America loses an Olympian: Jakob Fak heads to Canada

Honestly, just lend him 100,000 bucks—anything to stop his career from hitting the stratosphere before he's ready!

ambersailor51 said:Give me a break. Janica and Ivica raked in millions from sponsors like big-shot corporate moguls, and in return, they were basically kissing their feet—those same moguls who import hundreds of millions worth of goods annually from overseas... whatever. And even if they were starving, they wouldn't have even thought about competing under another flag, because their old man is an even harder right-winger.

Don't talk nonsense. You could try actually providing some substance to your claims, especially when you're making accusations about people sucking up to corporations. I don't recall seeing Agrico as some massive primary sponsor for the Kostelić family, and frankly, I doubt what any domestic mogul could offer compared to the support coming from the likes of Austria, Germany, or Switzerland, not to mention all the other skiing powerhouses out there.
It seems some people possess a certain something, while others clearly lack it altogether. I'm talking about pride—that sense of national pride that isn't just sitting there waiting to be sold off to the highest bidder.

Interesting enough... in pretty much every sport, there’s this concept called compensation.
But the folks over in Minneapolis won't even cough up a symbolic settlement. (And let’s be real, $100,000 is basically pocket change at this point).
Now Jacob is out here claiming our federation is the one in the wrong.
Talk about a total flip of the script—it should be obvious that the ones dodging the payout are the guilty ones. But apparently, in his world, those Americans and his coach are completely blameless.
It's clear Jacob has become more "American" than the Americans themselves.

Oh, wait... I just thought of another option for Jacob, besides just walking away from the sport entirely.
Listen, Mr. Jacob, you don't actually have to retire; you can still represent the US...

...unless, of course, wearing the stars and stripes is so repulsive and humiliating to him that he'd rather just quit. It's unbelievable... truly unbelievable.
And the nerve of this guy, showing up right in the middle of New York City with his foreign coach and spouting this nonsense.

Look, if you've actually got any guts left, why don't you hold a press conference in Minneapolis and tear into the USA Biathlon Association for refusing to pay what they owe?

From what I managed to gather from reading HBS, they aren't actually suing for damages because they invested money in Jacob; it’s more about the fact that they're losing out on all those sponsorship deals they could have locked in once Jacob started bringing home medals. Basically, they're admitting that their investment in Jacob was essentially a wash, and that any American biathlon medals won were really just the result of Jacob and the Slovenacs.

I don't really get how this whole residency status thing works—does it mean every single sports federation has the right to demand compensation whenever an athlete wants to switch national teams?

Just imagine if the Swiss had gone after them for Petrić and Rakitić, or if Germany had sued for Kovač, Klasnić, and the rest, or even if Australia had tried it with Joe and Didulica...

To me, it feels like nothing more than pure extortion (not to mention it’s just a way to make life miserable for them), mostly because they can drag their feet forever when it comes to issuing a release certificate—though I'm not even entirely sure if they actually have the legal standing to deny one in the first place 🤷)

If people are actually willing to ruin someone's career and derail their entire athletic journey over this kind of nonsense, then guys like Mateš, Čop, and that clown from HBS are honestly just a complete joke...

ambercobra28 said:From what I gathered reading the HBS report—and they aren't actually suing for damages just because they dumped money into Fak—it's more about the lost sponsorship deals. Apparently, those opportunities just evaporated because of what happened after Fak grabbed those medals. So, if you look at it that way, they’re basically admitting their investment in Fak was pretty much a wash, and that any American biathlon success really came down to Fak and the guys from the USA Biathlon Association.

exactly

The guys on our side can't even get Fak the decent training sessions he needs because those John types have basically blackmailed them to keep him all to themselves. All the funding for the training is already locked in by sponsors and the national federation, so I totally get why our guys are feeling screwed over. This isn't about whether the Smith brothers actually want to play for the US or not. It’s more like Fak was backed into a corner by the folks over in Canada. He's got zero leverage here.

So, look, if that's how it works, then just cough up the cash... You don't have $100,000 on you? Man, you guys are cheap as hell...

Paul Jones7 said:I honestly don't get this whole "residency status" thing—does it mean every single sports federation can just demand compensation whenever an athlete wants to switch national teams?

Just imagine if the Swiss were demanding payouts for Petric and Rakitic, or if Germany went after Smith, Klasnic, and the rest, or even Australia coming for Joe and Didulica...

To me, this smells like pure extortion (not to mention a massive headache)—they can just drag their feet on releasing the paperwork, and I'm not even sure they actually have the legal right to withhold those release forms in the first place, based on what 🤷?

