Mark Block speaks about recent involvement with athletes

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Uploaded by Flo Track | August 4, 2012

Mark Block, former agent of Total Sports Management, was banned in March of 2011 for ten years retroactively starting in 2009. The ban about after his involvement in the Balco drug scandal where he worked with one athlete on taking a performance enhancing drug. Block has recently been seen at many track and field events along with hanging out with his events in hotels and at dinner, which has brought attention to members of the media, namely Letsrun. We were able to schedule a time with Block while in London to talk and answer the questions about why is around the athletes so much if an ban is in effect.

Speakers: Mark Block
Categories: Interview
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Comments27 comments

 JJ 9 months ago

Poor Mark Block...he's hurting so he is going through some "therapy"....2 summers of hanging out at the big T&F meets.....heck everyone on this website would give their eye teeth to do that.
Although Letsrun was clumsy at times with their approach, I'm glad they brought the whole issue up. I gaurantee that Block would still be letting himself into the VIP lounges for some time if they didn't.
Thanks to Letsrun his "ban" is finally getting to be more than a slight inconvenience.

Ryan...thanks for this interview.

Anonymous Coward 10 months ago

Usatf and Nike can make life hard for the athletes he manages.
And you really believe he's only collecting money from old contracts?

Rob Rumsey 10 months ago

Very well said "groups who don't get it..." Sorry for confusing you with Letsrun..

10 months ago

He is getting money from the shoe contracts because they are binding. Short of Jeter quitting he will receive the money until that contract ends. For instance, if you total your car you are still required to pay the bank. (of course this is why you have insurance). Even though you don't have the car anymore, you are still required to pay the loan (which is in its self a contract) until it is paid in full.

So, Block will get his money until the contract is finished. There is absolutely noting USATF can do about it. If Nike wants to dump the contract, Block will just sue them and probably get more than what he is owed right now.

groups who don't get it... 10 months ago

Sorry Rob. Actually I want to rag on the LR guys too. LR tried to get high and mighty with FT claiming that FT "doesn't get it" about Block. LR failed to realize that FT has accomplished more than they have on this issue. Writing weekly monologues (rants) and occasionally ambushing Block and Jeter has barely accomplished anything. Obviously Bock will just shut down and evade them ad infinitum.

It appears that by approaching him in an semi-reasonable manner and making him comfortable, FT actually got Block talking when LR couldn't get anything. FT actually does get it. You don't have to ambush the guy with a camcorder. Block is such a clueless Ahole that you just have to get him talking and he'll smear himself. All the other facts that make him a hypocritical liar are already public knowledge. If you throw them at him he'll just shut up again. FT continues to "get" more about how to cover and advance the sport than anyone else.

Rob Rumsey 10 months ago

Something tell me that "groups that don't get it..." is the boys from Letsrun.

groups who don't get it... 10 months ago

1) Mark Block (obviously). He didn't make a "mistake". He doped his wife for years (she still has a doped WC medal) and several others. He got caught, never really admitted it and now tries to downplay it.

2) Sponsors: Nike apparently has no problem with their athletes running around with a historic serial doper and liar who is obviously psuedo-coaching and managing them. Only an idiot doubts what his "support" includes. Nike continues to sponsor athletes everyone with half a brain knows are repeat-doping (Selsouli!, gesundheit). Apparently it's OK with them.
3) Governing Bodies: USATF knows that Block is running around at meets basically coaching and managing USATF athletes. They also apparently don't care. There is a lot they could do, like tell them to disassociate from him or be kept out of meets (a la Nick Symmonds). They are more interested in keeping athletes poor than stopping obvious repeat doping.
4) His own athletes. As one poster below points out. Jeter and Richardson are nuts. When they get caught they will get real 4 year bans and lose everything. Block will move on to new "friends" he "can't turn his back on" with "support". After years of getting disappointed nearly every time (a la Marion Jones) track fans are bitterly disappointed when they see American stars making this kind of a mistake with their associations. Jeter and Richardson seem amazed that track fans are interested in this. There amazement amazes us. Have they been following the sport the last 15 years? Insanity is to repeat the same course over and over expecting a different outcome. You two are doped in the world's eyes.
4) Other athletes: This is saddest of all. Even Flotrack favorite Chris Solinsky doesn't get it, tweeting that as long Block doesn't "go in" to meets it's OK. Well he does go in to meets. He also still profits off athletes, pretty much manages and coaches them and I think we all know what else. This is truly amazing. Block is exactly what is killing the sport in which Solinsky is trying to make a living. How can he and the other athletes not see that?
Only group that gets it: fans. Block and his kind are track's biggest problem. They are the worst thing for the sport. Worse than rule 440, worse than NBC commentators. He should be treated like a leper by everyone in T+F. Dealing with him should carry the threat of infection and expulsion from the sports avenues of success. Apparently no one above the level of fans gets any of this. There is a lot they could do about this but they obviously choose not to. Nike, USATF, Jeter, Richardson, other athletes, what the heck is wrong with all of you? It's simple; doping bad, dopers not OK, do whatever you can about it.

