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.
A lot of people seem to be missing the point.
There is nothing wrong with sex work or having an OnlyFans. There is absolutely a lot wrong with the fact that the top athletes of our world who perform on the top athletic stage of the world are destitute to the point of having to fund themselves this way. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe anyone should have to use this as a last resort either but it’s very telling of society as it currently is when these people are having to do so.
To be clear, it has not been established that this is the last resort, but rather that it’s better than the alternatives. Which is to say, if you’ve gotten famous but the organization that made you famous isn’t paying you well, you might look for other ways to monetize the attention. Being at the top of international sports is such a fleeting thing, so if some of these athletes want to capitalize on the moment, they better not wait until next year because who the hell knows when their career will rapidly change.
The Olympics was intended for amateur athletes, but they’re all essentially professionals now if they have any chance of medaling (the Turkish shooter excepted) because they get years of specialized training. And, of course, they find endless new ways to abuse those athletes’ bodies by using ever-more sophisticated ways to secretly dope them.
Half of them will be broken by the time they’re 30. I’m not at all surprised that this is what they have to resort to.
And the Olympics being for “amateurs” was a deliberate effort by the Olympic committee when the modern games were started to exclude the working classes from competing.
The whole “best of the best” is just branding. The Olympics needs serious reform.
Yeah, by “amateurs” they meant wealthy men who didn’t work and so had spare time to get good at sport. Really good Behind the Bastards episodes that touch on this actually.
Behind the Bastards - Part One: How Avery Brundage Gave Hitler an Olympics
Behind the Bastards - Part Two: How Avery Brundage Gave Hitler an Olympics
Hell yeah, another BTB listener? There’s dozens of us, dozens!
There’s millions who stream or download each episode. It’s in the top 200 podcasts by listener, and there is a shitload of podcasts out there.
You know who else gives things to Hitler?
The products and services that support this comment thread!
We need to come up with like…a secret handshake…or like…idfk…a gang sign or something?
a 4 Garret diamond?
Based
A fellow podcast addict user, I see.
There’s dozens of us!
Do you know why? Because rich people didn’t want to compete against the poor. If you couldn’t afford to compete, you didn’t. The rich can’t didn’t fancy meeting Gary the local bouncer in a boxing match.
History of Olympics is fucked up.
History of everything is fucked up.
Power, money, and violence are usually how things go, the bubble of “freedom” that has existed for a few hundred years maybe be yielding.
Why is the Turkish shooter excepted?
Because he apparently didn’t have years of training, based on what I read.
He’s been shooting for a long time and has a bunch of records and awards.
But not professional training.
Who is downvoting this? He literally said that he didn’t had a coach, yeah he was a soldier but it’s just them alone training (it was a mixed team competition)
It’s not a ‘broken’ system - it’s a broken system. You don’t need the quotes when it’s factual.
It’s ok to use quotes when quoting someone.
“It’S oK tO uSe QuOtEs WhEn QuOtInG sOmEoNe.”
- sik0fewl (emphasis mine)
Imagine throwing a tantrum over something this trivial.
Imagine not understanding when someone’s making a joke
If you have to tell people you were joking, then it wasn’t a good joke.
For what its worth, I chuckled.
Well, your joke wasn’t funny.
As per many style guides, the quotes in classic news-media are used to indicate they’re quoting someone and it’s not the copy-writer’s opinion.
Don’t worry, Coca-Cola and the like will continue making buckets of cash from the Olympics…
Wait non companies need money too?
Wow, what a world where super-hot hard-bodied Olympians have to create OnlyFans pages to make ends meet. I will want to do more research on this.
Does anyone know the specific pages they’re talking about? For research.
Me too wants to financially support them
Um, my country doesn’t fund its athletes’ travel and entry to the games; and training is a sponsorship deal already. It’s a hidden hustle to get to compete, and it’s not talked about but it’s definitely part of every athlete’s job at this point.
We talk about funding our hopefuls, out of some federal sports fund-bucket, but the conservatives argue that’s a waste of money when they already don’t want to fund schools or healthcare.
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.”
Fark you. (Channeling Joe Pesci): “You only HAVE those billions in ticket sales, sponsorships and TV rights because the athletes make that possible!”
I think you’re misrepresenting the overtone. Surely the question came across as one of, doesn’t IOC think this action is inappropriate? Aren’t you going to stop them? And he’s saying no.
Aaaaand we’ve reached yet another low. I dunno, but this really is a punch in the gut for me.
Countries and cities spend BILLIONS on the stuoid olympics (or footbal world cups), building stadiums that will be abandoned right after the event is over, we ignore slavery and corruption (hello quatar, hello fifa!) and abuses, and the athletes themselves? Nobody gives a shit, go prostitute yourself!
But the Olympics and the world cup are awesome!! /s
And just to clarify: all respect to the athletes, they are awesome but they are participating in abusive events, unfortunately.
