Triple jump star Christian Taylor has criticized the importance of social media for sponsors these days.
“When I started with the sport, the better your performance, the better you were paid,” said the 30-year-old American in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
Today everything revolves around how present you are in the social networks, how many followers you have and how you use your platform, said the two-time Olympic champion.
“As an influencer, you can make significantly more money in sports today than an athlete who ‘just’ performs great,” said Taylor.
Many athletes would find it very difficult to make a living from athletics at all: “But that’s how almost all sponsorship contracts are structured these days.”
Athletes would have to commit to being present on social media. “Honestly, I think that’s a shame. And I hope that will change again soon,” said the four-time world champion.