--- title: Olympians Can't Pay Their Bills. Celebrities and Crowdfunding Are Coming to the Rescue description: Crowdfunding campaigns and celebrities Flavor Flav and Alexis Ohanian are giving money to struggling U.S. Olympians such as Veronica Fraley. authors: - name: Brad Tuttle role: Senior Editor url: https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/ bio: Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals. education: Columbia University School of Journalism, MS at_money_since: 2014 articles: 366 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle - https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225 former_staff: true editors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2024-08-02T18:39:57.000Z' modified: '2024-08-02T20:18:16.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - News word_count: 905 canonical: https://money.com/celebrities-crowdfunding-help-olympians-pay-bills/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Veronica Fraley of Team United States competes in the Women's Discus Throw](https://img.money.com/2024/08/News-Olympic-athletes-crowdfund-pay-rent-expenses.jpg?crop=0px%2C253px%2C2880px%2C1620px&quality=85) *Veronica Fraley, discus thrower for Team USA* If the Summer Olympics have you feeling patriotic, there’s an easy way to show your support for America’s athletes: give them money. Roughly 600 athletes are in Paris this summer representing [Team USA](https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/noc-entries/united-states), and while there are some notably wealthy superstars in the mix — like NBA icon LeBron James, whose net worth is reportedly over $1 billion — many are scraping by. Kaleigh Gilchrist, a three-time member of the women’s Olympic water polo team, estimated in a *[USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2024/07/18/how-olympic-athletes-make-money/74438652007/)* article that only 5% of Olympians reap huge financial rewards from competing at the highest level: “The rest of us are living paycheck by paycheck,” she said. The [U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee](https://www.usopc.org/grantsandfunding) awards athletes with $2.5 million annually in scholarships and grants to pay for their education, travel, medical and training expenses. American Olympians receive payments of [$15,000 to $37,500 for each medal](https://money.com/olympic-gold-medals-worth-value/) they win, and some portion of athletes have lucrative sponsorship deals. Yet most don't earn any money for competing in their sport. To make ends meet, Olympians and their families are increasingly turning to social media and crowdfunding campaigns asking for direct financial help. It’s a strategy that seems to be working, especially thanks to high-profile donors like rapper Flavor Flav and Reddit cofounder (and husband of tennis all-time great Serena Williams) [Alexis Ohanian](https://money.com/changemakers/alexis-ohanian/). ## If you owe over $10,000 in debt, a Debt Relief Program may be able to help get you back on your feet more quickly. ### Select your state to begin applying for Accredited's debt relief program. [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/u3792545ce33?ap_referrer=%2Fcelebrities-crowdfunding-help-olympians-pay-bills%2F) Veronica Fraley, an American track-and-field star competing in the women’s discus throw, proudly announced on [X](https://x.com/vmfraley/status/1819335223055712754) (formerly Twitter) Friday that she “paid my rent this morning.” This is noteworthy because the day before, Fraley posted a different message griping, “I compete in the Olympic Games TOMORROW and can’t even pay my rent.” The post grabbed the attention of Ohanian — who promptly sent her $7,760 on Venmo. Flavor Flav, a founding member of Public Enemy who teamed up with Ohanian to help Fraley with rent money, had already been heralded as the American women’s water polo top supporter after promising to sponsor the team. He offered help in response to an [Instagram post in May](https://www.instagram.com/p/C6j4IeUsLvY/) from four-time Olympian and team captain Maggie Steffens. “Some may not know this, but most Olympians need a 2nd (or 3rd) job to support chasing the dream (myself included!),” she wrote. “Most teams rely on sponsors for travel, accommodations, nutritional support, rent/lodging, and simply affording to live in this day and age. Especially female sports and female athletes.” [USA Water Polo](https://usawaterpolo.org/news/2024/7/1/mens-senior-national-team-flavor-flav-signs-five-year-sponsorship-deal-as-official-hype-man-for-usa-water-polo-womens-and-mens-national-teams) later proclaimed Flavor Flav as their “official hype man” after he signed a five-year sponsorship deal for the men’s and women’s national teams. The surprising partnership has generated an unprecedented amount of attention for the sport, especially thanks to [viral TikToks](https://www.tiktok.com/@flavorflav/video/7396332671183408415) showing the rapper cheering on the women’s team in Paris with the likes of First Lady Jill Biden. “Niche sports often don't get the spotlight they deserve, but they are packed with incredible talent and heart,” Flavor Flav said in a statement. “Together, we're going to make some serious waves!" ## Crowdfunding for Olympic athletes Beyond celebrity donations, Olympic athletes and their families have been raising money for their training and expenses through crowdfunding