At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, every Team USA gold medal comes with a financial award: a $37,500 bonus from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).
The payout bonuses get reduced for silver and bronze medalists, getting $22,500 and $15,000, respectively.
Former NFL stars Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, hosts of the “Nightcap” podcast, took issue during their July 29 episode with what they called Team USA’s considerably low payout bonuses for gold medalists.
They vowed to award an additional $25,000 each to any track athlete who wins a gold medal, and the amount will double to $50,000 for those who break a world record.
“Hey, Noah Lyles, if you win the 100 meter gold, me and Ocho $25,000 apiece,” Sharpe said. “Noah Lyles trained four years for nine seconds. [Hurdler] Rai Benjamin trained four years for 46 seconds. And after all that, you get $37,000? What the hell are they gonna do with that?”
The podcast host discussed what they perceived as insufficient support.
“And you know what it costs if you take your family? You’re in the hole,” Sharpe said later.
“America the Beautiful, come on, we gotta do something. Noah, we got you. Sha’Carri, we got you,” Johnson said.
“Man, that’s crazy. I’m not sure what they’re doing, but somebody needs to strike to get that money up. $37,000? Our teachers make $37,000. Come on now, Olympic Committee,” Johnson said. “Come on now, y’all got to do right by athletes. Hong Kong, almost a million dollars. Almost. Come on, man.”
According to the duo, less developed countries often offer higher bonuses for gold medals. But they did not recognize that, unlike in the United States, those nations’ governments are rewarding their athletes, or that America tends to take home more medals during the games.
In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Team U.S. led all nations in both total medals and gold medals, with totals of 113 medals: 39 gold, 41 silver, and 33 bronze. Team USA received the same bonuses in 2024 as they did in 2020-2021. These awards come from the American Olympic Committee, which is a private nonprofit.
What Other Countries Pay
Hong Kong and Israel offer substantially higher bonuses than the U.S., at $768,000 and $275,000 respectively, with Hong Kong being the highest-paying country that rewards gold medalists.
On August 4, Carlos Edriel Yulo, a Filipino gymnast and recent gold medalist, was awarded a fully furnished two-bedroom condo valued at about $415,000, along with $173,000 in cash from the Philippine Sports Commission, $52,000 in cash from the House of Representatives, free furniture worth about $1,730, a lifetime of free ramen, buffets, and meals, and a lifetime of free engineering design from Nexa Engineering, according to the official Olympic website.
Additionally, he received free colonoscopies and gastroenterology consultations starting at age 45.
Bulgaria, Ukraine, Kosovo, and Estonia, all of which pay between $100,000 and $140,000 for gold medals, while the U.S. pays a fraction of that amount.
“That means the sponsors, depending on who you represent or who you endorse, pay more than the US does for winning gold,” Johnson said. “If anything, we should be at the top.”
“We should at least, at least, get $200,000,” Sharpe said.
Singapore is giving its athletes approximately $745,300 for gold, $372,650 for silver, and $186,325 for bronze, according to Next Shark.
Taiwan, or Chinese Taipei, on the other hand, according to Forbes, received $716,000 for gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Indonesia is giving $300,000 for gold, Kazakhstan is giving $250,000 for gold, Malaysia is offering $216,000 for gold, and India is providing $210,000 for gold, according to Next Shark.
Forbes reports that Hungary is giving $154,000 for gold and Italy is giving $196,000 for gold.
Sharpe and Johnson Helping Track and Field Black Athletes
Sharpe and Johnson also took the disparity personally, noting that the insufficient financial incentives affect Black athletes on Team USA, including some of their friends – Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
As of Aug. 4, Noah Lyles narrowly won gold in the men’s 100 meter final, while Sha’Carri Richardson earned a silver in the women’s 100m final, finishing behind Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, who clocked 10.72 seconds. McLaughlin-Levrone, in her Paris debut, excelled in the 400 hurdles, advancing to the semifinals. The world record holder is a strong contender for gold.
On Aug. 5, Benjamin made his entrance at the 2024 Olympics by winning his first round in the 400-meter hurdles, according to The Associated Press. He advances, much like McLaughlin-Levrone, as a contender for gold.
While the payment details for silver medalists like Richardson were not mentioned on the podcast, Lyles is set to receive an additional award from “Nightcap.” There is also anticipation that McLaughlin-Levrone and Benjamin will receive an extra $50,000 for their performance.
