Elite athletes turn to OnlyFans to make ends meet amid financial struggles

Two years ago, Kurts Adams Rozentals made headlines by winning silver at the U23 World Canoe Slalom. However, this year, the 22-year-old Brit has garnered attention for a different reason, as he earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in just a few months from making adult content on OnlyFans, a platform often linked to paid pornography.

Rozentals was suspended by the British Canoeing Union in April after posting nude photos and videos on his social media. Despite the suspension, the publicity surrounding the ban boosted his subscriber count, and in just four weeks, Rozentals reportedly earned an additional $135,000.

Kurts Adams Rozentals joins OnlyFans to support his life as a canoe athlete. Photo by Instagram/@kurtsadams

For many Olympic athletes like Rozentals, the financial reality of competing at the highest level is difficult to sustain.

"I don’t regret it," Rozentals told Daily Mail. "I grew up with nothing and on my very first day on OnlyFans I made £2,500 (US$3,800). At that point, it was around double my monthly salary from Paddle U.K. Living on what I was living as a professional athlete was very hard."

Rozentals is not alone. A growing trend sees athletes joining OnlyFans to sell training videos, behind-the-scenes content, and even engage with fans in more intimate ways. For example, England cricketer Tymal Mills offers analysis videos for a small fee, asserting that his content is family-friendly.

Other athletes like tennis star Nick Kyrgios, rugby's Chris Robshaw, star footballer Douglas Costa and over 200 boxers have also jumped on the platform, though many stress their content is not fully explicit.

This week, American tennis player Sachia Vickery also explained her choice of joining OnlyFans.

"I can tell you, $2 million is absolutely nothing when it comes to tennis. I spent over $100,000 on coaching, fitness, physio, recovery, MRIs, people don't see that part of it." Vickery told CNN, "Having a security blanket, something to do on the side and make good money from, doesn't hurt. It's given me a lot of financial freedom, even helping me fund my entire tennis career."

In Canada, pole vaulter Alysha Newman used OnlyFans to fund her Olympic training, generating more than $230,000 from the platform. She posts sexy and raunchy photos for $12 a month and sells premium content for up to $68.

For many Olympic athletes, the glory of the podium does not translate to wealth. In the U.K., the highest level of sponsorship for elite athletes is just $38,000 a year. They have enough to live on, but not much to spare, especially when training, accommodation and travel costs are high.

Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman has been making big bucks from OnlyFans. Photos by AP, Instagram/@alyshanewman

Former speed skating champion Elise Christie, who won 30 international gold medals, still struggled with debts after retiring. For her, OnlyFans has become a life saver. Christie turned to the platform in 2022 and admitted that it helped her recover from a difficult period.

"I was in a bad place when I came out of the sport," she told Daily Mail. "I am much better now and a big part of that was being diagnosed bipolar and getting treatment. But I was in a big hole with debt, working three jobs, and couldn't get out. People probably still don't know how many of us come out of sport with nothing, even if you had good careers."

Athletes flocking to OnlyFans has sparked backlash from sporting bodies. The British Canoeing Union suspended Rozentals in April over the damage to the sport's image, and England and Wales Cricket Board blocked Mills from branding his bat with the OnlyFans logo, citing concerns over the platform's reputation, BBC reported.

Former speed skating champion Elise Christie solved her financial struggles by joining OnlyFans. Photo by Instagram/@elisechristielikescake

Launched in 2016, OnlyFans allows people to share photos and videos with paying subscribers, with content creators getting an 80% cut of the revenue.

While initially focused on various types of content, the platform has gained attraction for adult content, although it is now attempting to expand into other industries, including sports.