Why Modern Athletes Are Underpaid

Thanks a lot to BetterHelp for sponsoring this video. Click betterhelp.com/athleticinterest for a 10% discount on your first month of therapy with a licensed professional specific to your needs.
⏱ Timestamps
00:00 💸 The Richest Athlete in History
00:26 🥤 Money in Sports
02:12 🏟️ Chariot Racing & Circus Maximus
04:23 🏇 Gaius Appuleius Diocles
06:35 Video Sponsor: BetterHelp
07:47 💡 What was his secret?
10:03 🐐 A true GOAT story
🎬 About
Athletic Interest is a video essay series that investigates business stories from the world of sports.
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📚Selected Sources
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[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks a lot to BetterHelp for making this video happen: betterhelp.com/athleticinterest What should we talk about in our next video 🤔?

[@johanmbaabu1580]

thanks will you cover a story about the Afcon cup

[@RanjanManikam]

clickbait title

[@alpacamale2909]

Daily dose of thinking about the Roman Empire.

[@Gnashercide]

Oh yeah

[@12thMandalorian]

Incredible era for Chelsea

[@raymondqiu8202]

Can someone explain this? Why are people talking about the roman empire recently?

[@TheMightyFonz]

Tiktok. Some gf asked her bf how much time he spends thinking about the Roman Empire. It started a trend. Apparently people think about it a lot.@@raymondqiu8202

[@leon_black]

@@raymondqiu8202its a leaked meme from 2027 (I’m from 2032)

[@justgary2471]

Ah yes, the legend of Lucious Hamiltius vs. Nicoro Rosenbjergsen of the North. The story of the inner family turmoil of the house of Mercedius.

[@oskarwittmann5757]

Nicoro Rosenbjergsen? The kinimatografistis from the lands of Monaco who beat Lucious Hamiltius in the same chariot?

[@fiestofelix4455]

@@oskarwittmann5757 Yes the VII time triumphator Lucious Hamiltius

[@JayDzay]

@@oskarwittmann5757 Ah ofcourse how can historians forget about Fernando Alonso himself who battled side by side with Lucious Hamiltius on the roman empire era while riding his Aston Martin that is as fast as a Chariot this 2nd half of the season AND who is still btw, the top candidate for rookie of the year.

[@Amm17ar]

Ah yes, I remember the tales from history class. One of the most iconic rivalries in mythology. I recall the great Battle of Catalonia (modern day Barcelona), the battle had just started and Hamiltius rode up the rear of Rosenbjergsen only for Nicoro to edge him off his horse and they both colided as the thunderus heavens opened up. The two sides supporters clashed for years and the resentment grew to biblical levels. Not even the King Totorius could stop the legends from going at it. Ultimately Hamiltius did overcome the lands and forced Nicoro into exile and Hamiltius alongside his second in command Bottius took over the known world.......Until Maximus Decimus Meridius Vertappenai, leader of the Bulls of Red from modern day Austria fueled by their elixers of energy came storming through destroying everything in their path.....but thats a story for another day.

[@craighutchinson77]

Still can't believe Nicoro beat Lucious in equal chariotry. 16 AD was a wild time

[@BraydenMotha]

"How often do you think about the Roman Empire?". Ask Athletic Interest

[@bjornodin]

If the answer isn't "daily", then you're clearly not an individual of culture and sophistication! 😉

[@samarthhiremath371]

Really, this channel is so underrated. This should atleast cross 1 million 😊

[@AthleticInterest]

Soon, hopefully! 🤞

[@samarthhiremath371]

@@AthleticInterest it will, definitely

[@devanshtiwari2067]

Man I love this channel seriously the quality content and the sheer consistency is miraculous I m watching since first video 🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks for being part of the ride since video one!

[@giorgi911]

​@@AthleticInterestLove your channel! P.S. There's a typo in Jordan's net worth at 1:31

[@rayanamer4359]

Same here. I watched them whenever they post. I hope we can see them at a platform like netflix.

[@brunoguttler]

Your GOAT levels have been updated. Incredible video as always.

[@shrawonshrestha6461]

Probably, one of the best channels I've come across.

[@IrakliModebadze-tc5po]

This channel is pure treasure, thank you for your effort and the creative topics, wish it would've been more often. Big fan of Athletic interest.

[@AthleticInterest]

We're always pleased that people enjoy them! 🙂

[@MrLuci33]

So so interesting! Thanks for your work!

