It is really tough being an Olympic athlete of sports that people only care about every four years. Whenever I see an athlete crying because they came in second or didn’t qualify, I think they just lost a lot of money. I mean don’t get me wrong I am sure part of their tears comes from pride but I think for the most part it is the pressure to earn big bucks. These athletes only get one chance every four years to earn your attention. And losing by fractions of a second can cost them millions.
Take for example the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt. He has secured his place in history along side Carl Lewis as an Olympian who has consecutively won the 100-meter race. Not only that but he has likely increased his annual earning to around $20 million. Bolt and his signature “lightning bolt” pose will be racking in the dough from sponsors like Puma and Visa. The Olympics are the kind of international exposure that smaller sports companies like Puma dream of. And with NBC(despite its lack of “live” coverage) pulling in top numbers from US audiences, Bolt can be assured to get the exposure he needs.
So basically Olympics competitions have become the ultimate in reality television with everyone vying for their time in the sun. I mean just looks at fellow Jamaican runner Yohan Blake who had previously beaten Bolt in trails. While the other athletes were claim and collected at the block, he was dancing. Why? Because Blake knows if you can’t beat Bolt you can at least still a little of his fame.
-M
Tags: 100-meter, 2012, annual, athletes, big bucks, blocks, Carl Lewis, competition, coverage, deals, earning, exposure, fastest man, field, gold medal, interesting, lightning, London, money, NBC, olympics, Puma, record, runners, shoes, signature pose, sponsorship, sports, track, usa, usain bolt, Visa, winner, Yohan Blake
Your Thoughts Go Here