Influencers

[rlayt]

In many ways I look at having a “job” as an influencer a certain way because of my age but it seems too be a thhing many retired gymnasts are doing. Some of it seems sad. But who is actually making substantial money at it?

 

[MaryClare]

In many ways I look at having a “job” as an influencer a certain way because of my age but it seems too be a thhing many retired gymnasts are doing. Some of it seems sad. But who is actually making substantial money at it?

I’d say that Nile Wilson probably is, as it appears to be his full time job

 

[makam]

I’d say that Nile Wilson probably is, as it appears to be his full time job

Well, his are entertaining. Ash is a gem too. Do Skinner and Johnson count as influencers or are they more mommybloggers? I guess they are similar things, I just assume the sponsors of influencers are different than the mommybloggers.

Dunn is obviously making a mint.

 

[rlayt]

I guess the people making money in college count. NIL means they have a career influencing before they even graduate.

 

[Caligym]

The general numbers I’ve seen are that Instagram “influencers” make an average of $10 per 1,000 followers per sponsored or branded content post. So someone like Skinner, with 400,000 followers might make $4,000 per sponsored post, Biles with her 7 million followers $70,000. So if you can get to the 100,000 followers range, it can be a decent living. Not get rich money but enough to be a full time job.

 

[SupportingHerDreams]

I’d say that Nile Wilson probably is, as it appears to be his full time job

Doesn't Nile own a gym as well?

 

[Angelika]

Doesn't Nile own a gym as well?

Nile now owns several gyms - Leeds, Coventry and Sheffield to name a few. Him, Ash (and Luke Stoney and Nile's sister Joanna) have a tremendous social media following. The videos are great - today's from Ash was him doing a forward somi mount onto beam. I think they are all making a 'living', Nile is probably doing quite well financially.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Doesn't Nile own a gym as well?

He has a gymnastics club business. I'm not sure whether he physically owns any gym premises, iyswim.

Nile Wilson Gymnastics – Changing the game

nilewilsongymnastics.com

He's sitting there topless in the meet our team photos, then everyone else is in sporting or businessy apparel as appropriate to their roles.

 

[JaJa]

In many ways I look at having a “job” as an influencer a certain way because of my age but it seems too be a thhing many retired gymnasts are doing. Some of it seems sad. But who is actually making substantial money at it?

IMO it is just extremely sad. Its just the height of a frivolous and frankly banal occupation. Whatever happened to actually wanting to do something useful in this world? Life is not about making money its about living some sort of meaningful existence. That a not insignificnat percentage of our athletes seem to lose their way after their time in the sport is over is extremely sad.

 

[RedBirdie]

Shannon Miller and Dominique Dawes actually talked about feeling lost after Atlanta in the Self Magazine article I posted.

A lot of high level athletes really struggle once they leave their sport. A friend of mine is married to a former MLB pitcher. He's a really good guy, but he didn't know what to do upon retirement, it really strained their marriage. He's now a pitching coach and so much happier. Granted, he went back to baseball, but the dislocation he felt not being inside the highly regimented baseball world upon retirement was very very real. And he was an adult, with a college degree, had a very successful baseball career. Not some 19 year old gymnast thrust out of the sport trying to figure out who they are transitioning into adulthood.

So I can easily see how former elite gymnasts end up "influencing." They already have social media followings. Too often, they're not equipped to figure out the 9-5 life. Being an online influencer means staying connected to their gymnast identity, continuing to interact with fans who know and even revere them as gymnasts. They don't need to figure out who they are, they get to stay, to some extent, in their bubble (similar to my pitcher acquaintance....life outside baseball was directionless, might as well go back into baseball).

 

[MaryClare]

I think gymnastics is particularly tough in that respect, as most athletes achieve their goals at a very young age

 

[JaJa]

I think gymnastics is particularly tough in that respect, as most athletes achieve their goals at a very young age

Thats the real point isn't it? Most pro athletes -- football players, baseball players, retire at a significnatly older age than gymnasts. Plus they have had lucrative careers and typically made extensive connections. If they managed their money well they can open businesses etc and many do, even if after a time spent dealing with the natural depression and disorientation that comes with their retirement. But gymnasts retire in their 20s, and have not had the financial rewards that athletes in other sports have had. And they have their entire lives ahead of them.