[@dronesclubhighjinks]

Regarding gladiatorial games: "Given the nature of the activity, you couldn't really do it every day." The effective deployment of casual understatement as humour cannot be overemphasized. Even without that bonus feature, this is one of the most interesting videos I have ever seen on KZbin! This man's story should be made into a movie! In terms of mental toughness, I'm going to suggest gymnasts as being tops - especially female gymnasts competing on balance beam. The men's equivalent most-dreaded apparatus is the pommel horse, but the reason I am highlighting women is because they are allowed to compete as seniors at age 16, whereas the men are not allowed to until they're 18 (because they are not fully grown yet, and a full skill set should not try to be achieved before the athlete is fully grown). When an athlete falls from the apparatus, unless they're injured to the point of not being able to get up, they re-mount the apparatus and continue their routine while being fully aware that they will receive a much lower mark which takes them out of medal contention in the all-around, or in the event final. In the team competition, every gymnasts' score counts, and a fall from one gymnast on one apparatus can also be the difference between the team winning a medal (or qualifying to the Olympics), and not. Lastly, I will mention that every gymnast is constantly fully aware that a bad fall on any apparatus can result in career-ending injury + a lifetime of chronic pain, paralysis or death. Speaking of those poor slave charioteers who lost their lives doing this, maybe they were luckier than the ones who survived with ghastly injuries. Thank you very much for the video! I'm sending it to everybody I know! 🙏😎

[@AthleticInterest]

Your comment just made my day, thank you!

[@bjornodin]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that you have some experience with gymnastics? 😉 I have suddenly become more concerned about my niece and nephew, who both practice gymnastics! While almost casually ignoring that they also practice football, a sport where I literally broke an arm, and a leg, before my (protestant) confirmation. Also I was involved in on-field accidents where 2 other people broke their legs. That happened in the next 5 years or so. I guess I don't have a deep philosophical point, I just liked your post and felt like responding to it in a "genuine" manner, like an actual person responding...sigh, sometimes the sheer weight of all the bots seems overwhelming... Right?

[@dronesclubhighjinks]

@@AthleticInterest oooh I’m delighted to hear it!! Thank you so much for letting me know!! 🙏🤩✨

[@dronesclubhighjinks]

​@@bjornodin Thank you for replying! I am a big gymnastics fan but have almost no personal experience with the sport. Unfortunately, injuries tend to be quite common among all elite athletes including sports that do not involve physical contact such as diving, archery, rowing, etc. Overuse injuries instead of inflicted trauma are much more likely in their case. When you describe your football injuries (yikes!), I’m guessing you mean UK football and not American? I didn’t think girls played American football (you mentioned your niece and nephew both play football, as well as do gymnastics but who knows these days). I follow elite gymnastics, which refers to athletes who compete for their country internationally, including at world championships, and Olympics. I also started following American college (NCAA) gymnastics a few years ago. They have both men’s and women’s, but the men are hardly ever televised, and the women get all the attention. This is fantastic but I wish we could see the guys as well. Elite athletes who are not American can also receive scholarships to American universities! There are Canadians, British, Dutch, German, Italian, Hungarian, Swedish, Latvian, Philippines, Australian, New Zealand, Mexican, Bolivian, Venezuelan, Colombian off the top of my head. This happens in other sports as well. I’ve heard that many young American gymnasts dream of winning a scholarship and competing for their dream college, instead of focussing on the Olympics. The skill level required to compete in college is lower, and therefore accessible to many more athletes. Wherever your niece and nephew live, they can attend an American college. It’s not necessary to receive a scholarship, although that is obviously the most desirable possibility. NCAA allows (relies on!) “walk on“ athletes who have not received a sports scholarship, but who are good enough to compete at that level. A walk on may have an academic scholarship, or be paying full tuition, but they ask the coach (before committing to that school) if they may has the opportunity to try out. There are benefits to being a student athlete such as extra tutoring help and sometimes better meal plans. Student athletes on campus have quite the social status which I suspect is the main reason people want to be walk ons in addition to actually competing in the sport. Also, the coach may give them a scholarship for subsequent years if they prove themselves to be worthy recipients. I don’t know how often this happens in other sports, but it’s not uncommon in women’s gymnastics. “ #1 Gym Fan” is the YT channel which uploads college meets every weekend during competition season which is January to April - in case your niece or nephew would like to watch. There are years worth of competitions on that channel they can watch at any time! “USA gymnastics” KZbin channel has a playlist for full meet broadcasts starting in 1976 with the American Cup, which was the unveiling of soon-to-be Olympic superstar, Nadia Comaneci! They also upload every junior and senior elite gymnasts’ routines on every apparatus in American domestic competitions, such as national championships, and the lead-up competitions, which are called “Classics“. This is fantastic for when wants to see only one particular athlete, or only one particular apparatus. Main broadcasts include the stars, but probably 75% of the athletes competing are not shown on TV. YT channel “WithAHalfTwist” just uploaded Pan Am games women’s gymnastics team final and I haven’t seen it yet. “FIG Channel” is the official channel of the world gymnastics governing body. It includes artistic, rhythmic, trampoline, acrobatic, aerobic, and tumbling. I haven’t checked in a while, but all the Olympic team finals, all around competitions and event finals going back to and including 1980!! used to be on KZbin uploaded by various fans. I hope this information may be useful to you! Good luck to your niece and nephew, and have a great week! 🙏😃

