According to 2024 reporting by Al Jazeera, “more than a quarter of all US Olympians report making less than $15,000 annually in total income.” Meanwhile, the out-of-pocket expenses are numerous, including training, traveling for competitions, medical care, and everything else under the sun that helps these elite athletes stay elite athletes. Though total expenses vary greatly by sport and by individual, they can add up to thousands of dollars a year. Women athletes are especially burdened by the costs, thanks to the gender pay gap, and to top it off, women’s sports receive only 1% of the $66 billion global sports sponsorship market.