive no direct support beyond their college years. Says Ted Haydon, University of Chicago Track Club coach: "U.S. athletes are pretty much destitute, dependent on handouts from track-shoe companies. They think it's a great thing to get a pair of shoes or a sweatsuit...
...cash, who's going to trace it? I never used to deposit the money in a checking account. I always put it in safe-deposit boxes because of the IRS. I always paid cash for everything." Another athlete admits that he did not file tax returns on his track earnings. Says he: "I felt the AAU would find out that I was paying income tax on money I shouldn't have had in the first place and would try to nail me. I didn't know how to pay taxes without jeopardizing my track career...
...investigation against Stones has the amateurs sprinting to tax lawyers. From them, some of the athletes have discovered for the first time that IRS records are confidential and not available to rival promoters or amateur officials. Says one track man, now suddenly wiser: "The IRS doesn't care about amateurism; they just want their cut. I'm going to file from now on." Haydon agrees. "It's not a good idea to hide money from the IRS," he says. "The underworld figured that out a long time...