[@rocket009able]

I love your commitment to try and squeeze in an F1 mention, it's brilliant 😂

[@Pandajo]

Man, this is one of my favourite sport channels..

[@musguera]

Loved the Life of Brian reference. When I travelled to Rome my wife and I walked around the Circo Massimo and we didn't know its history, how foolish of us. And you reminded me I have yet to see Ben-Hur, I cannot die without watching this movie, thank you!

[@venividivici7]

Was looking for a new upload yesterday, we've been blessed!

[@AthleticInterest]

🙏😇

[@devildans]

I liked your final sentence, great video!

[@crbsoup6315]

yay another upload

[@georgeseparovic]

This channel is criminally underrated

[@okaydoubleu]

Probably the best video thus far, by Athletica Interesttum

[@AthleticInterest]

gratias tibi!

[@Jazzmany11]

Athletic Interest always teaching me about things I never knew I wanted to learn

[@AthleticInterest]

We know you better than you know yourself 😉

[@fogktjfsifh7466]

1:55 Bro used the Big Bank Theory intro song scene in reverse and hoped we woudnt notice.

[@bharasiva96]

Thought provoking. Thank you.

[@AthleticInterest]

You're so welcome 🙂

[@jonas7709]

Great Video! I love the topic and the comparisons to modern sports xD

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks, Jonas! 😄

[@MusicMeen]

Thanks for sharing this story.

[@AthleticInterest]

You're very welcome! 😉

[@kian_de_gamer1638]

Funny how much chariot racing has in common with F1. Big fanbases, controversy and scandals, drivers being popular because of their agressive style, different teams having different material (cars/horses)... It's basically the same lol

[@terramater4679]

Very cool and interesting video. Topic is quite new and refreshing.

[@AthleticInterest]

Something different 😊

[@jvlicious]

I never thought I'd get excited seeing an animation of a chariot race... Go Gaius 🐴💪💪

[@matthiassventoest6800]

great stuff.. I learned something today

[@AthleticInterest]

Mission: Accomplished😉

[@bharatavarsha10k]

Another Masterclass by Athletic intrest 🔥

[@AthleticInterest]

Hit after hit! 😜

[@M34ZZ]

Those comparisons were wild and accurate 😂😂

[@Perennestore010]

This channel never disappoints

[@AthleticInterest]

So happy you think so! Thanks 😀

[@shubhojitghosh69]

Awesome video.

[@Bobby56288]

The production quality here is top notch❤

[@AthleticInterest]

The Mona Lisa of its time 😜

[@ousman997]

Really fascinating video

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks! 😄

[@adomaskn]

Magnificent video!

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank you!

[@federico22prima]

Great video. Interesting and funny

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank so much 😄

[@sperotheg]

This is a Great video

[@AthleticInterest]

This is a Great comment 😉

[@sodeznay]

"My name is Gaius Appuleius Diocles, charioteer of the Circus Maximus, loyal servant to the true serial winner, Green Faction. Master to a nurtured horse. Champion to the civilized Roman. And I will have my $1.5 Billions, in this life or the next."

