Today I’d like to ask you a question:
Should pro snowboarders be getting paid more or less? Or do you think it’s perfect where it is now?
Before you answer, here are some things to consider:
– The biggest names earn a large portion of the money
Shaun White recently rejected renewal of his Red Bull contract because they didn’t want to increase his pay from his previous $1 mil a year contract. All of the top 10 male and female snow athletes earn more than a million per year. On the other end of the scale, anyone outside the top competitors and personalities barely earn enough to live on. Many pros have to work second jobs to make enough to survive.
Higher pay wouldn’t just mean higher pay for the bottom tier, but also increased pay for the top tier already earning millions.
– Increasing pay would make the sport more commercial
More money in the sport means more exposure and higher pays, but it may also change snowboarding for better or worse. How do you feel about increased exposure and the sport becoming more commercialized?
– Pro snowboarders, particularly freestyle riders, have higher risks than many other sports
Think of all the mainstream sports out there, how many of these are as risky as snowboarding? In particular, how many other sports is it normal for athletes to be spinning double corks off 140 foot jumps on a daily basis?
Should they be earning more because of increased risk?
– Pro snowboarders get more ‘lifestyle’ benefits than other pros
The one big advantage being a pro snowboarder has over other sports is that you get the travel the world and see tons of places. It’s a lot more of a ‘fun’ lifestyle than the typical NBA star who spends a majority of their time training or at training camps.
Should they be getting less pay because of this? Would getting more pay also mean they’d be expected to live like more conventional athletes on a strict training program?
Leave a comment and let me know what your thoughts are.