Even The World’s Most Talented Athletes Can’t Escape The Gig Economy

Olympians from around the world are competing in Paris with hopes of bringing home a medal. For some of them, the experience will open lucrative doors in the form of professional athletic careers or corporate endorsements.

But if you think all of these men and women are raking in the cash just because they’re in the Olympics, think again.

Make money, save money

The truth is that there’s not really a lot of income stemming directly from appearances in the Olympics. As such, athletes often have to get creative when it comes to funding their trips to the games.

Even among U.S. athletes, there’s often a tenuous juggling act required between finding time to train for the games and landing a job that will pay the bills.

Many of them need loans or assistance from their families to afford the process — and even then, they often come up short. This means finding new ways to cut expenses and/or increase their income.

Some examples include:

• Winter Olympian Andrew Blaser has delivered papers, driven dump trucks, worked in restaurants, and much more.
• Grace Luczak, an Olympic rower, has offered babysitting service in exchange for rent.
• Kendall Wesenberg resorted to selling her car to help fund her dream of competing in skeleton.

Finding the right job

And for elite athletes, the process of finding a side hustle isn’t as straightforward as the general public. Generally speaking, it must be a minimally strenuous job to reduce the possibility of an injury that would derail their Olympic dreams.

For some reason, swimmers tend to gravitate toward the real estate market. Many also enter the realm of entrepreneurism.

The reality is that some sports simply don’t offer the opportunities that others do, putting some of the world’s most talented competitors in a tough situation.

Chris Agee August 3rd, 2024

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