 

[Lisaelaine80]

Nastia seems to have made it a full time job.

 

[JDB]

IMO it is just extremely sad. Its just the height of a frivolous and frankly banal occupation. Whatever happened to actually wanting to do something useful in this world? Life is not about making money its about living some sort of meaningful existence.

We all gotta eat. There ain't no money in saving the world.

On a serious note, I consider the "influencer" career similar to being a TV personality. And many people maintain niche media careers off public and private TV stations. But the most popular internet platforms are pretty exploitative IMO. And the protections for child users are quite minimal. I stay away from Instagram entirely for that reason.

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

I would imagine the soft skills that training and competing at such a high level would translate really well into the workforce. It probably doesn’t help though that so many of them had what I imagine were horrendous educations from a pretty young age.

 

[Kittentoes]

I can't with Nile anymore.

 

[MaryClare]

I would imagine the soft skills that training and competing at such a high level would translate really well into the workforce. It probably doesn’t help though that so many of them had what I imagine were horrendous educations from a pretty young age.

I don’t think that’s the case at all. The majority of elite gymnasts go onto study at university level. I think that often, the personality type that has the drive to become an elite athlete is the type to be an all round overachiever.

The 2 British gymnasts that stand out to me as having had a terrible education are Imogen Cairns and Alice Sumner. Incidentally both from The Academy, which has a big reputation for gymnasts going on to NCAA. Imogen and Alice are years apart in age, but what they both have in common is coming from the same area of Devon, with families who didn’t relocate to the Bristol area. They were basically sofa surfing between different families at the gym and I’m not sure if they were registered with Bristol schools at all, as that’s quite difficult to do if you don’t have a permanent address in the area. I don’t think Imogen did any GCSEs, although she possibly did them later than normal. When Alice quit gymnastics, she went to school with people 1-2 younger than her

 

[CameliasFingerpaint]

I don’t think that’s the case at all. The majority of elite gymnasts go onto study at university level. I think that often, the personality type that has the drive to become an elite athlete is the type to be an all round overachiever.

The 2 British gymnasts that stand out to me as having had a terrible education are Imogen Cairns and Alice Sumner. Incidentally both from The Academy, which has a big reputation for gymnasts going on to NCAA. Imogen and Alice are years apart in age, but what they both have in common is coming from the same area of Devon, with families who didn’t relocate to the Bristol area. They were basically sofa surfing between different families at the gym and I’m not sure if they were registered with Bristol schools at all, as that’s quite difficult to do if you don’t have a permanent address in the area. I don’t think Imogen did any GCSEs, although she possibly did them later than normal. When Alice quit gymnastics, she went to school with people 1-2 younger than her

I wasn’t necessarily speaking to their university education, but rather their secondary education they received prior, which often takes a backseat to training. I would imagine it leaves them with quite a few skills gaps as they enter uni. I have a hard time believing that Connections Academy or whatever online nonsense a lot of Elites use to get a high school diploma is setting them up for success.

 

[MaryClare]

I wasn’t necessarily speaking to their university education, but rather their secondary education they received prior, which often takes a backseat to training. I would imagine it leaves them with quite a few skills gaps as they enter uni. I have a hard time believing that Connections Academy or whatever online nonsense a lot of Elites use to get a high school diploma is setting them up for success.

yes but whilst student athletes often have lower admission requirements, the requirements to earn your degree are the same. And I can’t think of anyone who has struggled with that?

 

[Deleted member 408]

My god, if they weren’t registered with a school in Bristol, that’s horribly irresponsible! Not doing any GCSEs is such a barrier to basically any sort of “real” job at all. I hope she did do them later as it’s sad to think of anyone being put in that position through poor parenting.

I hope that isn’t going on for any gymnast at present. There are slightly better options for remote schooling in the UK now compared to pre-2020, but still nowhere near as good as in the USA.