How Olympic athletes pay the rent

If you’re dreaming of becoming an Olympic athlete, remember that beyond all the training, competition and glory there is a lot of financial struggle. Training for the Olympics (never mind competing) is at least a full-time (usually unpaid) job and even Olympians have to pay the rent.

A CNN Money article explains:

These world-class athletes are in the spotlight for two weeks every couple of years. But for the most part, they’re just regular people who have to make a living as teachers, fitness instructors or market researchers, all while putting in hours of grueling sports training.

For every Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn, two gold medalists who have scored multi-million dollar endorsement deals, there are hundreds more who struggle with everyday jobs.

So how do Olympic athletes survive financially?

In the United States, where many athletes begin training at an early age, training costs are often paid by their parents. Those expenses can run into tens of thousands annually for the most talented youngsters.

After high school,  colleges and universities become an athlete’s primary source of training. Often competing on scholarship, these athletes’ efforts are rewarded not only with top-notch coaching but with financial aid to complete their education.

When an athlete is selected to a national team, some funding usually becomes available from the USOC which relies on corporate sponsors and private donations. But that generally isn’t enough to cover their travel, tournament, and equipment costs.

Expenses pile up fast.  According the CNN Money article, Olympic curler Nicole Joraanstad says a single season competing just to qualify for the Olympics costs as much as $150,000.

Many athletes used to work at the Home Depot,  a company that since 2004 had been a part of the Olympic Job Opportunities Program (OJOP), a partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee that pays athletes full-time salaries and benefits for working part-time hours. But the retailer folded OJOP in 2009, after four years as the exclusive sponsor.

The USOC also partners with staffing firms to help athletes secure flexible positions. The Adecco Group, a Zurich, Switzerland-based global staffing firm, recently renewed its contract with the U.S.O.C. through 2012.

Strong work ethics and time management skills make athletes attractive to employers, says Patricia Wilson, brand director for Adecco Group North America. “Athletes know how to succeed independently, but they [also] know the importance of being a team player,” she said.

In the early days of the modern Olympics, all the participants were amateurs. The Olympic mystique suggested that anyone could be a contender. Ordinary people dreamed of being Olympians, and the dreams spurred athletic activity all over the world.

Then the Soviet Union and its  Communist allies entered the games. Their athletes were fully supported by their governments. None ever held a job. They trained 8 hours a day, 365 days a year. They won most of the gold, silver and bronze during the 1970s and 1980s.  It was unfair and in 1986, the IOC  changed its rule book (Olympic Charter) to allow “all the world’s great male and female athletes to participate.”

Money has changed the look and feel of the Olympics. To remain competitive, athletes have to rely on their families and sponsors for expensive equipment, travel and training expenses.

Winter athletes may have the hardest time  since their sports are more popular outside of the United States. What’s worse is that the United States won’t host an Olympic winter or summer event for some time, pushing U.S. athletes further out of the spotlight. Athletes may fade from attention in off-Olympic years, but they still have to support themselves.

Most nations support their Olympic athletes  financially, but the U.S. government gives zero money to its athletes. All the host cities in the world except those in the USA have supported their host Winter and Summer Olympics with billions of dollars. Many countries also reward their medalists with money for landing on the podium.

The USOC does offer “medal bonuses” (currently $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for Silver, and $10,000 for Bronze) and while the bonuses are a nice way to reward athletes for a big accomplishment, very few will ever enjoy the steady income that comes with a corporate sponsorship, making what they endure to compete all the more impressive.

Regardless of who foots the bill, the true test of an Olympian is their passion and how hard they train. Money cannot buy the drive and persistence of an Olympian.

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Winter Olympians show us the money

Just as the Vancouver Games are about to get underway, Forbes released a list of the highest-earning Winter Olympic athletes from last year. The name at the top of the list probably won’t surprise anyone – U.S. Snowboarder Shaun White, who earned about $8 million last year,  stars in his own video game and has his own clothing line along with a long list of sponsors.

What may surprise you is the young woman who is tied with White for the top spot. Korean figure skater Kim Yu-Na is the reigning world champion and known as “Queen Yu-na. ” The 19-year-old is tied White with earnings thanks in part to a Samsung phone that carries her name, according to Forbes. The mag previously named her the most powerful celebrity in South Korea for 2009.

Being a female skier or snowboarder  can also be good for the wallet. Downhill champ Lindsey Vonn is on the boards with $3 million in earnings and 2006 Olympic halfpipe silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler, 2006 Olympic snowboard cross silver medalist Lindsey Jacobellis and reigning Olympic halfpipe champion Hannah Teter all earned in the neighborhood of $1 million.

