Monthly Archives January 2017

The Indiana Minority Business Magazine (IMBM), which is published quarterly by the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, will recognize 13 individuals, organizations and institutions that have demonstrated tremendous effort in the areas of diversity and inclusion.

The 12th class of Champions of Diversity includes pioneers in the areas of education, medicine, law, entertainment, business, finance and more, who have dedicated their careers to creating a more inclusive Indiana.

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When former Nascar executive Max Siegel took over the U.S. track and field’s not-for-profit governing body in 2012, it was reeling from steroid scandals, an underperforming national team, and stagnant sponsorship. But in the past year, he has overseen an aggressive turnaround (including an estimated $500 million, 23-year commitment from Nike—one of the longest and most valuable sponsorships in all of sports). “Few people who aren’t involved in the sport know all the events we sanction: nearly 7,800 a year,” says Siegel. “We want to tell our story and reinforce that we have the top athletes in the world.” Here are a few of his initiatives:

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At this moment, 129 American track and field athletes are settling into their living quarters in Rio de Janeiro as part of the 555-person strong Team U.S.A. They are getting acclimated to the weather and training daily, using every last minute to prepare physically and mentally for one of the most important events of their lives. But behind the scenes, Max Siegel has been planning this moment for years.

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USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel is staring at his organization’s biggest growth opportunity—and deepest potential pitfall.

The results of next month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will directly affect the funding USATF gets from the U.S. Olympic Committee and will play a big part in the number and size of sponsor deals Siegel will be able to sign until the next Olympics.

“The pressure on the administrators of these national sports-governing bodies during the Olympics is tremendous,” said Dale Neuburger, former president of USA Swimming and of the Indiana Sports Corp. “Not only are the Olympics the one chance they have for their athletes and sport to be in the national and global spotlight, but they also have to live up to the high-performance plan the USOC requires them to file. That’s what determines funding.”

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Wayne Coffey, Special for USA TODAY SportsPublished 5:25 p.m. ET June 6, 2016 | Updated 1:30 a.m. ET June 9, 2016

Over the doorway of his office in the downtown Indianapolis headquarters of USA Track & Field, Max Siegel has a wooden plank with three words written on it:

Nothing Is Impossible.

It is much more a world view than a random decorative item, said Siegel, the federation’s CEO and a man with as daunting a job as there is in the Olympic orbit.

“If you come into my office and say, ‘We can’t do it,’ I’ll kick you right out,” Siegel told USA TODAY Sports. “I hate negativity.”

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