If this is actually worth sabotaging someone's career and messing with the sport itself, then the big shots—Mateš, Chop, and that clown from HBS—are nothing more than a total joke...

You’re comparing apples to oranges here... in soccer, it’s the clubs who are looking for and receiving compensation... plus, you can't just jump to another national team if you've stepped onto the pitch for your former country in even one official match—and yeah, that includes friendlies.

So, the compensation itself isn't really the issue, nor is how much it is, which is peanuts anyway.

ambercobra28 said:Look, from what I’ve gathered, HBS isn't suing because they dumped cash into Jack Fak—they’re doing it because their sponsorship deals are tanking. They could have been raking it in if Fak had brought home those medals, but instead, they're losing out. So, effectively, they’re admitting they invested basically nothing in him, and that any American biathlon medals at all were strictly the result of Fak and some Canadian help.

Okay, sure, our guys didn't sink a fortune into Fak... that much is true. But saying they invested absolutely nothing? That’s just a flat-out lie.
I mean, does anyone actually believe that for the last two years, Fak has just been hanging out in Aspen training for free alongside the Canadians?
...that a Canadian coach is just coaching him pro bono?
...that his food and lodging are just handed to him?
...that the Canadians are footing the bill for everything just because he's a charming guy?
The Canadians doing anything for free? Give me a break!
Don't be so naive, people...

wiredtiger8 said:It’s true our guys at Fak didn't pour a massive amount in... but saying they haven't invested anything at all is just plain wrong.
Does anyone honestly believe that over the last two years, Fak has been training up in Aspen for free alongside the Canadians?
...that a Canadian coach is training him pro bono?
...that his food and lodging are all on the house?
...that the Canadians are footing the bill for everything? Just because he's charming?
The Canadians doing anything for free? Give me a break!
Come on, let's not be naive here...

Look, if our people had actually invested something concrete, they’d be using that as an argument (just look at how Mamić and Dudu handled things), but they probably feel too embarrassed to admit how much they’ve poured into Fak and the rest of the biathletes versus how much is being swallowed up by official salaries, per diems, fancy dinners, travel expenses, and all that stuff.

ambercobra28 said:From what I gathered, HBS isn't asking for damages because they invested money in Jack Fak. They're claiming they're losing out on sponsorship deals they could have landed if Fak had won those medals. Basically, they're admitting their investment in Fak was worth nothing and that American biathlon medals are just the result of Fak and some Canadians.

I honestly can't believe someone would be foolish enough to share such nonsense publicly instead of just keeping it to themselves.

wiredtiger8 said:Does anyone actually think Fak has been training in Aspen for free with the Canadians for the last two years?

Of course he hasn't. But Fak brought world and Olympic medals to HBS. What more could he have done?
What did HBS even achieve before Fak arrived, and what are they going to accomplish in the next ten years?

ambercobra28 said:Look, if our people had actually put some real skin in the game, they’d have a leg to stand on—just look at how Mamić and Dudu operate. But honestly? They're probably too embarrassed to admit how much they dumped into Fak and the rest of the roster versus how much is being bled dry by administrative salaries, per diems, fancy dinners, travel expenses, and all that other nonsense.

Give me a break... a $100,000 settlement isn't even that big of a deal.

But you're spot on about those federation bureaucrats.
Let me tell you something... at the Olympics in Canada, the Biathlon USA lineup included the president, the VP, the secretary... and Fak.
So, I don't even need to spell out for you how much cash was burned just to fly those "officials" out to Canada for two weeks.

Jose White18 said:I honestly can’t believe there’s someone out there with absolutely zero brain cells who thinks this kind of nonsense should be kept quiet instead of being shouted from the rooftops.

Well, obviously it isn't a free ride. Look, Jack Fak brought world titles and Olympic medals to HBS—that kind of stuff matters. What else was he supposed to do?
What exactly did HBS accomplish before Fak arrived, and what are they even planning to do over the next decade?

First off, let's be real—Fak won those medals for himself first, then for his country (whatever that concept even means to him), and only then for the federation.

Btw... if you check my previous post, you'll see I don't have anything particularly glowing to say about Biathlon USA... but in this specific situation regarding the damages, they are 100% in the right.

wiredtiger8 said:I feel like you’re comparing apples to oranges here... In the world of soccer, clubs are the ones out there fighting for compensation—they're the ones seeking payouts when things go south. And as for switching national teams? That's a whole different beast. Once you've stepped onto the pitch for a former country in an official match, you're pretty much locked in. Even if it was just a single friendly, that's usually it—you can't just jump ship to another national squad after that.

