Track star Sha’Carri Richardson has been scooping up achievements lately and is not afraid to use her platform to call out an organization that is allegedly not supporting athletes.
Richardson, who is a sprinter representing the United States in international competition, has a net worth of $5 million. With a personal record of 10.65 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.92 seconds in the 200-meter dash, Richardson is one of the fastest women sprinters in America.
In the summer of 2023, Richardson sensationally won the 100 meters and earned two gold medals and a bronze at the World Championships in Budapest, Hangary. While she was not able to participate in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics because she tested positive for marijuana, Richardson has still been able to garner lucrative endorsement deals with brands such as Nike, Apple Music, and Beats.
Calling Out Team USA Fund
She’s earned a loyal fan base and is using her online presence to expose Team USA Fund, an organization that claims to raise funds for U.S. amateur athletes, for not paying athletes on an Instagram story, writing, “Do not donate. The athletes that need this money do not see it.”
Team USA Fund is organized by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the private, nonprofit organization which oversees United States’ teams for the Olympic, Youth Olympic, Paralympic, as well as Pan American and Parapan American Games.
While the USOPC works in collaboration with various government agencies, including the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Advisory Council, it operates independently and is primarily funded through private donations, sponsorships, and other revenue sources.
Although Olympic teams representing other countries often receive government funding, those from the United States do not. Team USA — which is composed of a variety of sports teams representing the United States at international competitions — raises money independently. According to Team USA Fund, through donations and support from other organizations, athletes are able to earn an estimated $2.5 million collectively. In addition, they are able to apply for travel grants, training and tuition assistance.
Richardson’s message was written across an advertisement from Team USA Fund with the caption, “One hundred percent of donations to the Team USA Fund goes to the athletes and the high-performance programming that supports them.”
Yet the comments section was also full of skeptics of Team USA Fund. Critical comments included “I heard they don’t get retirement and these funds don’t go to athletes but the executive get paid BIG Bucks. Look it up” and “The athletes don’t see one penny of these funds!!”
While the USOPC is busy looking for donations in anticipation of the 2024 Olympics, they have not provided a public response to Richardson’s online comments.
Meanwhile Richardson, who is also gearing up to compete in the 2024 Olympics received the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Athlete of the Year Award at the USA Track and Field’s Night of Legends ceremony. At the event, Richardson shared her faith and ability to actively inspire others.
“With the God that I serve, everything happens when it’s supposed to happen,” she said. “So when I stand here today as the world champion, that’s because now was the time for that to happen. Now is the most impactful it would be, the most powerful it would be, and the most sincere it would be.”
