In college, he won the 2012 NCAA indoor crown and ran 3:52.98 indoors.
As a pro, he was a two-time Worlds finalist, a 2016 Olympian and 2-time Wanamaker mile champ.
In college, he won the 2012 NCAA indoor crown and ran 3:52.98 indoors.
As a pro, he was a two-time Worlds finalist, a 2016 Olympian and 2-time Wanamaker mile champ.
Very hot topic.
Wow! This Great Resignation thing is getting out of hand!
I'll Take This One... wrote:
Wow! This Great Resignation thing is getting out of hand!
Athletics isn't a career, it's a hobby.
Very few people actually get paid to run.
Even fewer get paid enough just for running that they are able to live comfortably.
People run and also get paid to represent a brand through sponsorship. But they are being paid to represent the brand. Companies will sponsor anyone who advertises their brand to a wide enough audience; YouTubers, Instagram influencers, celebrities. For even top runners the outreach they have is relatively small, so the contracts represent that.
Hardly anyone is paid to actually run in track and field. If you win every diamond League in a year it's something like 70k dollars. What a goldmine...
lmfao wrote:
ex-runner wrote:
Athletics isn't a career, it's a hobby.
Very few people actually get paid to run.
Even fewer get paid enough just for running that they are able to live comfortably.
People run and also get paid to represent a brand through sponsorship. But they are being paid to represent the brand. Companies will sponsor anyone who advertises their brand to a wide enough audience; YouTubers, Instagram influencers, celebrities. For even top runners the outreach they have is relatively small, so the contracts represent that.
Hardly anyone is paid to actually run in track and field. If you win every diamond League in a year it's something like 70k dollars. What a goldmine...
B*ner alert.
Tell me I'm wrong.
Footballers get paid to play football, they have club wages.
Tennis/golf players get tons of prize money even in the early rounds and in small competitions.
Athletes beg for shoe contracts most of which have reduction clauses.
Kinda young, no?
ex-runner wrote:
I'll Take This One... wrote:
Wow! This Great Resignation thing is getting out of hand!
Athletics isn't a career, it's a hobby.
Very few people actually get paid to run.
Even fewer get paid enough just for running that they are able to live comfortably.
People run and also get paid to represent a brand through sponsorship. But they are being paid to represent the brand. Companies will sponsor anyone who advertises their brand to a wide enough audience; YouTubers, Instagram influencers, celebrities. For even top runners the outreach they have is relatively small, so the contracts represent that.
Hardly anyone is paid to actually run in track and field. If you win every diamond League in a year it's something like 70k dollars. What a goldmine...
That's a sad reflection for our sport imo. That Pete Weber bowling dude has reportedly made over $4 million. I wonder if more humans in this world can bowl a perfect game or run a 3:52 mile?
Another real estate agent. Spend all your 20s chasing a hobby. I used to envy people like him who had the speed to run fast but not much anymore. The bottom line is 99.99% of the population have absolutely no interest in watching skinny people run around in circles. That is the only thing that makes pro runners different from 4 major ball sports. People just don't care. Even avg fatties finishing marathon in 5 to 6 hours have no care who won or who the elite favorites are. They're busy just posting their victory on social media.
He as kids and is a very good Christian. God bless Chris and his family.
Moo G wrote:
Another real estate agent. Spend all your 20s chasing a hobby. I used to envy people like him who had the speed to run fast but not much anymore. The bottom line is 99.99% of the population have absolutely no interest in watching skinny people run around in circles. That is the only thing that makes pro runners different from 4 major ball sports. People just don't care. Even avg fatties finishing marathon in 5 to 6 hours have no care who won or who the elite favorites are. They're busy just posting their victory on social media.
I can’t imagine being as obsessed with popularity and wealth as some of the people who post on these boards.
not very old sac joaquin guy wrote:
Moo G wrote:
Another real estate agent. Spend all your 20s chasing a hobby. I used to envy people like him who had the speed to run fast but not much anymore. The bottom line is 99.99% of the population have absolutely no interest in watching skinny people run around in circles. That is the only thing that makes pro runners different from 4 major ball sports. People just don't care. Even avg fatties finishing marathon in 5 to 6 hours have no care who won or who the elite favorites are. They're busy just posting their victory on social media.
