Adidas investigation: How do they treat their athletes?

This interview I got with an athlete who is in the line up for the London 2012 Olympic games. I rang her up and this is the original transcript of the telephone interview we had. Due to the nature of certain material she disclosed to me I have decided to omit her real name and provide a pseudonym within the interview. However, all words expressed here are true and have not been edited for the nature of the research.

An interview with an athlete.

Please note, a pseudonym name has been used to protect the confidentiality of the interviewee.

So Ann, how are you, how have you been keeping in the run up to the Olympics? It’s not long to go now do you feel prepared for it all?

Heya, yeah I'm really good ta, I feel as ready as I will ever be, I have been out training everyday and am really focused. It has come up really soon I cant believe it, but my body is in shape and I have had no injuries so feel strong and prepared to go out there and run my best.

That’s good to hear, the country is behind you and supporting your every step.

That means a lot; I don’t what I would do without the help and support of all my friends and family. My team is great as well; we help each other through everything. You kind of have to get on as you basically are with each other all the time. They become like a second family to you and you talk with everyone about any thing that is ever on your mind, you have a bond and a trust with each individual.

How do you fit it all in, as I know you have to do promotional campaigns for your sponsor ‘Adidas’ as well?

Yeah it is a lot. I do photo shoots or ad campaigns with them all the time. But its mainly just being recorded when running which is what I love to do so doesn’t bother me too much. Spend all day running in time with a metronome sound so they can splice one seconds worth of material of your shoe or something into an advert. But its fun and without them I wouldn’t be where I am today so in a way, its part of my job.

Are you thankful to have a sponsor? I know for some people it takes years to get even a minor one and you landed quite quickly with a major contract?

Oh my without having a sponsor I would still be running round my town on the odd day and at my running club some evenings. They have been sponsoring me for some time now and its because of them I am where I am today, they turned me into a professional athlete. I feel sorry for some people who have to pull out of their dream due to a lack of funding and support. I don’t know what I would do if that were me, I am very lucky.

Does it not have its downsides though? Your contract must have a lot of stipulations, which may sometimes get on your nerves?

Well yeah, of course it does. One thing that is really annoying is my clothing deal. I am lucky ‘Adidas’ provided me with loads of top of the range training gear and running clothes and shoes, the lot to be honest. But part of the deal is I have to wear at least one clearly branded thing of there’s every day. That’s a pain as even when I'm having my relax days I still have to abide by that. At the end of the day though, they keep me in my job, its part of life. Quite a lot of the time I make sure I always am wearing my ‘Adidas’ watch, that way I am still tying to my contract.

Have you known people who have been dropped from their deal due to breaking their contract?

I don’t know anyone personally who has been dropped. I did know of this one girl when I was breaking into the professional ranks that had a massive fine. She was like me, just starting to make a name for herself, bagged a similar ‘Adidas’ deal as me but two months into her three year contract she was competing in warm up trails, basically just friendly competition to see who you may be up against in nationals. Well, she turned up to these, not only not wearing ‘Adidas’ but also actually wearing a completely different brand. Naturally you can’t do that, especially at high-level events, apparently the company called her in a few days later and sued her for thousands. I felt so bad for her, they didn’t drop her but she couldn’t afford to live her dream of athletics and pay them back for breaking her contract. So she stopped it all, went to work as a receptionist or something and is still paying them now. Moral of the story, don’t break your contract…

Oh my god that is horrible! So what she doesn’t run anymore?

She runs in a local club but she doesn’t want to train up to a national standard again, I think it has put her off competitive sports completely. It’s a shame as she could have really been something.

Does that not scare you that the same could happen to you?

That’s why I am always so careful with it. These companies will have people watching you all the time. They are paying for you; they don’t want to see you are ruining their good nature by going out on the piss every night, or promoting their oppositional brands. You will be sending out the completely wrong message to what they want. It is scary, this sport is a cutthroat world, and you have to play on the right side if you want to survive.

So what exactly are your contract terms? What stuff does you gave to do for ‘Adidas’?

Well mainly just wear their clothing and branding, when training, when competing, when out and about in general. It just shows if people see you they associate your success with that brand. I cant go out drinking, I miss the day of being drunk at 3am, but to be honest, I am serious about my sport so the no drinking has made massive improvements on my fitness anyway. If people ask me what running shoes I would recommend or fitness bras I use etc I have to always say ‘Adidas’. I hate that rule though as I have some really nice fitness gear from other companies, which I actually prefer but I cant ever, say…

Is the pay good from these deals? I bet some really top athletes get a massive sum of cash every month from their sponsorship deals.

Oah definitely, I am happy with what I get, I never have to buy any sports kit at all as they send me new clothes every week to try and promote and use. So that has saved me thousands, you wont believe how many running shoes I have in my room; some have barely even been used! I get a basic pay for the contract I am on and then additional money if I am used in their adverts and campaigns. What I get though is nothing to others. My mates deal is incredible, she gets holidays, meals out, hair and make up done weekly, not just running clothes but designer labels too for if she is out at an award show or something posh like that. But it becomes a dream and a goal, I want to improve my self as an athlete, so I can work up towards a massive high profile sponsorship deal.

What message would you have to those just starting out in the professional circuit with sponsors hounding them?

Its easy, ask your parents, they are the only ones who really know you and know what you can cope with, some deals are so pressurised it can destroy you. Get them too look at the small print, every page of the contract and no matter how tempting it may sound, just wait and never rush into anything.

Ann, thank you for taking some time out of your schedule to talk to me. We all wish you every success in your training and good luck for London 2012 and future events.