Athletes don't get paid, entertainers get paid. A lot of athletes don't understand that.

The alternative, if you're good at a sport few want to watch, is to scrape out a living with sponsorship deals. Although I'm sure some of these athletes do well financially.

Olympic athletes in the US are in a tough place. They compete against government funded athletes from other countries, with very little USOC support, yet are expected by Americans to win despite that obstacle, because... 'Murica...

I can see it either way, but if we want to be an Olympic superpower, we need to support the athletes.

I would vote to support them more, but I am highly biased.

Well, the IOC is a racket. The 'rule 40' or whatever it is doesn't allow these athletes to market their sponsors a period of time before, during and after the Olympics. So basically why would a company even consider sponsoring these guys who get publicity every 4 years.

All of that sponsorship money from Visa and others goes to the higher ups and not the athletes.

Edit to add: I recall last winter Olympics the plumber snowboarder (I think its the same guy). He is actually sponsored by Bradford White Water Heaters, but again can't wear a Bradford white Water Heater t-shirt in the Olympic village or he will forfeit any medals he wins.

Personally I would rather see that money go into education.

I forgot about that whole stupidity. There were a ton of summer athletes pissed about that a couple years ago.

Certainly a noble ideal, but I don't think a lack of funding is anywhere near the primary problem with education.

Grant.Reuter wrote:

I forgot about that whole stupidity. There were a ton of summer athletes pissed about that a couple years ago.

https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/olympics/inside-sports-business-olympic-athletes-to-face-social-media-restrictions-in-february/


Found this article.


Right before the Rio Games, American middle-distance runner Kate Grace won the women’s 800 meters at the Olympic trials. A Seattle-based sports-apparel company, Oiselle, which sponsors Grace, sent out an Instagram saying “She’s going to Rio!’’
The next day, as first reported by Yahoo Finance, the USOC sent a letter demanding Oiselle take down the post and threatening to “exercise all available remedies’’ to force compliance. Oiselle afterward reverted to mentioning the Games as “The Big Event in the Southern Hemisphere.’’

And it does already, since most Olympic athletes train and compete for their sports at the college level, which is partially funded--to some degree--by state and federal money.

I don't want federal dollars going to Olympic sports, if people want to watch the sport and money is raised that way; if people want to raise funds crowdsourcing or through sponsors that's great as well. People will always be willing to sacrifice a fwe years of their life and earnings potential to chase a dream and I think it's fine that way.

That said, I do think the USOC should allow for private sponsors of these athletes, I hate all these governing bodies FIFA, NCAA, IOC, USOC because they go overboard in their control of what athletes are able to do when they're participating in the league/a part of the program.

This. All the bureaucrats make money. Those in the upper echelon make a fortune. The athletes, well, fuck them.

Excellent point. If the governing bodies are handcuffing these athletes in terms of sponsorship opportunities, then doesn't it become sort of their responsibility to provide support? OR, remove the regulations and let each athlete seek what they can get on the open market... I think either system can work well, but would favor the latter if it was available.

how does this work in other countries? The UK seems to have completely turned around their sports programs with lottery funding but i think that is focused on medals and performances rather than a general stipend

when i see top class sportspeople from the sports i compete in complain about lack of financial rewards i have to admit i don't have a lot of sympathy. They are living the dream most of us were not gifted enough to have. In any case, they knew the deal when they started down the path.

So would you argue that the US is not already an Olympic Superpower? I think we do very well in Medal count in every single olympics, summer or winter. Seems that the current process is working.

Now in reality, until the athletes step up and demand change (strike) and cause the corrupt people at the top some pain, nothing will change. But we, the people are not going to have much impact on this.

Nick Symmonds auctioned off space on his shoulder with a temporary tattoo. It actually got the more attention because he was required to put white tape over the tattoo.

I'll just add that USA Wrestling seems to be doing it right.

Top 3 at each weight class get an OK living allowance. And most training has been moved to regional training centers (RTC) which are generally very good at fundraising. I think there are about 50 of them now. Ours in Iowa City (Hawkeye Wrestling Club) is one of the biggest/best and we can keep 6-8 on the roster fairly comfortably. The ones at Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State and Arizona State are also doing very well.

And the move to RTCs has coincided with good improvement in success at the international level. Won the team title at World Championships last year. Put 4 in the finals and 3 champions at the toughest tournament in the world last week.

I'll be heading to Cuba with 45 athletes next month. Few, if any of them, are paying their own way.

