A career in sports may seem very lavish and lucrative from the outside. However, it is not the case. Only the top sportspersons make the kind of money people think every sportsperson makes. The income of a sportsperson heavily depends on the patronage received by the sport. Sprinting sensation Gabby Thomas recently pointed out the huge pay gap between track and field and tennis via a social media post.
Gabby Thomas said that the prize pool of tennis is so huge that even losing players make a fortune. In light of her post, a social media user posted the prize money received by swimmers compared to the gigantic prize pool of track and field. The post is going viral on social media and is receiving traction from all directions.
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YouTuber speaks up about low prize money in swimming
Gabby Thomas is a 26-year-old track and field star. She is one of the most successful sprinters in the world and is a two-time world champion. Thomas recently posted a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) and pointed out the stark difference between the prize money received by track and field athletes and tennis players. Thomas is one of the most vocal people on the internet and frequently speaks about several issues. However, Thomas isn’t the only one frustrated with the gaping difference between the prize money given to athletes of different disciplines. Popular YouTuber Kyle Sockwell took to X and wrote something along similar lines. Sockwell’s channel talks about the latest news in the world of swimming.
The World Athletic Championship purse makes swimming look like an unpaid internship…
Individual Events:
1st – $70,000
2nd – $35,000
3rd – $22,000
4th – $16,000
5th – $11,000
6th – $7,000
7th – $6,000
8th – $5,000Relays:
$80,000 – 1st
$40,000 – 2nd
$20,000 – 3rd
$16,000 -…— Kyle Sockwell (@kylesockwell) August 10, 2023
He posted the list of prize money given to track and field athletes for finishing the race at different positions. Sockwell added the amounts together and determined that track and field has a total prize pool of $8,498,000. Sockwell remarked that swimmers seem like unpaid interns compared to track and field stars. While he did not directly tag or mention Gabby Thomas, the selection of the topic and its timing convey that this was not an isolated tweet. Reacting to the tweet, several fans agreed with Sockwell. However, a big group also pointed out that this does not rule out the fact that track and field stars earn as much as they should. Several X users also showed support for Thomas. Gabby Thomas had tagged leading tennis journalist and author Christopher Clarey in her original tweet where she had raised the issue.
Gabby Thomas jokes about getting into debt
Clarey is a New York Times bestselling author and has been writing about tennis for over 30 years. He has penned a book on the career of Roger Federer and is currently working on a book about Rafael Nadal. Gabby Thomas tagged the influential and knowledgeable journalist in her tweet to get his attention and opinion on the matter. In her original tweet, Thomas seemed serious, saying, “It’s not more money for losers but fair reward for those good enough to get into a major.” Later on, however, she took a humorous jibe in the comments.
Gabby Thomas joked about the abnormally large difference between the prize money of different sports. Replying to her own tweet, she said, “In track & field if you lose a meet, you go home with debt.” Thomas topped her comment with a laughing emoji at the end. Many factors are responsible for the low prize money track and field stars receive. The fact that athletes have to maintain their amateur status to compete in the Olympics is another major factor.
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