Most pros need to supplement their monthly stipend with some part time work, at the local running store for instance. Very few are paid enough (think realistic Olympic hopefuls) to not work at all. A few work a full time 8-5 office job while also training full time, but that's the exception rather than the rule. There's also a small group that are given significant time off by their full time employer during key parts of the year to train. But the largest group of pros still work 20-30 hours a week.
I honestly have no idea, I know the big name Olympians probably don't need to but what about the less successful pros? Anyone know?
Some pros have other jobs, some don't. Allie Wilson, who just won the indoor 800, is currently unsponsored and works as a nanny.
Well, if they have other jobs, they are not professional athletes. Profession would indicate that is how they make their living. If they need to work other jobs......
Some pros have other jobs, some don't. Allie Wilson, who just won the indoor 800, is currently unsponsored and works as a nanny.
Well, if they have other jobs, they are not professional athletes. Profession would indicate that is how they make their living. If they need to work other jobs......
Do you know most NBA players had second jobs during off-season back in 1950s and 1960s?
MLB players also used to have second jobs during off season. Minor league baseball players still have second jobs during off season.
do any of the athletes train at national centers anymore? friend of mine was on her national team in her sport and they got to live at chula vista, meals, coach there, stipend, money to do national/international events. so you're not making money that way but you're taken care of and in residence with a coaching staff, and are at least subsidized on attending pro events where you can make money.
i understand a lot of the money is the sponsorships or appearance fees for big names at meets. otherwise you're fronting your trip to diamond league hoping to finish high and get good prize money. only a few really manage that. kind of like pro golf used to be. technically all pro, but a few do amazing, and some aren't even covering their travel costs. which, the baby nazi people can diss the unsuccessful, but a struggling backup NFL center isn't deciding whether to continue based on finances, even if he barely plays, and CFL players are even doing ok. i mean, a top 8 finisher at a harsh diamond league might make $500 for 8th place. that probably doesn't cover the hotel and airfare. and the darwinian baby nazis can chuckle at that, but sometimes that's a top 10-20 athlete in the world finishing 8th in a NR in some insane race. it's still $500 plus appearance fee.
this is why the whole "when is blah blah leaving college early" discussion amuses me. it's a limited set of folks in this country who make pro athlete money in the conventional sense. miles, mu, a few others.
for comparison's sake, i wanna say lindsay vonn in skiing -- who did well -- had set up a fund for other emerging skiiers where they could get money to do the european circuit. that like you needed to gather $20-30k to do their world cup season even if you made the national team. the elite athletes make that in a race or two, or could use sponsor money. the weaker athletes are like going around hitting up family and sponsors and eventually this vonn fund just to do the season. i think if you rose to certain levels you got funded better. but it was huge if you did well at a race or made the world finals. or medaled at the olympics. for both compensation and for sponsors to get out of the funding loop.
and then some of the athletes (vonn) who had to fight their way in help others, while some focus on themselves. i think shiffrin's got a fund in her dad's name.
i know skiing is a much more expensive sport and a lot of who even gets to that level is did you go to x mountain academy, but it has some resonances in terms of the need to hustle just to get to europe and race.