Anything for this: The costs, benefits of life in elite sport | Hacker News Reader

Anything for this: The costs, benefits of life in elite sport

espn.com

39 pointsmooreds14 comments

Her story is also the story of everyone as they age, contemplating the opportunity costs and what might have been on a different trajectory. A desk jockey who basks in fluorescent light through the prime of life also asks what might have been, and if it was worth it.

Extreme athleticism (and correlated risk of eating disorders) is as self-destructive as amphetamines. No one buys tickets to watch people use drugs though ;)

I wonder what the author's lifetime earnings from athletics have been though...

> as self-destructive as amphetamines

Not sure if you meant to be hyperbolic, or if you actually believe this, but I feel it important to find out that the life expectancy of a full blown amphetamine addict is only 5-10 years. It is MUCH more destructive on average than almost any other lifestyle.

While there may be some athletes whose pursuit of improved performance kills them, every meth addict will kill them selves if they don’t stop.

Amphetamines or methamphetamines? Very different...

In the article, the author indicates an income that was close to the poverty line. It could be a one sided perspective, but I think it's safe to say it wasn't terribly lucrative.

Women's cycling is far from lucrative. They also lack a union and pay their own health insurance. Minimum salary for men at the highest level is about 30k euros per year. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/minimum-wage-increase-for-wo...

The article is interesting. I worry that by watching football I'm participating in something bad for the athletes (even though they want to do it of course, for money). I guess it's true for all pro athletes, it is bad for them physically in the end.

They're also playing football for a living and not attending their 4 HIPAA and document retention guidelines training in 18 months.

Football has evolved into something much more insidious. Physical breakdown is something to be expected at the highest level of sports, but concussions that end in dementia and suicide is something else altogether.

I haven't followed the sport closely in a few years, but the economics of cycling mean most riders, men and women alike, are paid poorly relative to athletes in other sports; it's more comparable to sailing than football.

No one is paying to line up alongside the Tour de France route, and the teams are usually sponsored by corporate interests who don't see a huge return on their investment.

Most US "elite" female athletes are just Title IX beneficiaries, who otherwise would not be in sport at all: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/inclusion/title-ix-frequ...

So for most female athletes, like the cyclist in the article, to expect a paid career in sports after college is unrealistic, as they were subsidized by government mandate in the first place.

However, there is a market for sports-related models like Danica Patrick and the US women's Olympic soccer team where their athletic performance is really an after-thought. (Danica lost her ride recently because she couldn't win.)

They would if it were legal. And likely will.

But there's shows on TV where you can watch people use the hardest of drugs. I saw one where I watched a couple shoot up, and under them was a text saying one of them had died within weeks of this event.

How is this different then me turning on a sporting event? After all, most of there revenue comes from advertisements and TV deals.

you can make the case that you're watching the people shoot up as an educational entertainment. There's a good group of people who don't know what drug abuse it like up close, watch it and learn from the experience of others. Also maybe the series doesn't create recurring seasons/episodes every year/week like sports leagues.

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