With Olympians making headlines for some fairly outrageous prizes, it’s simple to consider that each one medalists are set for all times. Nonetheless, not each champion’s profession is paved with gold—simply ask Daniella Ramirez.
Regardless of touchdown a coveted spot on the U.S. ladies’s synchronized swimming group and profitable a silver medal for her nation within the 2024 Paris Olympics, simply months later Ramirez needed to flip to a facet hustle to pay the payments.
“I get just enough to cover my rent a month,” she informed the BBC. “It’s not enough to be a career and this is a full-time job.”
The 24-year-old beforehand revealed she trains from 6:30 am to 2:30 pm at a minimal—even on weekends—leaving little room for a nine-to-five gig.
Enter, influencing.
Like many Gen Zers, Ramirez turned to social media content material creation as a facet gig throughout the pandemic. Now, it pays greater than being an Olympian does.
@daniellaaramirezzz
Hair was executed earlier than heat up and that is submit swim and awards…I dont know the way it was this excellent on the finish of the day. #artisticswimming #swimming #swimmer #grwm #unreadywithme #swimmingpool #teamusa #artisticswimmer #curls #curly
♬ unique sound – Daniella Ramirez
“On social media, I can make more than five times as much as what I make as an Olympic athlete each month,” Ramirez informed Fortune.
“I only just started getting paid as an athlete three years ago, and I’ve been on the national team for eight years.”
Ramirez has racked up almost 550,000 followers on TikTok alone, and thousands and thousands of persons are tuning into so-called “ASMR” movies of her peeling the gel coating off of her slick performance-ready hairdo.
“My primary job right now—the thing that makes the most money—is definitely TikTok, Instagram, and all my social media handles,” she informed the BBC.
“You are able to do issues by yourself time, by yourself schedule, make ends meet, and get to do your sport full-time.”
Most Olympians don’t become profitable from their sport
Mainstream athletes like Simone Biles could make thousands and thousands from sponsorship offers. In the meantime, a couple of fortunate lesser-known athletes like Philippines gymnast Carlos Yulo could also be set for all times with a completely furnished $555,000 condominium, over $200,000 in money, and a lifetime provide of ramen to go together with his medals if they’re one of many uncommon medalists of their nation’s historical past.
Nonetheless, most Olympians don’t get lavished with these sorts of gives.
Regardless of being the primary American lady to medal in each the Summer time and Winter Olympics, the observe and bobsled star Lauryn Williams echoed Ramirez’ frustration, saying her cellphone wasn’t precisely buzzing with work alternatives, both.
“The information protection got here, however the sponsors didn’t,” revealed Williams.
“There’s this misconception that because I’m the first to do this thing—and still no one else has done it—that I’m booked all year long for speaking engagements … I get things here or there, but I can’t make a living from it,” she stated.
Like Ramirez, she’s needed to flip to different work to make ends meet—and so they’re removed from alone.
A 2020 survey of 500 Olympic-level athletes throughout 48 nations discovered that 58% didn’t contemplate themselves “financially stable” with respondents complaining they should reside off “casual work” as a substitute of their sport.
The Worldwide Olympic Committee doesn’t present prize cash to individuals or medal winners. As an alternative, it’s as much as particular person nations and the governing our bodies of their sports activities to award prize cash, if any.
U.S. athletes who take house a gold medal obtain $37,500, for instance, with silver incomes $22,500 and bronze $15,000 (British athletes don’t obtain any money bonus for his or her wins in any respect). However these awards pale when in comparison with the life-style and work ethic wanted to carry out at that stage.
“The Prize money from the competition does help a lot, but many times it won’t come in for a while, even sometimes more than 6 months after a competition has finished,” Ramirez informed Fortune.
“I can sympathize with any other athlete struggling to deal with the financial burden of training full-time,” she added. “My advice would be to use social media as a way to showcase the coolest things or even just the quirkiest thing about your sport. People love to be behind the scenes—and you never know.”
A model of this story initially revealed on Fortune.com on August 28, 2024.
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
