Kofuzi likely makes more $$$ than elites

Son, let's think for a second about why people get paid.

Most people get paid because what they do ultimately helps others make money. That's why there's money to pay them. The main exception is work for organizations that society has agreed should exist because they provide a public good that might not otherwise exist. Think nonprofits, schools, things like that.

Your Kofuzi/elite runner examples belong in the first category. Kofuzi is making money because, ultimately, he helps the companies behind online advertising make money, via his viewers. An elite runner has no comparable claim to helping others make money. Yes, they probably have some influence over what other runners buy. But that's minimal and impossible to quantify.

Sorry, son, but that's how things work. You can be the world's greatest runner or poet or whatever, but unless you're clearly helping others make money, you're not likely to get paid much.

You run professionally because you love it and/or truly believe you can be one of the greats. Most people would absolutely hate Kofuzi’s job and happily take lower pay in a role more suited for them. Also, very very few people would be able to do Kofuzi’s job well enough to actually make good money. I know I’d rather slit my wrists.

In terms of financial gain, it’s simply a scalability problem. Many jobs pay better because they are more easily scalable. That’s why DPTs make such garbage money, not readily scalable!

OK Boomer.

By the way, when a poorly-paid, young nursing home worker decides not to wipe your filthy rear end when you soil your diaper, and lets you sit in your own excrement for a few hours, I hope you will remember how condescending and patriarchal you were to others during your lifetime.

You're looking at this wrong and so is the econ professor. (For those of you not familiar with Kofuzi, he's a top youtube reviewer of shoes. He probably does pretty well with that. )

The top miler in the world I guarantee makes more than him.

However, the 50th best miler in the world doesn't. If you're the 50th shoe reviewer on youtube or the 50th miler in the world, you're not going to make that much money.

They key in either of these industries is to be excellent at what you do.

Both industries (reviewers of shoes, and elite runners) aren't that big. So if you want to excel in either of them you'd better be really good at it.

Econ professor is right about one thing, the industry/company you work in and helping other people make money is important. My wife works in communications/branding in the private equity world. Communications people in this industry are going to get paid more than communications people in other industries as these companies can generate billions of dollars.

This article from late last year suggests that an influencer like Izzy Seidel makes more money than her sister Molly.

trailrunnermag.com

Where is The Line Between Athlete and Influencer?

ntriolo

As running brands invest in social media influencers and professional athletes, runners face new opportunities and challenges

Link:www.trailrunnermag.com/people/culture-...

Right. Much better to be talentless with zero integrity, than to strive for true greatness. F Kuntfuzi with a selfie stick.

Elite runners obviously have relatively short careers, and I suspect the average Youtubers will have equally short careers. It's got to be hard to stay at the top of the Youtube industry long term.

Running is not a sports like other sports. It's selfish exercise for 95% of the runners. They only care about their achievement and performance. And that is what kofuzi represents. At most 1% of runners regularly follow elite level running.

Kofuzi made a video about how much he made last year. I believe it was around $58k or something like that. Not a bad gig when you can get companies to fly you around to different races. He doesn't buy too many shoes these days. Just emails a brand to send him something if they have it.

I could be wrong, but I believe that was from Google Adsense just on Youtube alone.
It's better to get deals with brands to promote products in videos and get paid directly in cash per video/post as well: Instagram/Youtube/Tik Tok.

So along with Google Adsense one can also make thousands of dollars on video content creation (and still images) on different platforms also. Not to mention thousands in travel perks, and free gear to review, test out and keep.

As someone who has been in running Youtube for the last 15 years it's for sure changed a lot. Instagram and Tik Tok also really changed the game. Being a big time running influencer is for sure more lucrative than being a pro runner in most cases nowadays imo. You can essentially jump between running shoe brands every week and do unbiased shoe reviews that will get tens of thousands of views..... Run a 3 hour marathon with a selfie stick and get the admiration of thousands:

Influencers are often way more relatable to the average runner and people recognize themselves in the running influencer journey (mid packers) and their experience and perception of the sport. That is power in the market that is hard for pro runners and much faster runners to be able to also have.

Most pro runners do an atrocious job selling product. They just run, and seldomly in ways that attract attention to their sponsors.

Some do it extremely well. For instance when Molly Seidel threw her Pumas over her shoulder on international television intentionally covering the Nike logo on her USA uniform, while proudly brandishing USA themed KT Tape.

It’s noteworthy that everyone that posts here knows who Kofuzi is yet not one professional runners name has been cited on this thread.

That alone should clear up any questions about who is more valuable to running gear vendors.

It's noteworthy that you missed the name Molly Seidel on this post a few replies earlier than you.

That alone should clear up any questions about your reading comprehension.

Running is a terrible way to make money through any channel. A modest fraction of elites make a good living and a tiny number of running influencers make a half decent living based on running.

You have to have about a million subscribers watching a new video once a week for your Adsense income to touch a million per year. This is far from easy unless you are really really special, and a sub-elite or untalented running influencer will probably never get close. Running is just not that popular, nor is there that much new to say about running every week.

rojo’s response above is on the mark, for a change.

Envy is a very bad attitude. Avoid it.

Where is Rojo’s post? Did Wejo delete it? Also, Kuntfuzi masquerading around, pretending like he has the foggiest clue while ‘influencing’ idiots on YouTube is a display of general lack of integrity and respect for the sport and its true practitioners.

Honestly, downvote all you want. OP is right.

Another vote for the easy way out instead of striving for actual greatness? You are the problem with the world.