[@faieziabubakar207]

I've watched this guy race..he was amazing..taking over from the inside corner 😁

[@chimerekanu2412]

That's true GOAT story! 👏👏🐐

[@bjornodin]

What a bleepin legend! I watch a lot of F1 and let me tell you!!! Even if you hang back and let all the others do the crashing... You still have to find your way through the wrecks of your competition! The animals, wounded and panicked, broken wood, scattered randomly and splinters flying every which way at speeds way beyond a thrown projectile! And the dust! Oh the dust!!! Filling your eyes in an instant! Your nose, in moments. Cutting into your face, depending on the speed. This man was a true master in the sport he chose. I saw a comment in this thread about how football is the greatest and so on and how this channel should stick to football!!! Football is awesome, but I love a variety of sports and as I see it, different sports have different risks. Football is popular, it is tribal, a lot of money is tied to betting on football. But a couple of fringe cases aside, football isn't considered to be imminently life threatening! Chariot drivers faced this dilemma in their time and F1 (and a plethora of other competitive racers) face it to this day! I'm glad that today's subject got to enjoy his riches, while being still lauded by his contemporaries. I feel confident in saying, that enduring for so long in his chosen sport, he learned something that many athletes don't... humility! I too hope to attain that goal someday 🤗

[@jmsa2760]

Small addition to the discussion: these were much smaller pools of competitors in each race (even the average golf, tennis or F1 competition will have more) and the payment was made in the form of prize money to the best placed racers. This means that there was the chance for great wealth disparities (especially if some of them were slaves and earnings might have gone to their owners - although let's not forget that being a slave in ancient Rome wasn't the same as being one in a plantation). As such, $15 B total earnings makes more sense than where there are multiple sports, with multiple athletes per sport and in multiple rich societies. It was peak inequality back then.

[@Rahul_Rao_001]

An absolute iconic video.

[@AthleticInterest]

😉 Appreciate it!

[@teddyzr]

@athleticinterest the figure at 1:32 for Jordan should be 7.4 Billion or is he only worth 74 million?

[@BradleyRubin]

Later in the video, at 9:43, it says that $15 billion is 7x Michael Jordan's net worth. So Jordan's net worth should be ~$2 billion.

[@pentosdso3757]

74mil is his earing from his basketball contract. His networth is largly attributed to the jordan brand.@@BradleyRubin

[@Elze77]

According to Forbes, $3 billion in 2023.

[@goncaloaraujo6644]

we be producing the best athletes since 104 AD ahaha

[@bjornodin]

Greece has entered the chat...

[@luthomvoko5670]

Matheus flamini a former footballer has a net worth of $14 billion after starting a biochemical company

[@jvlicious]

Btw, am watching S2 of Welcome to Wrexham. While Wrexham certainly has the media power and money behind it, I think a peek into Notts County (higher than Wrexham in the League 2 table as of today) and Dorking Wanderers would be fascinating too 😃

[@albrightgichuhi4690]

The football references to make us understand better >>

[@juliendaguin-gesset9321]

Insane story I studied about him in school and apparently he owes his carrier to his trainer (apparently called Zlatanus according to some sources...)

[@neyo4669]

I don't count inflation adjusted money. I like that music at the end, is the a full version?❤

[@kilianguggenberger8322]

Missing Mathieu Flamini

[@ceoxpertthief2244]

Athletic Interest: 90% Futbol ⚽️ 10% other sports

[@ftwsam2246]

They used to do exclusively Formula 1 but they switched cause it was too restrictive.😂

[@nutcracke16]

“But can he do it on a rainy night in Pompeii?”

[@AthleticInterest]

All teams fear Pompeii away 😅

[@_orodrigofernandes]

You guys go above and beyond to tell a history hahahaha!!

[@AthleticInterest]

Of course! 😉

[@laktatspeicher]

Love the Monty Python pics 🤣

[@WayneW3st]

I like how athletic interest explain with football terms

[@AthleticInterest]

The way our brains work 😄

[@Imnotyourdad19]

"Maximus Verstappus you are the charioteers champions, charioteers champions"

[@AceTheSkylord]

Christus Of Horn truly knew how to mange faction, one of the greats in his profession I say

[@devanshtiwari2067]

That The Big Bang theory intro edit caught me dumbstruck 😅😅😅

[@SammyFash]

What do you mean?

[@devanshtiwari2067]

@@SammyFash the time when he said history he used the intro of The Big Bang theory sitcom

[@Loco24226]

The comparisons to football clubs were good

[@davismotomiya29]

Athletic saw the trend and said "How could we make a video out of this"

[@rashedulkabir6227]

Can you make a detailed analysis about which team paid him most?

[@pranavmalpani3152]

Please make a video on golf

[@BetaHaedar]

I would believe if Maximus Verstappus is one of the legend of that sport 😂

[@HarryWessex]

The Circus Maximus is easy to miss these days really little left.

