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Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson vowed to pay $25,000 each to Team USA gold medal winners at the Paris Olympics. Now that the event has wrapped up, we can estimate about how much that promise will cost them.
The US won the overall medal count with 126 first, second, and third-place finishes. That included 40 golds, which tied China for the most in this year’s Summer Games.
The former NFL stars opted to open up their own checkbooks after seeing how much American athletes get paid for medaling. Those totals come out to $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze.
The US bested its total of 39 golds at the 2020 Summer Olympics, and now, it’s time for Sharpe and Johnson to make good on the deal!
The duo made the $25k pledge prior to the start of the Games, with Sharpe taking it a step further when it came to world record breakers.
“You win gold, you get $25,000,” Sharpe said on his Nightcap Show podcast. “And I’ll pay $50k to any American who breaks a world record. I don’t give a damn what the event is!”
There were a handful of US record setters, and a few others that came close. One has already received $50,000 his payment.
@nightcapshow_ Tune into tonight to see what Unc & Ocho gave Bobby Finke! You are not gonna wanna miss it‼️🔥 #shannonsharpe #ochocinco #nightcapshow #olympics ♬ original sound – Nightcap
Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson will pay a small fortune to US Olympians.
Quick math on 40 gold medals at $25,000 a pop comes out to exactly $1M. It might not be quite that simple, though.
With multiple gold winners like Gabby Thomas and Simone Biles, Sharpe didn’t specify if those athletes would be paid for each medal. Both won three gold medals in Paris, as did swimmer Torri Huske.
There were also 10 American athletes to win a pair of golds.
Let’s assume there is just one $25,000 payment for first-place finishers, no matter if you won one gold medal or three. That would save Sharpe and Johnson $400k each.
Still, team sport payouts could more than make that up should athletes be paid individually.
The payouts, whatever they end up amounting to, will be appreciated, and the prize is well-deserved following the impressive Olympic performance from Team USA. The extra cash can help make things a bit easier for those athletes already looking ahead to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.