At the other end of the scale of Winter Olympian earnings are sliders, curlers and speed skaters who often go into debt to compete in their sport and survive in part thanks to support from their families and  local businesses.

Top-10 highest-earning Olympic athletes, according to Forbes

1. Shaun White, U.S., Snowboarding ($7.5 million)
1. Kim Yu-Na, South Korea, Figure Skating ($7.5 million)
3. Lindsey Vonn, U.S., Alpine Skiing ($2.5 million)
4. Ted Ligety, U.S., Alpine Skiing ($2 million)
5. Apolo Ohno, U.S., Short Track ($1.5 million)
6. Bode Miller, U.S., Alpine Skiing ($1.3 million)
7. Gretchen Bleiler, U.S., Snowboarding ($1 million)
7. Lindsey Jacobellis, U.S., Snowboarding ($1 million)
7. Hannah Teter, U.S., Snowboarding ($1 million)
7. Maria Riesch, Germany, Alpine Skiing ($1 million)

Maria Sharapova signs record-breaking contract with Nike

If you’re an up and coming sports superstar, you may be interested to know a bit about the business of sports.

This week it was announced that Russian tennis champ Maria Sharapova has renewed her sponsorship agreement with Nike for $70 million (yikes) over the next eight years, the largest endorsement deal for a female athlete in history. The contract tops Venus Williams’ five-year, $45-million deal signed with Reebok in 2000, and includes the launch of a clothing line designed by Sharapova, for which she will get a share of the profits.

Nike, the world’s largest athletic-shoe maker, has worked with the Russian tennis player for 11 years. Since winning Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 17, Sharapova has become one of the biggest draws on the WTA Tour and the world’s best-paid female athlete.

The deal extension comes less than a year after Sharapova returned from a right-shoulder injury that sidelined her for nine months and forced her to undergo surgery. The best part of the new eight-year deal with the 22-year-old athlete is that Nike is looking beyond her retirement. And Masha’s agent has said that she’s becoming more and more interested in having a hands-on creative role in companies she’s works with as well as an ownership stake.

Sharapova currently makes close to $22 million a year in prize money and from endorsing companies including Tiffany & Co., Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd. and Canon Inc., according to Sports Illustrated. She was the only woman in the magazine’s July list of the top 20 highest-earning non-U.S. athletes.

Sharapova has won 20 Women’s Tennis Association titles including three majors. In August 2005 she became the first Russian female tennis player to be ranked number one in the world. She took a 10-month break from the court after undergoing shoulder surgery in July 2008, but has proven herself a force to be reckoned since her comeback, advancing to the semi-finals of the French Open last year and pulling her world ranking up to 14th.

Sporty Saturday Spotlight 10-24-09

This Saturday the sporty spotlight shines bright on fourteen-year-old superstar skateboarder, Stacia Suttles. Stacia hails from Bronx, New York (Go Yankees!). Today she shares her biggest lessons, balancing three sports, and the dish on her skateboarding sponsors. Check out her insightful interview below.

Name: Stacia Suttles           

Age: 14

Sport(s): skateboarding, tae-kwon-do, basketball

Hometown: Bronx, NY

High School/Middle School/College: St. Catherine Academy

Number: 31

Position: forward (basketball)

What’s your fave sport? skateboarding

How many years have you been playing your fave sport? 10 years

What was your fave sporty moment or memory? Learning how to drop in a ramp

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from playing your sport?

To never give up.

What have you learned about teamwork?

In basketball you need to work together with your team, and you can’t act as if you are alone.

How do you balance school and sports?

I get my schoolwork done first, then comes skating, basketball, and tae-kwon-do.  When I am in school, I think about school, and when I am doing a sport, I think about the sport.

List some awards or accolades you’ve received.

In tae-kwon-do I have achieved the level of half/black belt, and in November 2009 I will get my 1^st degree black belt.

Who’s your fave athlete, both male and female?

Ross Levine(martial arts), Danny Way(skateboarding), Rajon Rondo(basketball), Layla Ali(female boxer)

Are you sponsored? If so, by who?

Yes I am sponsored in skateboarding, by Fuel clothing, Division 26 clothing, Physcho wear, Aplomb clothing, F1 ceramic bearings, IPath footwear, SMX Optics, Christopher bean coffee, Drop in ride shop, and warrior skateboards.

What’s the girliest thing you like to do? (Pretty Tough signature question)

I like to have a lot of clothes, and sneakers. I also like to have my hair nice.

Thanks, Stacia! Good luck with your skateboarding career, sponsorships, and earning your black belt. I love your advice to ‘never give up’. Good stuff.

Do you want to be spotlighted? Send an email to kerimikulski(at)gmail(dot)com.

Happy Saturday!

