Olympians look to net to gain financial support

US swimmer Michael Phelps is said to be worth over $55 million. US tennis star Serena Williams is said to be worth $150 million.

But for many athletes competing in the Rio Olympics 2016, they face a struggle to fund their athletic passion.

As the Guardian newspaper reported in early August, the real face of Olympians is an indebted Canadian pentathlon competitor Donna Vakalis who has to do a number of jobs to fund her expensive pastime – representing her country in the Olympics.

It’s tricky. Serena and Michael are top-tier world athletes who benefit heavily from sponsorship, advertising deals, speaking engagements and the sale of merchandize. Yet, technically speaking, the Olympics is an amateur – not professional – event. Clearly the lines have got blurred.

BENEFITS OF THE NET
But one thing that can to some extent help level the playing field on a financial level – and help provide more time to train – is how athletes are taking to the internet to bring in money and build a fan base.

As the Guardian writer reports, for young athletes, just getting to the Olympics – not to mention landing on a podium to secure a sponsorship deal – is a daunting ordeal. Not only is it a years-long personal and financial commitment, but it’s a risky investment with no guaranteed return.

As the reporter points out, the opportunity to make money for many first-time Olympic athletes won’t come until after the Games are over. This is the time when they can capitalize on their new-found fame with lucrative sponsorship opportunities and a speaker’s circuit ripe for tales of Olympic glory.

This may be true. But some athletes are taking to the web to help fund their dream – not waiting for a medal or possible sponsorship deals in the wake of the games.

BUILDING A FAN BASE
What is becoming increasingly common is for high-flying athletes to run a website, build a following, and give a call out to help fund them in their quest for glory.

That was the case with Donna Vakalis. The Canadian has a website that is a call out to fans to fund her entry into the Olympics 2016. See her site HERE.

It’s a far cry from the classier website of Serena Williams – a real professional’s public face in cyberspace, one combining several business strands that she is pursuing.

There is a message here in Donna reaching out and in the platform Serena now has.

OBVIOUS, RIGHT?
That message is pretty simple really but needs to be pointed out – the internet can be leveraged to support your dream.

If you are looking at sports women and men, everybody is different. Clearly a number of factors come into play. And not everybody is made for stardom or has the drive and determination to push through all the hurdles (or jump the hurdles!) to gain national or world standing.

But for those with a gift and the determination, a good presence on the internet can help on the road to stardom. Maybe a crowdfunding call out may only bring in a few thousand dollars. But that may help. Maybe there is space for related athletic products or services – even t-shirts and caps. And having a presence online – whether a website or Facebook page or ideally both – can help a lot to improve one’s public persona and build a wider audience.

It is a good guess but a decade on from now, we will see athletes doing even more to leverage the internet. And maybe that – like in Donna’s case – will go some way towards financially supporting their dream.