A six-figure promise for Olympic athletes who often train in obscurity feels like a long-overdue correction. But once you peel back the fine print, the shine dulls a little. And that’s exactly the tension Ben Askren has put his finger on this week.

After all, ‘Funky’ isn’t just speaking from the sidelines. He’s lived the Olympic grind as a 2008 U.S. Olympian in wrestling, and as a multiple-time NCAA champion, and later a world champion in MMA, he’s seen how elite athletes burn their twenties for a dream that rarely pays the bills.

So when the Stevens Financial Security Awards were announced with a $100 million donation from philanthropist Ross Stevens that promises $100,000 per Olympic appearance, plus matching life insurance, it landed as both hope and homework. Generous? Absolutely. Perfect? Not quite.

On X, Askren summed up the gut check: “Very generous but once you read through this it is kinda wild how long they have to wait to receive the money! Most Olympians have almost nothing saved (bc of low income) when they retire so would be much more beneficial for them to receive right away if you are gonna give it anyway….”

That’s the crux. The program helps, maybe just not when athletes need help most. Here’s how it works. Every Team USA athlete starting from the 2026 Winter Games earns a $100,000 grant spread over four years and a $100,000 life insurance benefit. Make three Olympic teams? That stacks to $600,000 in total benefits. Sounds huge, right? But there’s a catch.

The money can only be accessed 20 years after the Games or when the athlete turns 45, whichever comes later. It’s a retirement parachute, not a training stipend. And eligibility is capped at athletes earning under $1 million a year, aimed at helping the many who don’t have NBA or tennis-level sponsorships.

So what’s the real problem Ben Askren is pointing to? Timing. Your average Olympian isn’t a household name. They’re often juggling part-time work with 30-hour training weeks. If financial insecurity is the barrier, does a payout two decades later solve today’s problem? Not really.

Top Stories

Ex-UFC Champion Shares Emotional Update Before Cancer Surgery Ahead of Title Fight

Sean O’Malley Receives Unexpected UFC White House Callout Amid Petr Yan Title Fight Uncertainty

Dana White Gets Two Unexpected Saviors for UFC Mexico After Main Event Cancellation

Jon Jones’ “Severe” Medical Update Ends Daniel Cormier RAF Match, Puts UFC White House Plans in Jeopardy

Team Khabib Star Brutally Trolls Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje Over UFC 324 Main Event

To be fair, Ross Stevens’ intent is clear, as according to the founder of the new program, “I do not believe that financial insecurity should stop our nation’s elite athletes from breaking through to new frontiers of excellence.”

But Askren’s critique lands because it’s practical. Athletes retire young. Many leave sport with worn bodies, thin résumés, and little savings. A delayed benefit helps with midlife stability, not post-career survival. The U.S. is one of the few countries that doesn’t government-fund Olympic athletes. Private donations and sponsorships fill the gap, unevenly.

So where does that leave the program? As a meaningful start, not a complete fix, because many of the Olympic heroes even have to resort to selling their medals to provide for themselves!

Ben Askren’s take on the new Olympic funding program backed by stories of athletes having to sell their medals

Some Olympic stories don’t end with endorsement deals and smooth landings. They end with tough math. And that’s the part people don’t love to talk about. Tom Jackovic, CEO of the USA Track and Field Foundation, summed up the gap bluntly in an interview with The Post: “People spend the better part of a decade trying to make an Olympic game or two. And when they finally decide to hang it up, they are behind their friends who entered the workforce a decade ago. It’s always a struggle.”

Take Ryan Lochte, for example. Four Olympic Games, six golds, three silvers, and three bronzes. On paper, that’s legend status. In reality, last month the 41-year-old sold three gold medals for a combined $385,520.

It sounds like a lot, until you remember he once told CNBC he’d gone from making “well over $1 million” a year to just $75,000 from one sponsor and living paycheck to paycheck. He’d already sold silver and bronze medals for $122,000 in 2022.

Greg Louganis’ story hits the same nerve. The five-time Olympic medalist revealed in 2025 that he sold three medals, two golds and one silver, for $437,000. He also sold his house because he “needed the money” and relocated to Panama.

That’s the uncomfortable truth sitting under all the applause. A $100 million program sounds like a fix, but fixes don’t work if they arrive decades after the injury. Ben Askren isn’t rejecting the gesture. He’s asking a sharper question: when do athletes actually need the help?