Adecco sponsors tennis champion Kim Clijsters comeback

The comeback from a two-year retirement of tennis star Kim Clijsters has been boosted by the signing of a sponsorship deal with human resources company Adecco.

The 26-year-old Belgian left professional tennis in 2007 to start a family and in February 2008 she gave birth to daughter Jada. During her first career, Clijsters ranked for a total of 16 weeks as the No. 1 tennis player in the world, won 34 WTA singles titles and 11 WTA doubles titles. Her first official WTA Tour comeback tournament will be Cincinnati (USA), starting on August 10, followed by Toronto (CAN) on August 17 and the US Open in New York, which begins August 30.

“We are delighted to sponsor the comeback of such a great personality as Kim Clijsters,” said Patrick De Maeseneire, chief executive of the Adecco Group. “The support of athletes around the world has a long-lasting tradition at Adecco. It embodies our values of helping passionate people to achieve their aims in the world of work and life.”

“I am very excited about starting this partnership with Adecco as I return to competition and start my second professional career,” said Kim Clijsters. “Teaming up with Adecco, a world leader in Human Resources, gives me confidence in taking up the challenge of combining my career with my family life. I feel it is important to partner with a brand which understands people’s motivations, one that gives them the best advice and support to achieve a better working life.”

Adecco also supports the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee Athlete Career Programme.

If the comeback doesn’t work out, maybe Adecco can help Clijsters get a job.

Bronze Team

Welcome to the 2009 Pretty Tough Bronze Team:

AAA
Kristie Adonizio Home: Wilkes-Barre, PA Sport: Snowboard Age: 18
BBB
Heather Barrymore Home: Pittsburg, KS Sport: Motocross Age: 26	Amanda Beil Home: Cleveland, OH Sport: Snowboard Age: 22
Nicky Bramlet Home: VA Sport: Skateboard Age: 14	Casey Brauer Home: Pocono Summit, PA Sport: Snowboard Age: 17
	Mariah Bridgman Home: Greenbush, MI Sport: BMX Age: 14
Danielle Broman Home: Andover, OH Sport: Motocross Age: 20	Hannah Brown Home: San Clemente, CA Sport: Skateboard Age: 15
Victoria Burgess Home: Lighthouse Point, FL Sport: Surf Longboard Age: 24	Sarah Burnand Home: San Diego, CA Sport: Surf Shortboard Age: 18
Katie Burt Home: Grass Valley, CA Sport: Snowboard Age: 18
CCC
Kelsea Cass Home: Haleiwa, HI Sport: Surf Shortboard Age: 14	Chrissa Crooks Home: Ooltewah, TN Sport: Supercross Age: 19
DDD
Kierra Delco Home: Mesa, AZ Sport: Skateboard Age: 15	Rachel Dickerson Home: Kitty Hawk, NC Sport: Snowboard Age: 15
Alexis DiBucci Home: Elmira, NY Sport: BMX Age: 13
EEE
Madeline Erickson Home: Mont Clare, PA Sport: Snowboard/Skateboard Age: 14
FFF
Taylor Farnsworth Home: Schnecksville, PA Sport: Cycling Age: 14
GGG
Taylor Glynn Home: Moline, IL Sport: BMX Age: 16	Kilali Gibson Home: Honolulu, HI Sport: Surf Longboard Age: 18
Ally Goebel Home: Mukwonago, WI Sport: Snowboard Age: 19	Morgan Goldsborough Home: Land O Lakes, FL Sport: Motocross Age: 14
Sarah Gray Home: DE Sport: Skateboard Age: 18	Caitlin Grimes Home: Concord, NC Sport: Martial Arts Age: 14
Angel Grijalva Home: Box Elder, SD Sport: BMX Age: 15
HHH
Metissa Hampton Home: Dodge City, KS Sport: Motocross Age: 15	Melissa Hanson Home: Flemington, NJ Sport: Mountain Bike Age: 35
Lauren Hauser Home: Avila Beach, CA Sport: Snowboard Age: 19	Ashley Hayes Home: San Marcos, CA Sport: Motocross Age: 20
Christina Holmes Home: Narragansett, RI Sport: Snowboard Age: 18
III
Nicole Imbriani Home: Millstone, NJ Sport: Snowboard Age: 20
JJJ
Adrienne Jackson Home: Austin, TX Sport: Skateboard Age: 14	Rachel Jones Home: Aiken, SC Sport: Motocross Age: 15
KKK
Adrienne King Home: Highland Mills, NY Sport: Snowboard Age: 17	Deb Klahn Home: Avon, IN Sport: Mountain Biking Age: 31
LLL
Larissa Lambrou Home: Solana Beach, CA Sport: Surf Shortboard Age: 13	Ali Lebofsky Home: Littleton, CO Sport: Snowboard Age: 17
Sara Locke Home: Carlsbad, CA Sport: Surf Shortboard Age: 14	Kristen Larson Home: Holliston, MA Sport: Snowboard Age: 16
MMM
Aspen Martin Home: Pensacola, FL Sport: Skateboard Age: 15	Mandy Medrick Home: Irvine, CA Sport: Snowboard Age: 19
Nicole Miller Home: Johnstown , OH Sport: Motorcross/Supercross Age: 16	Julie Mondak Home: Rocky Hill, CT Sport: Snowboard/Skateboard Age: 16
Cara Moran Home: Shellrock, IA Sport: Motocross Age: 23	Carli Morss Home: Whittier, CA Sport: Snowboard Age: 16
Courtney Myers Home: Metter, GA Sport: Skateboard Age: 18
NNN
Amanda Novak Home: Salem, CT Sport: Motocross Age: 20
RRR
Haley Richards Home: Albany, OR Sport: Surf Longboard Age: 16	Ashley Russell Home: West Islip, NY Sport: Surf Shortboard Age: 19
Rachel Russell Home: Weare, NH Sport: Snowboard Age: 14	Nicole Rybak Home: Farmington, MN Sport: Snowboard Age: 18
SSS
Tori Sallo Home: Jermyn, PA Sport: Ski Age: 16	Britni Santee Home: Wyalusing, PA Sport: ATV Age: 19
Taylor Sapienza Home: Maryville, IL Sport: Motocross Age: 16	Adrienne Sciarretti Home: Pittsburgh, PA Sport: Motocross Age: 16
Sasha Senior Home: Milwaukee, WI Sport: Skateboard Age: 19	April Smith Home: San Jose, CA Sport: BMX Age: 40
Edie Smith Home: NV, CA Sport: Snowboard Age: 18	Nicole Smith Home: Phelan, CA Sport: Skateboard Age: 14
Sareha Sulesky Home: Lebanon, OH Sport: Snowboard/Surf Age: 17	Shelli Swindell Home: Solana Beach, CA Sport: Surf/Shortboard Age: 15
TTT
Alyssa Talbot Home: Killington, VT Sport: Snowboard Age: 19	Missy Thomas Home: Ellenboro, NC Sport: Motocross Age: 17
BeckyAurora Thompson Home: Parker, SD Sport: Snowboard Age: 18
UUU
Katie Uritis Home: Pembroke Pines, FL Sport: Surf Longboard Age: 16
VVV
Cady VanCura Home: Grand Haven, MI Sport: Motocross Age: 16
WWW
Joyce Wang Home: Cupertino, CA Sport: Surf Shortboard Age: 18	Zoe Weber Home: Central, SC Sport: Skateboard Age: 15
Bree Wiest Home: Rimforest, CA Sport: Snowboard Age: 19	Tiffany Woody Home: Spruce Pine, NC Sport: Motocross Age: 22
Trisha Wynne Home: Point Pleasant Beach, NJ Sport: Surf/Snowboard Age: 13
YYY
Krista Yergeau Home: Fairfax, VT Sport: Motocross Age: 19
ZZZ
Emily Zeilinger Home: Lincoln, NE Sport: Motocross Age: 14