Andy

I thought it was ridicules that people voluntarily participating in sports think they are entitled to financial support and shouldn't have to work a real job. What's your opinion?

I have a problem when governments fund athletes. Try telling a taxpayer struggling to make ends meet trying to support their family that their tax dollars are being used to help someone fulfill their dream of going to the Olympics. Athletes don't get up every morning and train "for their country", they train so they can compete in the Olympics and try to win for themselves. Athletes, pro or amateur are selfish pursuits, that's the only way they can win.

What particularly annoys me is that some athletes are sponsored by the government and if they win a gold, get a lot of money in sponsorship deals but don't pay the government back for their funding. That should be a given.

If the IOC was really concerned with athletes, they would provide income instead of accepting the millions in bribes. Use the advertising money they generate and pay the athletes who don't get sponsorship money. Or, athletes can find their own private funding but it shouldn't be another government program.

Superb Owl.

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

What sports do most US Olympians compete in while in college? I would think that they would be a rather small minority.

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

Sounds like American businesses. So much winning!

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

Yeah, f&ck those guys/gals. They are living the high life pursuing their dreams.

http://maddockdouglas.com/...udent-loan-borrower/

Funding Olympic Dreams

It's not working for most of the athletes.

Swimming, track and field, and diving come to mind off the top of my head as sports that have a very strong relationship with NCAA programs. It seems to be popular for athletes to take the Olympic year off from school though to be able to train at a sufficient level. Amateur sports aren't really amateur sports anymore.

I don't think the point is that they are living it up and slacking, but more that it is entirely their choice. It is not an unreasonable position to say that the govt should help athletes pursuing the olympics, but I also don't think it is unreasonable to say we should not. If an individual decides to pursue a non-lucrative life path, isn't that on them? Sure, switching to working a normal job might sacrifice their Olympic dream, but since when are we guaranteed a shot at Olympic dreams?

I forgot about that--what a load of crap!

Everyone needs to make choices in life. If your dream is to become a physician, an airline pilot, or an Olympic speed skater, you need to be willing to work hard, but don't expect the taxpayers to fund your lifestyle. If the financials don't work out for you, it's time to change your path.

---

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

Tell that taxpayer to buck up and get better education or skills and get a better job.

I have a problem when governments funds long term families on the dole.

---

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

My thoughts.....

"Tell that Olympic slopestyle skier to buck up and get a real job. I have a problem with people who want to be in the Olympics being on the dole."

---

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I though the USOC gets zero funding from the gov't. The argument from the OP is if the USOC should fund the athletes, not the government.

Should that apply to all people's poor decisions and government handouts?

Pick a bad degree/major and can't find a job? Too bad.

Didn't bother to study in elementary/high school and can only dig ditches? Tough rocks?

Had too many kids, didn't bother with birth control? Work harder.

I'm willing to see grey, so no I don't think what I've said applies to every poor decision people make. Lots of the other cases of "government handouts" improve the general welfare of the people, acting as societal insurance. Having a safety net to make sure that people with "too many children" can feed their kids seems like a good choice for a society to invest in. Funding people to do their non-paying recreational activity to pursue their Olympic dream instead of working a full time job, doesn't seem like a great choice. I guess I'd probably choose to fund them over the guy choosing to play Xbox all day long instead of working, but not by a big margin.

Dude is a plumber, he has a real job.

The Olympics is probably the most corrupt sports institution outside of boxing and maybe FIFA. The amount of money that disappears through the various organizations should make any athlete sick. The athletes are being sold a dream while the corrupt non-athletes are making billions of dollars.

I stopped watching the Olympics a long time ago. It's nothing than a honey pot for corruption.

Pretty much this ^^ I really don't get why tax payers should be expected to fulfill everyone's dream.

---

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

FYI, the USOC does not receive taxpayer money except for the paralympics. It get money mainly from fundraising.

I still consider them willing participants in all the corruption that goes on. Maybe not directly, but by enabling or willful ignorance.

Physicians and airline pilots do benefit greatly from government funding however. Not that I think that's wrong necessarily, but it's a fact.

I totally agree.

No taxpayer money (federal, state, county or city) should go to sport and athletes.If they want to do sports, they have to pay themselves.
Why should I subsidize the dreams of high school and ncaa athletes. NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, NASCAR and all other sports should pay for themselves.
This include tax breaks, guarantees, bonds, loan, leasing, etc, etc.

again, i think everyone is forgetting the size and impact of america's sports programs at university (and arguably even highschool), which are massive and funded with lots of public money. the average football coach in the SEC makes ~4 million dollars per year. university of alabama pays their coach 11 million/year.

that's the government supporting athletes, straight up.

