USA Badminton
{{Short description|National sport governing body}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = February 2025}}
{{Infobox sport governing body
|name = USA Badminton
|abbrev = USAB
|logo = USA Badminton Logo.png
|logosize =
|sport = Badminton
|category =
|image =
|caption =
|jurisdiction = United States
|membership =
|founded = {{Start date and age|1936}}
|aff = Badminton World Federation
United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
|affdate =
|region =
|regionyear =
|headquarters = El Monte, California, United States{{cite web |title=Membership |url=https://corporate.bwfbadminton.com/about/membership/ |website=Badminton World Federation |access-date=17 January 2019}}
|location =
|president =
|Chief Operating Officer =
|chairperson =
|chiefexec =
|vicepresident =
|director =
|secretary =
|coach =
|womenscoach =
|key staff =
|operating income = $195,389 (2021){{cite web |url=https://usabadminton.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2021-audited-financial-statements.pdf |title=USA BADMINTON FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021 AND 2020 With Independent Auditors' Report Thereon |website=USA Badminton |access-date=April 16, 2023}}
|sponsor = Yonex, Tinsue, United Airlines
|year closed =
|replaced =
|prevfounded =
|url = www.usabadminton.org
|countryflag = USA
|countryflag2 =
|countryflag3 =
|more =
}}
USA Badminton (USAB) is the national governing body for the sport of badminton in the United States. There are currently 66 badminton clubs registered {{As of|2019|1|alt=as of January 2019}}.{{cite web |title=Find a Club |url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-badminton/locator |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818151851/http://www.teamusa.org/usa-badminton/locator |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 18, 2015 |website=USA Badminton - Team USA |access-date=17 January 2019}}
History
The American Badminton Association was founded in 1936 when Donald Wilbur, Robert McMillan, Donald Richardson, and Phillip Richardson decided to unite various badminton groups in the country.{{cite web |title=Badminton in the US |url=https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Badminton/USAB/History/Badminton-in-the-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121054110/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Badminton/USAB/History/Badminton-in-the-US |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 21, 2014 |website=USA Badminton - Team USA |access-date=17 January 2019}} The name was changed to United States Badminton Association in 1978, and later changed to its present name in 1996.{{Cite web|url=https://usabadminton.org/about/history/|title=History - USA Badminton|date=March 19, 2021}}
USA Badminton used to train its elite players at a national training center in Colorado Springs, but they relocated to Anaheim in early 2017.{{cite web |title=USA Badminton to Relocate to Anaheim |url=http://sportstravelmagazine.com/usa-badminton-to-relocate-to-anaheim-california/ |website=Sports Travel Magazine |access-date=17 January 2019}}
Badminton is not a popular sport in the United States for several reasons. One of the main reasons is that badminton in the U.S. is seen as a backyard sport. Due to this, the sport has not grown much. Another reason is the lack of Olympic success by American athletes. This lack of success is another reason why the sport has not grown in comparison to other sports.{{cite web|url=https://deadspin.com/usa-badminton-is-another-example-of-how-messed-up-olymp-1830183365|title=USA Badminton Is Another Example Of How Messed Up Olympic Organizations Are|first=Patrick|last=Redford|website=Deadspin|date=7 November 2018 |accessdate=12 March 2019}} Finally, wages are a huge reason why badminton has not gown. Badminton fails to receive substantial media attention in the United States and with that comes low wages. Participants can earn up to $15,000 for winning a championship, which is a relatively small amount of money in comparison to an average football player that has a salary of $2.7 million.{{Cite web|url=http://www.badminton-information.com/why_isnt_badminton_popular_in_america.html|title=Why Isn't Badminton Popular in America?|website=www.badminton-information.com|access-date=2020-01-23}}{{Cite web |author=Renzulli |first=Kerri Anne |last2=Connley |first2=Courtney |date=2019-02-01 |title=Here's what the average NFL player makes in a season |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/01/heres-what-the-average-nfl-players-makes-in-a-season.html |access-date=2020-01-28 |website=CNBC |language=en}}
Tournaments
- U.S. Open Badminton Championships, an annual open tournament first held in 1954.
- U.S. International, an international tournament sponsored by K&D Graphics and Yonex.
- USA International, a discontinued tournament formerly known as Miami PanAm International.
Controversy
In January 2023, it was reported that USA Badminton had paid $1 million to settle a dispute with a former employee who previously served as the federation's chief of staff and SafeSport compliance officer. The former employee claimed he had been fired in retaliation for reporting allegations of sexual abuse by a prominent coach to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, after being pressured by USA Badminton's CEO and its general counsel.{{Cite web |date=March 6, 2023 |title=USA Badminton secretly paid whistleblower $1M |url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/35777567/usa-badminton-secretly-paid-1m-settle-whistleblower-claims |website=ESPN}} U.S. law requires any employees of a national governing body to report suspicions of abuse immediately to law enforcement and to SafeSport. Earlier, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, warned the leadership of USA Badminton about their potential breaches and alleged obstruction of an investigation by SafeSport.{{Cite web |title=Grassley Pushes Amateur Sports Organization to Comply with Law amid Alleged Obstruction of Investigation into Sexual Abuse |url=https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-pushes-amateur-sports-organization-to-comply-with-law-amid-alleged-obstruction-of-investigation-into-sexual-abuse |website=U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa}}{{Cite web |date=December 6, 2021 |title=How USA Badminton found itself at the center of athlete abuse allegations |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2021-12-05/us-badminton-sexual-assault-allegations |website=Los Angeles Times}}{{Cite web |last=Reid |first=Scott |date=December 6, 2021 |title=USA Badminton board member calls for firing of CEO Linda French |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2021/12/06/usa-badminton-board-member-calls-for-firing-of-ceo-linda-french |website=Orange County Register |agency=Southern California News Group}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{National Members of the Badminton World Federation}}
{{Sports governing bodies of the United States}}
Category:National members of the Badminton World Federation