Dire financial straits are leading droves of Olympic athletes to sell images of their bodies to subscribers on OnlyFans — known for sexually explicit content — to sustain their dreams of gold at the Games. As they struggle to make ends meet, a spotlight is being cast on an Olympics funding system that watchdog groups condemn as “broken,” claiming most athletes “can barely pay their rent.”

The Olympics, the world’s biggest sporting stage, bring in billions of dollars in TV rights, ticket sales and sponsorship, but most athletes must fend for themselves financially.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not express concern about the situation. When asked by The Associated Press about athletes turning to OnlyFans, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said, “I would assume that athletes, like all citizens, are allowed to do what they can.”

Watching his sponsorships dry up and facing mounting costs, Jack Laugher was among the pantheon of Olympic athletes using the often-controversial platform to get to the Games — or simply survive.

  • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    They get a pittance. I had forgotten that they get $100-150 per game.

    https://www.fastcompany.com/40524880/nfl-cheerleader-pay-this-super-bowl-lets-remember-the-ultimate-wage-gap

    No hourly, no salary. They are literal gig workers, most of whom make $22,000-$25,000 per year. The ones at The Superbowl, aka the absolute top tier cheerleaders, might make a whole $70,000 a year. They may as well not be getting paid for how little they make compared to everyone else in the industry.

    • Tja@programming.dev
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      3 months ago

      It’s less than the players and coches for sure, but even the best janitor in the world doesn’t get paid 70k. It’s not a bad income…

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Added emphasis. They aren’t guaranteed to make that much, and the places that they have to live to be able to make that much, a janitor better be making more than 70k. That isn’t a liveable wage on the west coast, which is where you have to be to make that much.

          • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            I live in San Diego. I do make a lot, but with rents the way they are around here, not to mention gas prices, I’ve no idea how anyone is doing anything but barely surviving on 50k a year out here.

            I know people don’t get paid that much, but I don’t know how they do it, and I refuse to pay employees that poorly.