If you can imagine the ancient Olympics with all those naked male athletes running and flexing, the sex trade would have been happening back then too.
Lots of consensual sex happens in modern Olympic villages today, because just healthy young people getting together.
I thought the point being made here is that they should be making enough money to not have to resort to Only fans.
What does whether they’re getting it on in camp or not have to do with this article?
I think people are forgetting something, which is that younger people like clout. OnlyFans isn’t really that taboo for a lot of younger people. It’s associated with being hot and making money. A lot of Olympians probably WANTED their OnlyFans to pop off because they thought it was cool. And they don’t have to show full nudes or sex, many just post in swimsuits, softcore porn, or tasteful covered nudes. Being “forced” to do OnlyFans is a bit of a stretch for some athletes, but I agree that the games in general are exploiting the athletes. I think the games themselves could be considered a type of sex work, though.
While some athletes say they don’t see what they’re doing as sex work, German diver Bartel put it frankly: “In sport, you wear nothing but a Speedo, so you’re close to being naked.”
“The entire funding model for Olympic sport is broken. The IOC generates now over US$1.7 billion per year and they refuse to pay athletes who attend the Olympics,” said Rob Koehler, Global Athlete’s director general.
He criticized the IOC for forcing athletes to sign away their image rights.
“The majority of athletes can barely pay their rent, yet the IOC, national Olympic committees and national federations that oversee the sport have employees making over six figures. They all are making money off the backs of athletes. In a way, it is akin to modern-day slavery,” Koehler said.
It is amazing how sex work specifically makes people hate capitalism. People don’t mind a capitalist, but as soon as that capitalist is a pimp or madame, then they can see the immorality
It is amazing how sex work specifically makes people hate capitalism. People don’t mind a capitalist, but as soon as that capitalist is a pimp or madame, then they can see the immorality
Cause sex work allows social mobility. The feudalistic lords also hated merchants cause they threatened the social hierarchy.
100%! Sex work is inherently empowering and destroys typical power dynamics in cishet monogamous relationships.
Problem is that people in the Olympics aren’t supposed to be professional athletes. IOW they can’t make any money off their skills. I think the Olympic rules have sought to reinforce that not because they really don’t want paid athletes, just that they want everyone surrounding the Olympic entertainment industry to get paid instead. Networks, venues, vendors, etc.
Isn’t it up to the athletes then to not participate and boycott the olympics until they treat their talent better?
They should unionize.
Now we know what all those condoms in the Olympic village are for.
Most of the sports in the Olympics aren’t really money makers. That’s more or less always been the case. Many athletes train while working fulltime. Maybe it’s good OF and things like it provide another outlet. Some countries fund their athletes, and others don’t. If anyone is upset about people making a fortune off of it, you can always stop supporting it.
People are upset that professional athletes at the world stage, the best of the best, that bring glory and medals to their countries are left to fend for themselves between events.
deleted by creator
I’m even more upset that the best teacher or the best social worker doesn’t get any recognition at all.
A dude/dudette skateboarding, jumping or shooting with a bow doesn’t bring me any value, entertainment or otherwise. If they can’t find a sponsor, tough luck.
i feel like these athletes need to have a plan B for real jobs.
the olympics have been bastardized into a corporate for-profit orgy. theres no honor in these games. its sad that these humans who feel they are accomplishing something dont see the truth; theyre just tools that can be discarded.
Well, the plan is to get corporate sponsors. That’s always been the road.
Edit: always as in the past ~50 years.
really? which corps sponsored the roman olympics?
or is this a recent requirement because humans dont actually put money into humanities without some profit incentive?
I edited the comment prior to your reply specifying the last 50 years.
and thats spose to make it ok?
The comment was never not okay. It’s a comment. Don’t be mad that I thought to be more specific about my comment before you got a chance to take your bad day out on a random person. I suggest taking your crappy attitude somewhere else. I assure you, no satisfaction will be gained by talking to me.
i was expecting a discussion on the poisoning of the olympics by corporate entities, but all you did was point out it is ‘new’ as if that matters somehow
I assure you, no satisfaction will be gained by talking to me.
too late, but i get it; youre done. no prob
If that’s what you wanted, you should have been more specific instead of assuming a jab would have been the proper way to have a polite conversation. I’m glad to know you can get satisfaction out of playing with yourself online. ✌️
I have bad news for you: Nobody is here to fulfill your expectations.
In the Roman Olympics, only rich people could compete. Now it’s better, not perfect, but better.
Links… For science…
Its really unfortunate that their careers can’t be self sustaining and they have to resort to two jobs, but on the other hand I couldn’t be happier about their secondary career choice so
Make the “permanent” seats on the UN Security Council conditional on being in the top five Olympic gold medal rankings and all of a sudden we’ll see endless streams of government funding for athletes.
