Jamaica should get some of the US$2.7 million

[Jangle]

The big question is what is in place to benefit Jamaican athletes who are contributing to revenues generated for the United States of America? Each year more than 40,000 Jamaicans from the Diaspora travel to the Penn Relays mainly to watch the student athletes from Jamaica who starred at Champs and usually go on to perform outstandingly at the relays. It is at the Penn Relays that I met Christianna Williams, who ran a brilliant leg for Edwin Allen High School in one of the relays. She now trains with Stephen Francis of MVP and should be one of our new representatives at the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympics. I also met the outstanding hurdler Megan Simmonds at the Penn Relays. They and other student-athletes from Jamaica have contributed to the reported $US2.7 million generated yearly by the Penn Relays. If the USA is to institute a trust fund for student-athletes who contribute to revenue for schools and cities, then Jamaica should explore the O'Bannon ruling to ensure Jamaican students benefit from the largesse that these students generate for Penn Relays yearly. Ambassador Stephen Vascianne and Bancroft Gordon, vice-president and senior counsel at Marriott who understand the running of these relays by being present there yearly, must be advocates.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...elays_18776552

[Sir X]

I was going to make said post ,i will later

[Sir X]

The Penn rip off, 99 % of the attendants , the least 97 % being Jamaican , with total attendance over the duration of the festival being 110,000 this season , at the lowest charge of $30 a head we are talking, thats $3,300,000 million in ticket sales and we arent talking T.V and internet rights, its now a staple on NBC on prime time .




Its time we move with direct action to right this injustce , a path of boycott, let NBC explain to its viewers why there is no USA vs Jamaica (the world) , why our nationals stay away , why their $3.3 million and T.V and internet rights have dried up.Penn doesnt want that negative media attention , in means loss in revenue.Thats what they look at.

We as a nation have always argued from a position of weakness(beggars) , its time we stop , believe it we are shareholders in Penns

* T.V rights
*Internet rights
*Attendance Rights

Which is at least $3.3 million in attendance alone and this season was a watered down festival in terms of attendance, we need strong leadership to lead the way in setting this wrong, right!

Jamaica should be demanding $ 300K a year is chump change to set it right, thats is for appearnce fee,food and lodging and our continous reinvestment into our poduct that makes it way to Penn.


That said, Jamaica doesnt need Penns except for nostalgic reason for the immigrant community that need that feel good vibe of revisting champs because they cant trek it home.

As a business venture its an expense that we dont need, Champs is giving our youngster all the exposure it needs to source scholarships and contracts , the cost to travel to Penns, just isnt worth it , to our schools.

Boycott.

[Stonigut]

Bwai unnu man is something else. If it was your business and some of you customers start talk bout 'ah wi bring yuh profit, you shoulda share the profit' how much bad wud and fussing woulda GWAN.

Start yuh own a simting and stop look pon other man ting, if yuh have weight and gravitas then go negotiate an start a new tradition, a new meet in the northeast, it is easy to start but hard to sustain and that s where we get into trouble, cassa cassa and bad mind ruin everything.

If people not happy then pull out ah Penns and pull support and then yuh have a negotiation card but that would be the ultimate in bad faith and bad vibes. Start something or say nothing.

[Islandman]

Who is "Jamaica" in this context exactly, that is going to negotiate with the PIAA? Who gets the money?

The government? ISSA? JAAA? Who? When you define that I will state an opinion.

I don't quite understand the "ripoff" description either. They have a meet, you participate or you don't, you attend or you don't. Where is the ripoff? The act of not sharing your profit to some undefined entity?

Seems to me that the original article was more about making sure Jamaican athletes in the NCAA get equal treatment.That is a clearly defined government role.

[Islandman]

Well Stoni I don't think Jamaican track and field has to threaten to pull out to benefit more from Penn. Wouldn't the JAAA already be getting something from participating in the international races though? I would think so.

Also, do you think there any chance of transforming a meet like Gibson into an international school meet? I know in the past some non-Jamaican schools have attended but it has never been more than one or two at a time.

[Sir X]

The largest portion of the monies generated from sponsorships is used to help defray the expenses of the many college teams which annually attend the Relays. The number of schools from distant parts of the United States made a dramatic rise under Baker, and interest in the Relays rose as well, with Saturday crowds averaging 40,000 for the eight years of Baker’s tenure. The scope of the meet also increased, with college women’s and high school girls’ championships having been brought to parity with the championships offered their male counterparts, and the number of contestants also increased.


http://www.thepennrelays.com/ViewArt...ATCLID=1403812


leggo di money,our influence is undeniable,we need the money,penn can help,if part of the product is suffering all of it will,its upto the chef penn to rectify it and the sufferer have all right to demnd allievation.We are not begging them anything and we owe them nothing.As for who should negotiate thats a different issue, i have laid out a grouse that should be addressed.

[Stonigut]

On the second question, yes absolutely.

But the best chance to do something with US impact is not just bringing teams to Ja, that is somewhat limited in my mind, the best shot is teaming with University of Miami, university of a Florida or FSU and starting a combined meet with a split in proceeds, it would start as an invitational for best of Florida, best of southeast high schools and colleges with all the key yard schools pulling from Penns and coming to this meet, the added advantage is the more than five hundred thousand Jamaicans in Florida and this meet could also get the cream of the crop schools and colleges from Columbia, Venezuela, panama, it could become a true championship of the America held in the capital of the Americas, Miami or anywhere within a five hour drive of Miami. Really get the Dominicans, Cubans, floridians involved you may need a 100k stadium to stage this in a few years.

I would get the Gibson planning/execution team to do this.

Of course our greatest weakness is effective planning and teamwork with others, so as soon as a little money come in, pure cassa cassa.

[Sir X]

Sounds good Stoni

[Stonigut]

Yeah, the more I think of it, I think it would be a great fit and very doable.

Last weekend in April.

[Sir X]

or a summer thing ,$$$$$

[Stonigut]

Too far out of season for the youths to be on them game, four weeks after champs, two to three weeks after Carifta would be perfect. American youths and Latin American youths still in school as well, so they should be near their peak as well.

[Islandman]

Sounds interesting. As you say getting to there from here is no simple task. You would have to get 3 or 4 of the top JA teams on board to launch. Maybe a switch would not be necessary at first, meaning they could do Penn as well.

We talking 50 years of Penn tradition to overcome, it was not an overnight thing.

[Sir X]

Yuh think,money talks but the sticking point is will power ,and thats where we fail,habitually.

[Stonigut]

Yes, however it seems many people are going crazy about how their spend is not being recognized. When you don't own the stuff is either shut up or put up.
Issa knows the deal and can make the decision is either pennies on the dollar or the chance at quarters on the dollar.

You actually have a great shot of increasing revenue and reducing cost over the long run.