I can’t imagine being as obsessed with popularity and wealth as some of the people who post on these boards.
It's not obsessing about wealth, it's just needing to make a decent living and gave a life. O'Hare is a good athlete but he's never going to be at the very top level where he can make a lot of prize money and earn a big contract. He has never been good enough where this sport would set him up for life. He's got a wife and kids, and sadly for track and field, it doesn't pay enough to average guys to enable them to have a comfortable life. Just look at Duane Solomons, a retired Olympian, now a prison guard.
If you're a completely mediocre, or even a bad NBA player, you'll finish your career as a millionaire. Even good pro T&F athletes can earn very little. It's why you get Olympic medallists working as high school coaches. The sport isn't a career for most people
High hopes wrote:
not very old sac joaquin guy wrote:
I can’t imagine being as obsessed with popularity and wealth as some of the people who post on these boards.
It's not obsessing about wealth, it's just needing to make a decent living and gave a life. O'Hare is a good athlete but he's never going to be at the very top level where he can make a lot of prize money and earn a big contract. He has never been good enough where this sport would set him up for life. He's got a wife and kids, and sadly for track and field, it doesn't pay enough to average guys to enable them to have a comfortable life. Just look at Duane Solomons, a retired Olympian, now a prison guard.
If you're a completely mediocre, or even a bad NBA player, you'll finish your career as a millionaire. Even good pro T&F athletes can earn very little. It's why you get Olympic medallists working as high school coaches. The sport isn't a career for most people
Yeah for the sport to be a career it needs to pay people money.
I personally think that is why we have the East African dominance of distance running. Not solely because of genetics or altitude but mainly because of socioeconomic factors.
There is a huge financial risk for a western person to make athletics their life focus. Even for a very very good athlete, you might make the same money annually as a middle manager in some IT company.
The risk is an athlete trades years of ordinary career progression to instead run around in circles. If an athlete is unable to break into big money brackets, then they are left with no fall back and no financial security.
In rural East Africa the choice for many is farming/working in the food markets/coffee shops etc or running. Even if you are an mid level athlete you will make 10x what you could ever make farming. Even if you just place in one race once, it's life changing. And if it doesn't work, you just go back to being a farmer.
The level you need to achieve to actually set yourself up for life is astronomical. Maybe a handful of athletes actually get there, mostly sprinters.
Even Olympic medallists are overall unlikely to make enough money during their athletics career to be able to not work after it. Athletics is a hobby. If you want a career in sport as an endurance athlete then do triathlon or cycling.
ex-runner wrote:
High hopes wrote:
It's not obsessing about wealth, it's just needing to make a decent living and gave a life. O'Hare is a good athlete but he's never going to be at the very top level where he can make a lot of prize money and earn a big contract. He has never been good enough where this sport would set him up for life. He's got a wife and kids, and sadly for track and field, it doesn't pay enough to average guys to enable them to have a comfortable life. Just look at Duane Solomons, a retired Olympian, now a prison guard.
If you're a completely mediocre, or even a bad NBA player, you'll finish your career as a millionaire. Even good pro T&F athletes can earn very little. It's why you get Olympic medallists working as high school coaches. The sport isn't a career for most people
Yeah for the sport to be a career it needs to pay people money.
I personally think that is why we have the East African dominance of distance running. Not solely because of genetics or altitude but mainly because of socioeconomic factors.
There is a huge financial risk for a western person to make athletics their life focus. Even for a very very good athlete, you might make the same money annually as a middle manager in some IT company.
The risk is an athlete trades years of ordinary career progression to instead run around in circles. If an athlete is unable to break into big money brackets, then they are left with no fall back and no financial security.
In rural East Africa the choice for many is farming/working in the food markets/coffee shops etc or running. Even if you are an mid level athlete you will make 10x what you could ever make farming. Even if you just place in one race once, it's life changing. And if it doesn't work, you just go back to being a farmer.
The level you need to achieve to actually set yourself up for life is astronomical. Maybe a handful of athletes actually get there, mostly sprinters.
Even Olympic medallists are overall unlikely to make enough money during their athletics career to be able to not work after it. Athletics is a hobby. If you want a career in sport as an endurance athlete then do triathlon or cycling.
