This is the follow-up to this post. If you haven’t read it, click over and check it out before reading this.
Many pageants have contracts with various clauses that outline the duties of a titleholder, the responsibilities of a titleholder and the pageant organizer/director, and the consequences for not abiding by the terms of that contract.
IANAL (I am not a lawyer) and I’m certainly not your lawyer, but one thing I’ve learned in life is that the house always wins. What does that have to do with contracts and pageantry?
Buckle up because I’m about to spill the tea.
There is a pageant system whose contract reads as follows:
Section 1 – Commitment for Service International Titleholder
- Term of Service: I agree and understand as [pageant system] titleholder, I will serve as an [pageant system] titleholder during the Term of Service until my successor is selected or appointed whenever that may be (emphasis mine). The duties and obligations have been described to me, and are detailed below, and I understand and accept them.
I don’t know which lawyer drafted this contract (I suspect a lawyer was not involved), because Indefinite Contracts are generally used for employment contracts and this contract goes on in
Section 12 – International Titleholder’s Independent Status and Conflicts of Interest
- Independent Contractor: At all times during my service as International Titleholder, I will be acting as an independent contractor for personal services and not as an employee, agent, joint venture, or partner of [pageant system].
This contract goes on for 16 pages. I would NEVER sign this contract.
Here’s why:
The majority of this contract is weighted HEAVILY in favor of “the house”. There is little remedy for a titleholder who doesn’t receive all prizes even if they meticulously fulfill every detail of this (IMO nitpicky) contract. It could potentially be argued by a decent lawyer that anyone signing this contract after crowning was doing so under duress. After all, no one wants to walk away from the crown they worked so hard for, right?
To pageant organizers/directors:
STOP USING TEMPLATES YOU DOWNLOADED FROM THE INTERNET to write your contracts. Stop having contracts 16 pages long that only benefit you. Especially when your “prize package” reads more like a coupon book than actual prizes. You’re not fooling anyone. Make your contracts FULLY AVAILABLE for all potential contestants to read BEFORE signing up to compete and paying you money.
Yes, I know you invested a LOT into your system and you want to have the best representatives ever and you believe that this will help bring you only the best. Being TRANSPARENT brings you the best competitors, not blindsiding them with ridiculous terms including indefinite servitude at their expense. Want your titleholders to reign indefinitely? Pony up the cash to make that happen. It should NEVER cost a titleholder money to represent you once they are crowned. We tell young people ALL the time not to pay to model in fashion shows and it applies here as well. It’s not a good look.
To competitors/parents:
DEMAND to see the state/national/international contract BEFORE paying ONE CENT to a pageant organizer. I mean it! If they won’t be honest with you upfront, they don’t deserve your hard-earned cash. NEVER, ever, ever sign a contract without having YOUR OWN ATTORNEY look at it. If they want to yank your title because you want to have the contract reviewed by someone looking out for YOUR best interests? LET THEM. That will be a GREAT public relations/marketing move. Any legitimate organization will provide a copy of the contract for you to look at before you sign on the dotted line. If there is anything in the contract your attorney thinks is unenforceable, have them take care of it.
This can be an amazing teaching moment for your competitor, too! Showing them it’s OK to walk away from something that doesn’t benefit them teaches them BOUNDARIES. This can be one of the most empowering lessons a person can learn at a young age.
To coaches:
Contestants and their parents rely on you to know whether or not a system is “good”. Make sure that you’re looking out for your client’s best interest in this area as well as making sure they are prepared to compete. After all, part of your job is prepping them to REIGN, not just get the hardware. Coach recommendations can greatly influence the success of pageant systems. Do you want to be known as the coach who recommended the system that screws its titleholders?
PS: Some contracts are void from the jump. They are called “void contracts”. Some contracts are voidable because they meet certain conditions. Here’s a guide to get you started. Check with your attorney to learn more.