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.
Your argument is either disingenuous or in bad faith.
Their point is very clear and you have not presented a good counter-argument.
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.
I don't agree with people here not caring about this. Why should anyone earn below the poverty line?
If producing value is what gives you the right to live, then why do managers and manager's managers get so highly paid? Does that also mean that artists shouldn't get to live either unless they're doing graphic art for a company?
Why don't I get paid for professionally posting on Lemmy? Why don't I get paid for professionally sitting on my couch?
Just because you're doing something doesn't mean you should be paid for it.
Athletes aren't paid very little because of being oppressed. They are paid very little because of their work being of very little (if any) worth.
That can be extended to anything that isn't practical or useful, what I'm saying isn't that you should be paid for sitting on your couch specifically, what I'm saying is that you should have enough money to cover your needs even if your job is creating very abstract art, being a professional swimmer, or an artificial one like managing a manager.
You want a universal basic income then. I also want that to happen, as it will allow more people to chase their dream career while being able to afford to live.
Who is responsible for providing for people who choose not to contribute?
I'm not working away all day when I could be persuing a hobby and still getting paid just so someone else can persue a hobby and get paid
I would think being an elite athlete is way beyond just a hobby.
Running a few laps around the field every day, yes a hobby. Being faster or able to run farther than 95% of the Australian population, that's way beyond hobby levels.
These are activities that only exist for the sake of the participants and are not financially self-sufficient
They may be super intense hobbies, but if they aren't jobs or charitable services, they are still hobbies
I'm not talking about luxuries or even a comfortable life, I just think that everyone should have enough to live under a roof and have enough to eat healthy every day.
They earn below the poverty line because they’re not generally working full time jobs because they’re chasing their sporting dream full time.
The comments in here are just sad. Can really tell that the Reddit refugee/Lemmy demographic has never played sports, or were probably bad at them, and thus hold bitterness towards athletes.
It's like the inverse of the popular kids at school moaning about nerds because they failed their math exam lol.
Food $200
Data $150
Rent $800
Triple-jumping $3,600
Utility $150
someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my family is dying
Yeah, sorry, that's glib of me, but I don't think it's unfair to say that in terms of victims of capitalism, athletes are a fair way down the list.
Champion swimmer Bronte Campbell said the biggest costs she racked up through her career were injury-related, and while injury support was brilliant when it was there, costs soon started to outweigh the support she received.
How is swimming or any other athletic activity a career?
I don’t want my taxes paying for frivolous non-careers. The cleaner and the secretary in my office earn similar amounts, and they’re actually contributing to society. The bloke down the road with his model trains also finds that the costs outweigh the support he receives. I don’t understand how they can seriously complain that they’re not being paid enough to pursue their hobby.
He also encouraged athletes to look for other revenue streams.
Yeah, no shit. I need another job to pay for my hobby too, where’s the problem?
The biggest challenges were costs and financial insecurity, with elite athletes spending more each year on travel and accommodation for competitions than they did on food.
Athletes living below the poverty line have to pay for their travel and accommodation, while our politicians earning up to $600,000 a year get everything for free. Then they piggyback off the success of these athletes and use them to boost their own public image, whilst also failing to provide adequate funding to support the future success of these athletes and the generations to follow. Good shit.
Thats the same in india except make it like 80pc ! If they win a medal they are given a better paying job !