Hundreds of American/former NCAA runners make 50-120k every year. Average to above avg American salary.
People in this thread are sour grapes they weren’t ever remotely close to that level.
Also, experiences and accomplishments as a professional runner tend to lead to other good things if you play your cards right as well as Glory is priceless.
But it’s okay if you didn’t want to be a pro runner, luckily you never had to make that decision ;)
ex-runner wrote:
High hopes wrote:
It's not obsessing about wealth, it's just needing to make a decent living and gave a life. O'Hare is a good athlete but he's never going to be at the very top level where he can make a lot of prize money and earn a big contract. He has never been good enough where this sport would set him up for life. He's got a wife and kids, and sadly for track and field, it doesn't pay enough to average guys to enable them to have a comfortable life. Just look at Duane Solomons, a retired Olympian, now a prison guard.
If you're a completely mediocre, or even a bad NBA player, you'll finish your career as a millionaire. Even good pro T&F athletes can earn very little. It's why you get Olympic medallists working as high school coaches. The sport isn't a career for most people
Yeah for the sport to be a career it needs to pay people money.
I personally think that is why we have the East African dominance of distance running. Not solely because of genetics or altitude but mainly because of socioeconomic factors.
There is a huge financial risk for a western person to make athletics their life focus. Even for a very very good athlete, you might make the same money annually as a middle manager in some IT company.
The risk is an athlete trades years of ordinary career progression to instead run around in circles. If an athlete is unable to break into big money brackets, then they are left with no fall back and no financial security.
In rural East Africa the choice for many is farming/working in the food markets/coffee shops etc or running. Even if you are an mid level athlete you will make 10x what you could ever make farming. Even if you just place in one race once, it's life changing. And if it doesn't work, you just go back to being a farmer.
The level you need to achieve to actually set yourself up for life is astronomical. Maybe a handful of athletes actually get there, mostly sprinters.
Even Olympic medallists are overall unlikely to make enough money during their athletics career to be able to not work after it. Athletics is a hobby. If you want a career in sport as an endurance athlete then do triathlon or cycling.
There's definitely something in that, but it's also why we see some African runners have one amazing performance and then disappear. Everyone assumes it's because they were on PEDs and didn't want to risk getting caught. Truth is, even coming second place in a minor marathon can gain an athlete maybe $7-10,000. That's life changing in many parts of Kenya and Ethiopia. If you haven't, you should read Out of Thin Air for some stories of just how little money athletes need to make from running to turn their lives around in Africa.
palaed wrote:
ex-runner wrote:
Yeah for the sport to be a career it needs to pay people money.
I personally think that is why we have the East African dominance of distance running. Not solely because of genetics or altitude but mainly because of socioeconomic factors.
There is a huge financial risk for a western person to make athletics their life focus. Even for a very very good athlete, you might make the same money annually as a middle manager in some IT company.
The risk is an athlete trades years of ordinary career progression to instead run around in circles. If an athlete is unable to break into big money brackets, then they are left with no fall back and no financial security.
In rural East Africa the choice for many is farming/working in the food markets/coffee shops etc or running. Even if you are an mid level athlete you will make 10x what you could ever make farming. Even if you just place in one race once, it's life changing. And if it doesn't work, you just go back to being a farmer.
The level you need to achieve to actually set yourself up for life is astronomical. Maybe a handful of athletes actually get there, mostly sprinters.
Even Olympic medallists are overall unlikely to make enough money during their athletics career to be able to not work after it. Athletics is a hobby. If you want a career in sport as an endurance athlete then do triathlon or cycling.
Hundreds of American/former NCAA runners make 50-120k every year. Average to above avg American salary.
People in this thread are sour grapes they weren’t ever remotely close to that level.
Also, experiences and accomplishments as a professional runner tend to lead to other good things if you play your cards right as well as Glory is priceless.
But it’s okay if you didn’t want to be a pro runner, luckily you never had to make that decision ;)
50-120k for a career that lasts maybe 7-10 years? Cool, I guess. Now what do you do with the remaining 30 years of your working life if you were just one of those mediocre runners who never troubled the front of the pack on the big stage? Tbh,
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