campaigns. [Fraley’s GoFundMe campaign](https://www.gofundme.com/f/fuel-veronica-fraleys-track-and-field-journey?qid=e46ab35978dbcbf0a5ab19ff5d663f5f) has generated over $15,000 from more than 400 promised donations less than 24 hours after it launched on Thursday. GoFundMe, which has a centralized [page with verified fundraisers for Olympians](https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/paris-games-2024), tells Money that athletes around the globe have raised more than $2 million through its platform to help them participate in the 2024 Games, including over $300,000 earmarked for U.S. athletes competing in Paris. "It truly takes a village for an athlete to compete at this level," a GoFundMe statement provided to Money says. "These athletes rely on the generosity of friends, family, and their communities to help fill the gaps for everything from equipment to training, supplementing incomes and more." One of the most high-profile campaigns benefited [Dylan Beard](https://www.gofundme.com/f/dylan-beard-go-to-paris-for-the-2024-olympics), an Olympic hopeful in hurdles and full-time employee at the deli counter at a Walmart in North Carolina. Since he appeared on the [*Today* show](https://www.today.com/news/paris-olympics/dylan-beard-walmart-employee-olympics-rcna149491) in April, Beard’s GoFundMe has raised more than $55,000. (Unfortunately, Beard ultimately didn’t qualify to compete in the 2024 Games.) Meanwhile, family members of [sprinter Brittany Brown](https://www.gofundme.com/f/cheer-on-brittany-brown-at-the-2024-paris-olympics?qid=9adafd9a1b0c607851029500e187e258) and [wrestler Aaron Brooks](https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-a-mom-see-her-son-perform-at-the-paris-olympics?qid=a6263b59c038fa62d5db9e92f6ef14c2) are covering their travel costs in France thanks to campaigns that have raised more than $9,000 and $6,000, respectively. Yet another campaign, funding the expenses for [Robyn Rabinovitch](https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-a-mom-see-her-son-in-the-olympics), a swim coach and the mother of open water swimmer Ivan Puskovitch, has raised around $29,000. GoFund Me says that it has seen "strong fundraising efforts to support families traveling to witness" their loved ones competing in person in Paris, and that these initiatives are "especially significant as the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo didn’t allow for spectators." The fundraising trend isn’t exclusive to the U.S. Athletes from [Australia](https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-australian-athletes-crowdfunding-their-olympic-dreams/ygroknpj7) and [Great Britain](https://www.gofundme.com/en-gb/c/act/donate-to-team-gb-athletes-fundraising-for-the-olympics), among other countries, are also running crowdfunding campaigns to help them pursue their dreams. Some athletes are even using crowdfunding in retirement. A campaign for Mary Lou Retton, the legendary American gymnast who won five Olympic medals in 1984, originally set a fundraising goal of $50,000 to help cover her extensive medical debts related to her battle against a rare form of pneumonia. The campaign, launched last year on the [Spotfund platform](https://www.spotfund.com/story/a2e0582c-e62f-4e5b-a586-18349014f761), has now amassed more than $450,000. ## Reduce payments and make debt manageable with a Debt Relief program ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/c0db9157f142?bidid=4068646161&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=666268328&ptoken=3ad3df929e54cf90523529a73544bb2a) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/23879/medium_3847e650-29eb-411b-9b8c-05deb0d02cbc.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/1ca94acda2d8?bidid=4068646163&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=666268328&ptoken=798d52a7ba7ea29b7fca277b2c6210c1) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/15565/medium_832cc4b7-74f8-4735-8fe1-6917816cbe8d.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/13f7d42b4f6d?bidid=4068646160&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=666268328&ptoken=f3a814126f71c5e17f03338062079b05) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/22445/medium_ba73f26a-1e1e-4e49-9739-df1298783de6.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/fb08afd635a9?bidid=4068646171&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=666268328&ptoken=1211dc0e9ea73759ad248bccf73d49e3) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/9246/medium_94931930-28cf-46b5-b09d-683979caec81.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/1e8586fa2e84?bidid=4068646167&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=666268328&ptoken=6642903413024bc7a86a434fceb8879f) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) If you owe over $20,000 or more, Freedom Debt Relief can help you get back on your feet! [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/u5c2defb44d4?ap_referrer=%2Fcelebrities-crowdfunding-help-olympians-pay-bills%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/celebrities-crowdfunding-help-olympians-pay-bills/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Lifestyle", "item": "https://money.com/lifestyle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sports", "item": "https://money.com/sports/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Olympians Can't Pay Their Bills. 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