-mike

---

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

Swimming I'll buy, although several of the best females actually hit it big at the Olys while still in HS (Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky being just the 2 most prominent off the top of my head from the past 2-3 Oly cycles; they were already multi-medalists before going off to Cal & Stanford), and some of the best men like Phelps either skipped college entirely or dropped out pretty quickly to just focus on swimming full-time. The real truth is that most of their training & development credit should go to their private club programs. Diving maybe, I don't know enough to comment.

Track & field might seem like it, but if you pay closer attention there really aren't many that reach the Oly level while still training & competing within the collegiate system; my alma mater is one of the perennial T&F powerhouses, with multiple Olympians among our alumni (both US and foreigners who went to skool here), and yet I can think of scarcely a handful that did so before graduating or leaving early to turn pro. It's true most of the eventual Olympians did come through the NCAA ranks at some point so there's obviously some benefit/credit there, but most of them still have a few more years to go after that. If you look at the avg ages, most of them are mid-20s or older:

https://www.si.com/...track-and-field-team

And those are the sports that seem like the obvious choices; perhaps wrestling or water polo too, maybe? But then what about Badminton, Shooting, Luge, Ski Jumping, Equestrian, Gymnastics, Taekwondo, Boxing, Archery, Curling, Speed Skating, Fencing, Canoe/Kayaking, Synchro Swimming, Cycling, etc, etc...? I'm just not seeing any sort of Oly-level development pipeline coming out of college for any of those. Either they're club-level sports (i.e., not elite/scholarship level) or sports like gymnastics where their Oly window has already passed by the time they reach college age. I think Ken's take is pretty well on the money ~ just because those same sports exist at the college level doesn't mean anywhere near "most" Olympic athletes are making it based off a collegiate program.

Really? Coaches are now the athletes? Per the crooked NCAA the athletes shouldn't get squat from anyone for anything, except maybe a scholarship.

Relative to triathlon snowboarding is “big money”

Iirc if you make over a certain amount in revenue your coc funding gets revoked (in Canada)

For example our local medalists in Kamloops (Catherine pendral mtb) gets her Olympic funding revoked because she makes too much via sponsorship and prize money.

Imagine the same for mark mcmorris in snowboarding.

Sorry I was a pro triathlete once and racked up my credit cards, I didn’t get any government funding to pursue the Olympic path because...umm well I was shitty!

Sorry corruption of IOC issues aside this smacks a bit of “go fund me” type mentality.

If you’re not good enough continue with your self funded vacation, then become a plumber or mechanic.

Maurice

I guess I'm mainly talking about swimming and diving because that's my background. Of the 45 members of the US Swim team in 2016 Olympics, I think you named the 3 exceptions (Phelps, Franklin, and Ledecky) to the general rule of NCAA athletics being a critical part of their career and development.

I agree that peak career performance happens for many athletes, especially men, after the age of NCAA competition, and the women peak significantly younger, even before college age.

I'm surprised that track athletes aren't primarily post NCAA career though. Even if an athlete is older than college age, it would be hard to argue that participation in such a program, and access to elite coaching and facilities isn't a critical part of their eventual performances.

c'mon man, don't be obtuse. university athletes in the USA benefit from an absolutely massive (and often state-sponsored) amount of infrastructure. that includes scholarships, training facilities, high-level competition, and - yes - top-flight coaches.

so whether or not individual olympic-level athletes in the USA get a cheque in the post every month, the country as a whole has essentially created a quasi-national athlete training program on huge scale. in some countries the military plays (or used to play) the same role, offering fairly cushy temporary posts for top athletes that allowed them a lot of space to train.

---

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

This might be my “pinko” leanings but I don’t have a problem with government support of athletes.

Some sort of stipend to allow them to train full time, adjusted to income would work. Doesn’t have to be a lot, just enough so that too tier athletes can compete. Why do I feel that way? Because I think having home grown athletes compete and win at the highest level encourages sport development and encourages healthy living over the long term. I feel the same way about funding of the arts. Some things in life are special and beautiful and just aren’t profitable, but they add to the life and health of the community. Sports (the less profitable ones) and the arts are two of those. I am sure many will disagree. YMMV

---

===============
Proud member of the MSF (Maple Syrup Mafia)

Yeah but if the govt. spends my money on that then I have less for the conspicuous consumption that is ever so necessary to fill the void where my soul should be :)