Matthew Mitcham is collecting his gold—both from OnlyFans and the Olympics. In 2008, he won first in the 10m platform diving event, making Mitcham the second-highest single-dive scorer in Olympic history. It also made him the first out gay person to take home an Olympic gold medal. The Australian springboard diver and trampolinist has been in Paris for the 2024 Olympics, working with Compete Proud and Pride House. Despite his list of athletic accomplishments, Mitcham pointed out the tough economic reality of being a professional athlete.
“The harsh truth of sport is that a small percentage of athletes make it big,” Mitcham wrote. He noted how it is a rarity for athletes to receive lucrative gigs and sponsorships. As a result, “A lot of brilliant performers get left behind.” To compensate for the long, costly journey these athletes endeavor to make it as far as the Olympics, many have turned to OnlyFans. Mitcham discussed how “The world can be very prudish. It feels like people like to shame athletes who show off their bodies, even though there’s usually no full-frontal nudity involved.”
After his retirement from diving in 2016, income from OnlyFans has helped him meet ends financially. “My attitude—as a former Olympic Champion who has been posting content on OnlyFans for 18 months—is that it’s a useful way of supplementing income,” he says. “After all the hours and sacrifice we’ve put in, we athletes have more than earned the odd side hustle.” His decision to join was approached with vigilance, and his posts continue to air on the cautionary side. He has not released any full-frontal nudity, noting that, “That’s when people can start taking issue, and it would almost certainly start to impact my mainstream opportunities.”
Mitcham is not the only athlete posting content to OnlyFans. Jack Laugher, a British diving champion, was among the first to announce his recent OnlyFans debut. After Laugher revealed his annual funding amounted to roughly $35,962, Mitcham wrote that Laugher’s funds were “still better remuneration than what I remember us receiving in Australia.” Other Olympic athletes open about their side hustle include Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman and former world speed skater champion Elise Christie
Olympic athletes make much less than one would expect. The income varies between countries and events. A recent report found that 26.5% of current U.S. Olympic athletes earn less than $15,000 a year. Olympians don’t receive a salary for competing in the games either. They rely on stipends from their home countries and additional payouts for medaling, with countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore receiving significantly greater amounts than others for placing in the top three. Being among the best in the world does not amount to having the biggest bank accounts. With few commercial opportunities for many athletes, many must show up both online and in the gym.
Mitcham wrote against the stigma attached to modeling on OnlyFans. He noted that athletes can either “play safe and stay within the system, or you can decide to be a maverick—one of those people who steps outside the system and changes it. There’s no logical reason why sharing tailored content with a specific group of supportive, liberal fans should affect an athlete’s ability to appeal to the mainstream,” he says. “Let’s hear it for the mavericks, I say.” And he’s right. Debunking the stigma attached to digital sex work is important. We must continue to highlight the pros involved, from safety to empowerment, and create a more inclusive and supportive environment for those involved in the profession or simply using these platforms as a means to get by.
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