Dire financial straits are leading droves of Olympic athletes to sell images of their bodies to subscribers on OnlyFans — known for sexually explicit content — to sustain their dreams of gold at the Games. As they struggle to make ends meet, a spotlight is being cast on an Olympics funding system that watchdog groups condemn as “broken,” claiming most athletes “can barely pay their rent.”

The Olympics, the world’s biggest sporting stage, bring in billions of dollars in TV rights, ticket sales and sponsorship, but most athletes must fend for themselves financially.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not express concern about the situation. When asked by The Associated Press about athletes turning to OnlyFans, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said, “I would assume that athletes, like all citizens, are allowed to do what they can.”

Watching his sponsorships dry up and facing mounting costs, Jack Laugher was among the pantheon of Olympic athletes using the often-controversial platform to get to the Games — or simply survive.

      • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        30
        ·
        3 months ago

        I think this needs a bit more context. Before “the dream team” the US only sent NCAA basketball players. The same goes with all sports, including hockey. The US’s complaint was that other countries were sending their professional players. Cuba’s baseball team, the USSR’s hockey team, etc. were solely comprised of essentially professional players that did they sport for a living. It was successfully argued that this was an unfair advantage for countries with programs like this.

        PS: This is why “The Miracle on Ice”, when the US beat the USSR in hockey was such a big deal. The US team was essentially a bunch college kids while the USSR was playing with arguably the best hockey players in the world at the time. It was the equivalent to Puerto Rico beating the original Dream Team in basketball.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        16
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        3 months ago

        They should be funded by the IOC. Right now, they’re being paid by their country (if they want to have a chance of medaling).

        They also rarely train inside that country or with a trainer from that country. Many of them go to the U.S. for training and stay there for years.

        • nonailsleft@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          3 months ago

          And how do you suggest the IOC should get the money to pay for all those ‘employees’ ?

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            11
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            3 months ago

            From the article:

            The Olympics, the world’s biggest sporting stage, bring in billions of dollars in TV rights, ticket sales and sponsorship, but most athletes must fend for themselves financially.

            • nonailsleft@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              3 months ago

              Ok, so the IOC should be taking that revenue away from the host country and expect them to pay for the infrastructure and staff at an even bigger loss?

              Which country or city would want to do that?

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                4
                ·
                3 months ago

                It doesn’t say the host country is the one that makes the money. And I’m sure they can spare a billion or two for the athletes.

                • nonailsleft@lemm.ee
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  arrow-down
                  2
                  ·
                  3 months ago

                  What doesn’t say the host country is the one that makes the money?

                  The Olympics is already operating at a net loss, with the host city/country basically footing the bill in exchange for publicity.

                  Do you think these cities would be happy to pay for 20.000 extra ‘employees’ for four years?

  • BlanketsWithSmallpox@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    42
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    3 months ago

    Is this different from having to shill your non-nude body on Instagram?

    No, but prudes will prude once nudity is involved for cash lol.

    They will probably earn more selling nudes than they would as fitness instructors and coaches when they’re past competing age too.

    • Microw@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      3 months ago

      It’s not even necessarily nudity in every of these cases. Could be just quite revealing pictures

  • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    58
    arrow-down
    8
    ·
    3 months ago

    i feel like these athletes need to have a plan B for real jobs.

    the olympics have been bastardized into a corporate for-profit orgy. theres no honor in these games. its sad that these humans who feel they are accomplishing something dont see the truth; theyre just tools that can be discarded.

    • Auli@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      3 months ago

      I’m wondering about viewership this year. Nobody I know is watching or talking about the games. Besides what hits social media like the Turkish shooter.

      • bassomitron@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        3 months ago

        It’s extremely popular. Every single business I’ve walked into has had it on the TV and all of my friend/family group chats and coworkers have been talking about it. It wouldn’t be making hundreds of millions in ad revenue if nobody was watching it.

      • catloaf@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        3 months ago

        A lot of people I know are watching, and more than just the memes.

    • kamenoko@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      You can’t win if you have a plan B. Especially in prestige events. Either the athlete is fully supported by their countries association or they hope to get top 30.

    • cynthorpe@discuss.online
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      23
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      Well, the plan is to get corporate sponsors. That’s always been the road.

      Edit: always as in the past ~50 years.

      • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        21
        ·
        3 months ago

        really? which corps sponsored the roman olympics?

        or is this a recent requirement because humans dont actually put money into humanities without some profit incentive?

            • cynthorpe@discuss.online
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              15
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              3 months ago

              The comment was never not okay. It’s a comment. Don’t be mad that I thought to be more specific about my comment before you got a chance to take your bad day out on a random person. I suggest taking your crappy attitude somewhere else. I assure you, no satisfaction will be gained by talking to me.

              • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                arrow-down
                16
                ·
                3 months ago

                i was expecting a discussion on the poisoning of the olympics by corporate entities, but all you did was point out it is ‘new’ as if that matters somehow

                I assure you, no satisfaction will be gained by talking to me.

                too late, but i get it; youre done. no prob

                • cynthorpe@discuss.online
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  14
                  arrow-down
                  1
                  ·
                  3 months ago

                  If that’s what you wanted, you should have been more specific instead of assuming a jab would have been the proper way to have a polite conversation. I’m glad to know you can get satisfaction out of playing with yourself online. ✌️

        • Kaboom@reddthat.com
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          11
          arrow-down
          7
          ·
          3 months ago

          In the Roman Olympics, only rich people could compete. Now it’s better, not perfect, but better.

    • Ogmios@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      35
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      its sad that these humans who feel they are accomplishing something dont see the truth; theyre just tools that can be discarded.

      They are accomplishing something. It’s just not recognized by the greedy fuckwits exploiting their achievements for profit, other than for it’s ability to convince people to endure their bullshit in exchange for the chance to watch them.

  • VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    41
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    3 months ago

    A lot of people seem to be missing the point.

    There is nothing wrong with sex work or having an OnlyFans. There is absolutely a lot wrong with the fact that the top athletes of our world who perform on the top athletic stage of the world are destitute to the point of having to fund themselves this way. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe anyone should have to use this as a last resort either but it’s very telling of society as it currently is when these people are having to do so.

    • orcrist@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      3 months ago

      To be clear, it has not been established that this is the last resort, but rather that it’s better than the alternatives. Which is to say, if you’ve gotten famous but the organization that made you famous isn’t paying you well, you might look for other ways to monetize the attention. Being at the top of international sports is such a fleeting thing, so if some of these athletes want to capitalize on the moment, they better not wait until next year because who the hell knows when their career will rapidly change.

  • gmtom@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    15
    arrow-down
    7
    ·
    3 months ago

    I mean at the end of the day athletes are entertainers. And just like actors or singers, it doesn’t matter if you’re very good at what you do if you can’t land the paid gigs or sell yourself in some way. And the people making the big money are going to be a small few at the very top.

    • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      22
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      3 months ago

      This is the exact same thing as Superbowl cheerleaders being “paid” with “exposure.” What gig can they land that is bigger than The Superbowl? What gig can the literal best athletes in the world land that is bigger than The Olympics? There isn’t one. The people running both of those events are stuffing their own pockets and treating the people who do the actual work as slaves.

        • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          14
          ·
          edit-2
          3 months ago

          They get a pittance. I had forgotten that they get $100-150 per game.

          https://www.fastcompany.com/40524880/nfl-cheerleader-pay-this-super-bowl-lets-remember-the-ultimate-wage-gap

          No hourly, no salary. They are literal gig workers, most of whom make $22,000-$25,000 per year. The ones at The Superbowl, aka the absolute top tier cheerleaders, might make a whole $70,000 a year. They may as well not be getting paid for how little they make compared to everyone else in the industry.

          • Tja@programming.dev
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            3 months ago

            It’s less than the players and coches for sure, but even the best janitor in the world doesn’t get paid 70k. It’s not a bad income…

            • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              ·
              3 months ago

              Added emphasis. They aren’t guaranteed to make that much, and the places that they have to live to be able to make that much, a janitor better be making more than 70k. That isn’t a liveable wage on the west coast, which is where you have to be to make that much.

                • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  3 months ago

                  I live in San Diego. I do make a lot, but with rents the way they are around here, not to mention gas prices, I’ve no idea how anyone is doing anything but barely surviving on 50k a year out here.

                  I know people don’t get paid that much, but I don’t know how they do it, and I refuse to pay employees that poorly.

      • Liz@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        3 months ago

        I don’t think it’s right, but:

        The top of entertainment. Vast majority compete in sports with little-to-no money in them. Being only a small part of a two-week competition every four years.

        Now, personally, I think competing on the Olympics should come with an automatic $50k bonus, but I don’t have control over that.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    174
    arrow-down
    10
    ·
    3 months ago

    The Olympics was intended for amateur athletes, but they’re all essentially professionals now if they have any chance of medaling (the Turkish shooter excepted) because they get years of specialized training. And, of course, they find endless new ways to abuse those athletes’ bodies by using ever-more sophisticated ways to secretly dope them.

    Half of them will be broken by the time they’re 30. I’m not at all surprised that this is what they have to resort to.

  • lemmus@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    12
    ·
    3 months ago

    Make the “permanent” seats on the UN Security Council conditional on being in the top five Olympic gold medal rankings and all of a sudden we’ll see endless streams of government funding for athletes.

  • Etterra@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    44
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    3 months ago

    It’s not a ‘broken’ system - it’s a broken system. You don’t need the quotes when it’s factual.

  • CombatWombat1212@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    3 months ago

    Its really unfortunate that their careers can’t be self sustaining and they have to resort to two jobs, but on the other hand I couldn’t be happier about their secondary career choice so