An Olympian from New Zealand says that although he made it to the top of his sport, he is making more money posting on OnlyFans than what he plans to make at the Paris games. “I get more than double what I would be on otherwise as an athlete—read into that what you will,” said Robbie Manson, a New Zealand rower, in an exclusive interview with Reuters. The Kiwi athlete said he was inspired by Australian diver Matthew Mitcham, the first openly gay athlete to win a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics—and now posts his own content on the platform. On Monday, Mitcham wrote an essay in The Telegraph defending himself and other athletes who use the site. “It’s a useful way of supplementing income. After all the hours and sacrifice we’ve put in, we athletes have more than earned the odd side-hustle.” According to Manson, the higher-ups in New Zealand are aware of his OnlyFans presence and don’t seem to have a problem with it. “I guess the people at Rowing New Zealand, the bosses if you like, they’re aware that this is making a huge financial impact and helping me get to where I want to go, and they understand that we’re not highly-funded as well. It’s great, I haven’t had any issues,” Manson said.