Booooooo..... 10 months ago

Mr Block..... You are exactly what is wrong with athletics. If you love the sport so much stay the hell away from it. You've done the damage... Now piss off. You and your wife cheated and somewhere down the line was a clean athlete that never got appearance money, never got a contract, and gave the sport up. You and your wife stole from these people.... Yet somehow you have enough money to just travel the world "watching" athletics. , prick, fanny, arse, cheat, s.

Anonymous Coward 10 months ago

Nice get, Ryno.

trayrunz 10 months ago

That's a trustworthy face.

Anonymous Coward 10 months ago

This guy is full of . Friends with athletes my ass. The only reason anyone is spending time with Block is to get the best drugs possible. Therapy? Who is he kidding. He desperately needs cash so he is making drug deals under the table.

Chipperback 10 months ago

PED should be legal anyway. Let the athlete decide what is truly important to them.
The only thing Mark Block is guilty of is giving the fans, and the endorsers what they want...champions and pitch people.

yoyoma 10 months ago

show me where the line is. AKA show me what other ped's I can find that aren't banned yet

Bas Ackwards 10 months ago

Nick Symmonds gets blackballed from Lindon DL for accurately describing hypocrisy but other athletes apparently never face any heat for runnining around with an admitted "banned" doper. Who should meet directors and governing bodies really be penalizing? This sport is it's own worst enemy.

TruthWillNotBeHeard 10 months ago

"I'm not a Criminal" - I don't think they hand out 10 year bans for nothing ?

From what I hear is ( I'm not doing anything but I have a guy who takes care all the business for me on the way I told him to do it )
He is getting paid off of old shoes contracts - Because you argued a shoe contract deal you need to be traveling to different meets ?
I don't see this as him having friends - This guy brings nothing to the table anymore - So to have a non family member supporter that does not really have a job anymore to fly all over the US and World to be a Cheerleader ?
This guy is Incriminating everyone he speaks of- He has so many great relationships with people who want nothing to do with this guy. At the trails Jeter would not even talk about the guy when they brought up his name ( Yet they are BFF ? )
"Nobody says don't come" -The Iaaf needs to Tell this guy know to beat it and if he is seen at a High School Track Meet he will be sued
Ive Reached out to Anti-Doping agency - ( I'm trying to find anyway to get this ban reduced )

Sean Norton 10 months ago

Wasn't this guy in the Sopranos?

double standard 10 months ago

So the athletes he helped dope get real bans that effectively send them into exile while Block gets to run around "supporting" Jeter and Richardson? Total BS? Who wrote his ban? They need to be fired.

RunningTroughThatPaper 10 months ago

How can he collect money from contracts when he's banned from the sport.......

sam.hartpence 10 months ago

The general public has moved on from Track and Field in part because there is a lack of trust between the public and the athletes/performances. This guys presence continues to marginalize out sport. Do us all a favor Mark and collect your fees while sitting at home.

Ryan Craven 10 months ago

Wow, great interview. Strange to me that he seems to be operating well within his ban while still having such a presence. I would have thought that a ban meant, ya know, a complete separation from the sport. Pretty nuts to me that a ban doesn't limit him from profitting off of old contracts, or attending functions, meets and practices. Still not sure in what universe he thinks that his presence is helping athletes instead of shedding a negative light on them. Definitely leaves a lot of questions, even with his many explanations. Who loses their job, and can afford to invest in a new real estate business while flying around the world just to be a good friend? How?

Anonymous Coward 10 months ago

Reminds me of Levy form The Wire. Shady as fook.

NCS Fan 10 months ago

Re: JackPackage

Get your facts straight. Richardson went from 13.34 to 12.98 in TWO years with a 13.04 best in the middle year. Plus he ran 13.21 while still in college in 2008 so the talent was clearly there.

Rob Rumsey 10 months ago

I love that he used the drug addict reference. Very telling. He is still tarnishing this sport. Good interview Ryan! What are Jason and Carmelita thinking? Jesus.

JackPackage 10 months ago

Total ... J-Rich went from 13:30 to 12:98 in one year........ Carmeilats sound like a dude.......

Are you kidding!? 10 months ago

Are we supposed to feel bad for this guy? Hell no. Get him out. Yes he CAN pseudo-coach, CAN be around these athletes, but SHOULD he? Hell no. I don't trust him at all. It is not confusing. Being social with you IS a bad indication. Jeter and Richardson are nuts. It saddens me but I basically assume Jeter and Richardson are doped because of you. Track fans aren't stupid. All your defenses sound a lot like all the BALCO excuses before you all got busted and almost ruined the sport. You are a doper. Sorry you're out. Thanks Flotrack for addressing this.

Jon Gugala 10 months ago

This is seriously the most amazing thing you guys have ever gotten. No B.S.; good get.

MrSketch 10 months ago

This guy is sketchy. Has lies written all over his forehead. If he will lie once he will lie again.