David Oliver tweet: We make more than you'd think

With much thanks to folks like Wejo and Rojo for pumping up the race card in Lemaitre's case.

Why are track incomes such a mystery. Every major professional sport makes their incomes public information. If we understood how much track athletes can make, it would inspire a whole other group of potential athletes. Face it kids want to make money, it isn't just for the love of the sport. We all understand track athletes make no where near what other professional athletes make, but kids have to understand that you can make some money. I bet the average kid doesn't even know you can make anything.

contract money maybe but the endorement deals are the hard things to pin down in all sports.

Ten MILLION!?!?!?!?!

Dude, you are HIGH!

This is too funny. 1000th time reader, first time poster!

This is a fantasy of yours. Keep thinking that's what he made and maybe just maybe it will come true!

PoloBear wrote:

With much thanks to folks like Wejo and Rojo for pumping up the race card in Lemaitre's case.

Unfortunately the race card does count. Like Solinsky breaking 27min or Ritzenhein/Solinksky/Tegenkamp was a bigger deal than Lagat's AR. Lemaitre is a real star on the Euro-circuit, but not bigger than Bolt. Those people attract attendance, like Liu does in China.

Only, the Jamaican shows up just once in a while, and that's what is the biggest problem in the sport. Imagine a Lakers' season with Kobe just playing like 20% of all games + play-offs. He can't be everywhere (like doing Oslo and NYC DL-meets) at the same time, but his number of appearances are very low. It's not just about Bolt, but also other runningstars should commit themselves to the series of meets, like most field-eventers. They do shine at DL-meets.

stanhope wrote:

Unfortunately the race card does count. Like Solinsky breaking 27min or Ritzenhein/Solinksky/Tegenkamp was a bigger deal than Lagat's AR. Lemaitre is a real star on the Euro-circuit, but not bigger than Bolt. Those people attract attendance, like Liu does in China.

Only, the Jamaican shows up just once in a while, and that's what is the biggest problem in the sport. Imagine a Lakers' season with Kobe just playing like 20% of all games + play-offs. He can't be everywhere (like doing Oslo and NYC DL-meets) at the same time, but his number of appearances are very low. It's not just about Bolt, but also other runningstars should commit themselves to the series of meets, like most field-eventers. They do shine at DL-meets.

But it increases his value. Bolt's appearance fee must be through the roof. If he raced every weekend, two things would happen: 1) He would lose more often, making him seem like less of a big deal and 2) his appearance fee would have to go down, because same demand more supply.

Push Alt F4 wrote:

He only makes more than the others because he threatens to use his hurdle skills to kick their heads off and then finish them off with his biceps.

POW!

-Post of The WEEK!

...These guys make more than you think.

I do understand this basics of economics ;-)

If his participation leads to better tv-contracts and sponsorship deals he'll also take advantage of that. Compare Bolt's earnings to A-Rod's or even the Red Sox firstbase-man's salary and you'll get my point, let alone the earnings of the other 7 or 8 guys Bolt beats.

My point is that too often the best athletes forfeit competition to really improve the sports popularity (and following that athletes payment).

NYC runner wrote:

Why are track incomes such a mystery. Every major professional sport makes their incomes public information.

Team salaries, yes. But not personal endorsements.

It's one thing to cheer on an athlete because he or she comes from your country (like the 25 000 or so Jamaicans that show up at Penn Relays each year to root for the high schoolers from Kingston College, Camperdown, St Jago, Munro College and the rest), and quite another to promote or focus on an athlete solely on the basis of race or ethnicity. The issue with Lagat is not race, it is country of origin. If Khadevis Robinson were to win the gold at world's we would totally see that as a legitimate "american" medal.

The French have all the reason in the world to root for Lemaitre, though my suspicion is that he gets higher appearance fees than good French-arab middle distance runners because he is a white runner excelling in a black-dominated event and that he is more "french" than the arab-french runners. And it's a little ugly, in my opinion. Wejo and Rojo have fed into this.

PRIZE MONEY

Per each event at each meeting

All 32 disciplines have the same prize money with a total of 30’000 USD x 16 = 480‘000 USD per meeting

Place Prize Money

1. 10.000 USD

2. 6.000 USD

3. 4.000 USD

4. 3.000 USD

5. 2.500 USD

6. 2.000 USD

7. 1.500 USD

8. 1.000 USD

Diamond Race Trophy

per each Diamond Race winner at the end of the season

The winner of each of the 32 Diamond Races will receive a 40’000 USD cash prize and a spectacular Diamond Trophy created by Beyer, one of the oldest and most respected jewelers in the world, which was established in Zurich in the 18th century.

Michael Johnson has a net worth of around 7 million according to this.

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/michael-johnson-net-worth/

yes, 10 million, or MJs public tax records would be be evidence in a fraud case

Who are Bob Kennedy and Alan Culpepper.

Each of the major sports has about 300 people making at least $1M a year.

You think there are even 10 track athletes making $1M per year?

David Oliver is the equivalent to a first team all NBA player in terms of profile compared to his sport but I doubt his income touches the typical NBA starter.

When he says "we" make more money than you think, he is not talking even about the average Olympic medalist.

"He" may make more than you think

I doubt culpepper, her was with adidas for the most part.

What Else wrote:

Who are Bob Kennedy and Alan Culpepper.

I know how much these guys make. Ryan brown (800m) signed with asics for 150k base plus incentives. 150k pesos.

Big Fut wrote:

Most NBA and NFL players are bankrupt 6 years after they are out of the league. I don't know the statistics in T&F but I would say its a lot less.

Why don't you just make up the statistics for T&F like you did for NFL and NBA?

Track athletes salaries are a big mystery because they are highly incentive based. There are appearances fees and prize money for place in a race but your primary money comes for your shoe contract which could be something like $30k base plus incentives. Obviously the base salary is dependent on how good you are. But its usually not a lot. A six figure base is for an extra special runner. The incentives are where guys can really make money. Incentives can be your ranking in US or World, placing at US, Olympic, and World Camps and setting a US or world record. Also your picture on the cover or inside a magazine (of course wearing singlet with shoe company Logo), and so on. Also keep in mind your agent gets a percentage of EVERYTHING(may be 15-20%). Usually all money goes to them, they takes their cut and then cut you a check. The problem with track is it's like a commission job. You got to perform to get paid. You can have a great year make 150k then get hurt the next year and make 30k. And obviously when you're done all the money stops coming in. NBA, NFL, MLB, are all way better options even if you’re a bench warm. Oliver makes most of his money from appearance fees. When you have the ability to break a world record anything you set foot on the track you make top dollar. I would guess the top European meets pay him anywhere from 40k-80k just to toe the line.

I've notice most contracts go up to the Olympic year. In other words they sign you up based on what they think you can do at the Olymics. So god forbid you're a promising talent but stunk it up at the trials and didn't make the olympic team, your contract will be drastically smaller the next year.