How 15 U.S. Olympians Actually Make Money
How 15 U.S. Olympians Actually Make Money
You might assume Olympic athletes live in the gym — or make $$$ purely through major endorsement deals, but back on American soil many of them have cubicles and coworkers just like you (and if you work at Deloitte or Dick's Sporting Goods, you might even be one of them). Here, we dive into the math behind 15 Olympians' take-home pay, from hourly wages to multi-million-dollar salaries.
Alex Naddour
The gymnast earned a bronze medal for pommel horse, but the 25-year-old dad also works as a licensed realtor in Arizona.
Estimated annual salary: $49,430
Kerron Clement
Clement's got a few more famous moves than the 400-meter hurdles. The actor and model appeared in Beyonce's "Run The World (Girls)" music video.
Estimated annual salary: $28,000
Katie Ledecky
The 19-year-old phenom passed up on sponsorship deals in order to swim for Stanford this fall, but she'll still accept hundreds of thousands in prize money for her six medals.
Estimated pay from 2016 Olympics: $115,000
Carmelo Anthony
He's the fifth-highest-paid player in the NBA, but the New York Knicks athlete agreed to compete in Rio along with fellow multi-millionaires Kevin Durant, Kyrie Iving and Klay Thompson.
Estimated annual salary: $24,559,380
Mara Abbott
The cyclist just missed out on a medal in the women's road race, but Abbott can also show off her skills as a certified yoga instructor.
Estimated annual salary: $34,861
Emil Milev
The shooter competed in the 25-meter rapid fire pistol this year for a seriously impressive sixth Olympics. As a physical education teacher, he uses the experience to teach students perseverance.
Estimated annual salary: $41,432
Mariya Koroleva
The synchronized swimmer landed a part-time job at Dick's Sporting Goods, which hires Olympians and Olympic hopefuls as part of its Contenders program.
Estimated hourly salary: $9.14
Michael Phelps
As the most decorated Olympian of all time, Phelps has earned major endorsement deals with companies like Visa and Under Armour. Actual swimming competitions bring in less than 2% of his income, but those medals still paid out a cool $1.89 million.
Estimated annual salary: $12,075,000
Nate Ebner
Despite his contract with the New England Patriots, Ebner got the a-OK to compete in rugby sevens for the sport's debut in the Olympics.
Estimated annual salary: $950,000
Jared Ward
He teaches statistics at Brigham Young University, but the marathoner only uses basic math to train for the 26.2 mile race.
Estimated annual salary: $31,257
Michelle Carter
The self-proclaimed "Shot Diva" just became the first American woman to win shot put at the Olympics, and set a new national record. Off the field, the gold medalist works as a professional makeup artist and has a motivational sports camp in the works called "You Throw Girl."
Estimated annual salary: $39,011
Simone Biles
The 19-year-old turned pro last year and has already earned $4 million in endorsement deals from Nike, Kellogg's, Hershey's and Procter & Gamble. Her Olympic success (two golds and one bronze so far) will likely land the gymnast even bigger contracts after the games.
Estimated annual salary:$4,400,000
They've taught, modeled and engineered their way to Rio.