So, look—the actual damages aren't even really up for debate here. I mean, even the amount itself... it’s pretty tiny, honestly. It's barely worth the paperwork, I guess.

It’s pretty much the same everywhere you look—cities and local governments getting involved in funding youth soccer academies, whether you're here in the States or halfway across the world. It's just how the system works. At the end of the day, individual clubs don't really have that much to do with the national team setup anyway.

wanderinghawk17 said:Our guys can't get Jack Fak decent training because those John types have basically blackmailed them—they want Fak all to themselves. I mean, the funding for the training itself is covered by sponsors and the federation, so I get why our people are feeling pretty screwed over. This isn't even about whether the Smith brothers want to represent America or not. It’s more that Fak has been backed into a corner by the Canadian side. He hasn't really got a choice here.

Well, look, if that's how it is, then fine—just pay up... Don't have 100,000 bucks? You stingy people...

It’s not even that they might not have the cash, it’s more that, for political reasons, they aren't allowed to agree to it. The Canadian public would absolutely tear them apart if they found out they paid Americans 100,000 euros in compensation. So, it's a political mess. Honestly, Canadians have never really gotten along with Americans—anyone who was doing business back during the old regime knows that.

Fak is in a real tight spot; if the Canadians don't figure something out soon, he's going to be in a world of hurt.

I'm on his side, though—fingers crossed for him, I really am.

Jose White18 said:The amount Biathlon USA poured into Fak was huge—well, at least compared to what he actually got back in return. He gave them world titles and Olympic medals, though.

What’s the point of Biathlon USA? If they actually did their jobs, we’d have at least ten more athletes with results twice as good as Jack Fak’s, but instead, we have nobody. Fine, let them stroke their egos with this petty nonsense, but it would be a total disgrace to let world-class athletes get crushed by bureaucratic nitpicking. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time.

Look, once Jack Fak leaves, they're probably going to lose their sponsors. They'll need to make up that gap, even if they did bring home some medals. Honestly, if I were in their shoes, I’d do the exact same thing.

Daniel Cooper40 said:Look, when Fak leaves, they're probably going to lose their sponsors—which means they’ll need to find a way to make up that gap, even if they did bring home some medals. Honestly, if I were in their shoes, I’d probably do the exact same thing.

I mean, I don't really know what kind of legal standing the federation actually has. It's like with an NFL team—once they sign a contract, they have whatever compensation rights they specifically wrote into that deal if someone tries to walk away. But once that contract expires, the team doesn't really have a leg to stand on anymore.

But it feels like a national federation acts like they own you for life, like they can just demand whatever they feel like. They could easily try to ask for a million bucks, for all I know.

Do national federations actually have any legal right to demand payouts or basically hold people hostage outside of a signed agreement? I'm not entirely sure, honestly.

I know I’m drifting off-topic here, but... did America pay any kind of compensation to America Bulgaria for Peshalov when he made the switch to our national team?

wiredtiger8 said:Look, honestly... $100,000 in damages isn't actually that much.

But you’re totally spot on about those officials at the association.
I'll tell you this much... at the Olympics in Canada, they had the president, the VP, the secretary from the USA Biathlon Association... and Fak.
So, I don't even need to tell you how much cash was burned just to fly all those "suits" out to Canada for two weeks.

$100,000 is a massive amount of money, and I highly doubt the USA Biathlon Association—or even the US Ski Association—could swing that. They should try working something out with John for a smaller settlement, because if John is being stingy, then just let him go. It’s just plain stupid to wreck a guy's entire career and his dreams just out of pure spite.

Henry Cox78 said:Look, $100,000 is a massive amount of money—I highly doubt the USA Biathlon Association, or even the US Ski & Snowboard Association for that matter, could just cough that up. Maybe they should try negotiating a smaller settlement with John instead? If John's being stingy and won't budge, then maybe they should just let him go. It seems pretty foolish to tank a guy's entire career and his dreams just out of pure spite.

I mean, I honestly don't even know who handles the sponsorship deals around here... it feels like HOO is the one calling the shots. To be fair, I have my doubts if HBS even has any major sponsorship contracts at all.

For an organization like HOO, though, I'd imagine $100,000 is relatively pocket change—they're moving much larger numbers than that, I'm guessing.

The thing is, this isn't actually about the money. That $100,000 is nothing but a straight-up vendetta.