Part 4: What Can Be Done

Here's the sad part of the story.

I don't think there's anything that can be done.

In theory, the goal would be to email/call/accost your USA-U board member, urge them to not let the change happen, and if they don't promise to fight the change/vote against it vote them out of office and put in someone that would vote against it.

This strategy is all but impossible though.

For starters, within the past two years, the way the board was elected was changed. It used to be that all spots were electable, now, several spots are appointed and still more are only open to voting by a small minority of the players. This was done on purpose of course.

Secondly, Mike Payne is extremely wealthy, extremely entrenched, elected as president of the board, and would win any election. He is also behind Tom Crawford more than 100%. I think you couldn't oust him if you tried.

Third, Tom Crawford is polished. Some of you may not be old enough to remember tournament directors and the USA-U of old. People used to say, "man if the people in boulder only got their shit halfway together..."

Their shit is halfway together. The messaging is polished, the corporate sponsors are in tow. Everything looks right from the outside, even as USA-U feels like a soul-less corporation more than a warm non-profit.

Read anything Tom writes. It reads like perfect corporate middle-manager speak.

Read that article

http://ultiworld.com/2013/08/23/usa-ultimate-to-gradually-push-club-series-into-summer/

We know who the winners are: ESPN, customers, sponsors, as Tom's budget comes increasingly from sponsorship and away from the players themselves, that's who the game is catering to. The sponsors.

Look at the name!

It's no longer the player's association. The players don't even elect all of the board anymore.


You can vote with your feet, and some people will, but not enough to make a difference. There's no money to be made at sectionals. The corporate money comes at nationals.


USA-Ultimate has decided to chase sponsorship dollars, and to simultaneously crush AUDL and MLU if it can. It has done this at the expense of hundreds of club teams around the country.

They know they can get away with this.

The players that remember most how it used to be, are for the most part not stakeholders. I'm 33. I'm fat at 5'11 190 lbs, my knees always hurt, and I'm at the end of my career. I'm not running for the board.

These changes don't affect me, they don't effect most of my peers, many of whom retired long before me (I was the oldest player on my mixed club team in 2012 and 2013).

Some younger players probably didn't see the dozen baby steps that were taken for this masterstroke to happen, they simply didnt have the perspective. And most of the older ones.... well they are chasing other pursuits or raising families.

I don't know what to tell you, other than I'm sorry that this is happening to every 22 year old player out there. I'm sorry you won't get to enjoy club ultimate how I did.

Best Wishes,
Dan