Almost half of Australia's elite athletes 'earn below the poverty line'
Almost half of Australia's elite athletes 'earn below the poverty line'
Australia risks an exodus of top athletes ahead of the Olympics as many buckle under financial pressures and consider quitting, survey results show.
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TBH I don't really care. I don't think "elite athletes" should be getting any government funded pay. Playing sport is a privilege, not a right, and just because you're good at it doesn't mean you should be rich.
If your sport can't afford to pay you lots of money there's a reason for that - the sport doesn't generate a lot of money. It's the same argument with women's sports - they want equal pay but they don't bring in equal revenue, so where exactly is that equal pay supposed to come from? You can't play a female soccer player $30 million a year when the entire league only brings in $10 million revenue in total.
There is a difference between being rich and being above the poverty line.
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Excuse me? I stated a fact. The person I was replying to started by implying that elite sports people want to be rich. The article is about elite sports people being below the poverty line. These are two separate things.
If someone is an elite sports person they sacrifice a huge amount to get where they are. They are paraded around by TV networks, media, their government, their team/association. I'm pretty sure all those people benefiting from the personal sacrifices and hard work of the athletes aren't living below the poverty line.