I’ve heard this before, but I would love to see how much Scandinavian athletes are getting paid. I suspect the number is rather minuscule, especially if endorsements aren’t counted.

As for the US national team selection, the idea that there are stars who are sitting at home because of the trials is one of the most overblown things I’ve heard.

The reason Dan O’Brien’s case is so welll known is because it’s pretty much the only instance of a bonafide superstar sitting at home.

Maggie Malone, who has never won any medal, is the one US athlete who has a justified reason to be pissed about Trials, but she is a rather obscure name.

Otherwise all of the best names qualified in far more competitive events (men’s sprints, women’s hurdles, etc).

Clayton Murphy didn’t qualify but his times weren’t good enough this year. The other people are injured (Cole Hocker, Gabby Thomas, Tarra Davis) or didn’t have the times regardless of any metric besides Instagram followers (Sha’Carri Richardson).

I’ve always said the reason Mondo competed for Sweden is because when he was 16, no one, including his dad, thought he would be the greatest of all time before he could be served at a bar in the US.

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Posted by Zappas Stache

Utility Muffin Research Kitchen

Member since Apr 2009

38781 posts

Posted on 6/30/22 at 4:48 pm to Keys Open Doors

quote:
I would love to see how much Scandinavian athletes are getting paid. I suspect the number is rather minuscule, especially if endorsements aren’t counted.

Even with endorsements, most track&Field people aren't making big money.$300-500k/year for top athletes is about average. Then agents,coaches and trainers/doctors take their cut from that. Superstars like Usain Bolt are on a different level but Mondo isn't near that. I've heard his Red Bull contract is 7 figures but Ive never been able to confirm that. But in Sweden he is much more well known than he ever would have been in the US so his endorsement possibilities are bigger over there.

quote:
it’s pretty much the only instance of a bonafide superstar sitting at home.

Nobody could have predicted Mondo's success when he was 15 and decided to represent Sweden. You could predict he would be good but not this good. Look at his Dad's career, best High school PV in the country and a world class vaulter who won several pro european meets but never made an olympic team for the USA.
But in the last olympic trials, Donovan Brazier was ranked #1 in the world at 800m and didn't make the team. Jenny Simpson didn't make the 1500 team though she was favored to win. The list of athletes through the years that were expected to win the Trials but either were injured and unable to compete, though they were healthy by the time the Olympics came along, is very long.

quote:
I’ve always said the reason Mondo competed for Sweden is because when he was 16, no one, including his dad, thought he would be the greatest of all time before he could be served at a bar in the US.

Ha, I was going through your post point by point, sounds like we mostly agree.

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