Teenage surfing phenom Carissa Moore’s big deal

November 18, 2008 – Eleven-time NSSA National champ, former Roxy Pro Gold Coast runner-up and sure-to-be future world champ Carissa Moore has just upped the ante – this time in the sponsorship arena.

Recently split from her longtime sponsor Roxy, the Hawaiian teen has signed two major deals – one with Red Bull and the other with Nike 6.0. 

According to Surfing Magazine,

All said and done, the 16-year-old Punahou junior will likely be enjoying one of the most lucrative contracts in female pro surfing history (estimated to be in the range of three-quarters of a million dollars by one anonymous source). “Carissa’s new agreements have for the first time ever shattered the glass ceiling of surfing sponsorship, opening up new and never heard of before possibilities for other surfers to eventually emulate,” says [agent Bryan] Taylor.

Moore is apparently also close to making a deal with a major department store – kind of like the deal snowboarder Shaun White made earlier this year to “design” a fashion line for Target.

And as a “head to toe” Nike rider, Moore will likely be marketed not just in the surf world, but in some of their more mainstream campaigns as well joining the likes of well-known Nike athletes Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova and LeBron James.

After eight years with Roxy, Moore’s split from the sponsor who’s been with her since the beginning is truly the end of an era. It seems a bittersweet transition but it’s great that Nike and Red Bull are stepping up to the plate with women’s surfing and Moore seems a great choice to represent the sport.

To other brands looking for the TNBT – there’s a whole new generation of super groms stealing the show.