[@NumanMubarakgtfo]

Sneaky Life of Brian cameos 😂

[@juanjosemirandapy]

Genio!

[@bleuazania]

Road to millions subs please 💪🏾

[@SebaPestoni]

Too early to watch Diocle race and too early to read the comments on this video. Will be back in a few hours.

[@carbonurbuddy3456]

Comparison with F1 made it way easier to understand 😮😮

[@AthleticInterest]

Great to hear! 🏎

[@pankajmridha4885]

Hi, Lots of greetings from India. And it is a humble request to make a video on icc cricket World Cup 2023 which is being hosted by my country.

[@SVVolley]

What about Emperor Commodus of Ancient Rome? He participated in Gladiatorial events and he was the emperor of the Roman Empire. Would he not be considered richer than Diocles by way of being the emperor?

[@udit2622]

Hey AI,just heard that Cricket is included in LA Olympic games for Virat Kohli.

[@anugerahpambudi8175]

Everybody loves speeding sport

[@devanshtiwari2067]

Some father son duos are gonna be great in their respective sports Tiger - Charlie Cristiano - Cristiano junior Maldini - Maldini - Maldini 😂😂😂

[@footmastermilano]

Cool dude

[@iTechNMaster]

Who thought of Travis Scott when he mentioned Circus Maximus

[@chip0109]

Basically he was a Pay Driver. But the only Pay driver who deserved to be at the top

[@formula9617]

I came here after getting the question wrong in the community post. Had to see who he was.

[@AthleticInterest]

😉 Excellent!

[@shakey215]

thought it was going to be on Mathieu Flamini, guy invested in a medical company and the company is now estimated to be worth $10 billion shared with his partner, crazy for a rotation player

[@klicclak]

He also didn’t get a mention in the current billionaires section but probably should have

[@AthleticInterest]

Yeah you have a point. It all depends a bit on the definition. There a more athlete billionaires but many of them made their fortune not through their sport, but by starting companies, etc.

[@faieziabubakar207]

​​@@AthleticInterest make a vid for that!! 😁

[@Veodin]

The original 2010 source for this valuation is actually pretty hilarious: "His total take home amounted to five times the earnings of the highest paid provincial governors over a similar period-enough to provide grain for the entire city of Rome for one year, or to pay all the ordinary soldiers of the Roman Army at the height of its imperial reach for a fifth of a year. By today’s standards that last figure, assuming the apt comparison is what it takes to pay the wages of the American armed forces for the same period, would cash out to about $15 billion."

[@portcybertryx222]

Imagine if the F1 stars time travelled and now we have murals of Verstappen and Hamilton in Rome lol

[@guelbergoes]

ok but what about the football player who had invested into a farma company and can buy Real Madrid and Barcelona?

[@dookie1492]

i wish you would comeback to the videos in spanish

[@eligerus2622]

Zlatan acted him in a movie

[@allenqueen]

Was that The Big Bang Theory intro in reverse 1:55

[@kostadaki...]

bottom right the source is The Big Bang Theory

[@Haydn-ps5rl]

what about mathieu flamini?

[@theemotionalremix]

Isn't it that former Leicester player Faikh Bulkaia?

[@oliverp7666]

Jason deruelo

[@enanaritro8918]

DAMN SON

[@zearturogrande4052]

So basically soon 2 out of the 3 richest athletes of all time will be Portuguese. Not bad

[@smirkyopossum90210]

The two greatest athletes OF ALL TIME come from Portugal

[@cedricb7904]

🤯

[@laktatspeicher]

Henry Cavill would make a good looking Gaius Appulelus Dicocles.

[@niattain.collage]

Who would've thought the most advanced sport today is the oldest form of sport in ancient times

[@KhadimHussainRasooli]

00:02 The richest athlete in history is not Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Floyd Mayweather. 01:39 In ancient Rome, Gaius Appuleius Diocles earned more than 15 billion dollars, more than all the superstars on Forbes list today. 02:57 Chariot racing was the number one sport in ancient Rome at the Circus Maximus. 04:22 Gaius Appuleius Diocles was a famous charioteer in history. 05:42 Diocles had a long career as a charioteer, unlike most who were injured or killed within months. 07:14 Gaius Diocles earned almost 36 Million sesterces in his racing career. 08:18 Diocles was one of the richest people in Rome when he retired. 09:41 Diocles, the richest athlete in history, settled in a small town and retired at age 42.

[@82MrKanister]

What a chad!

[@mostafamahmoud8804]

11:33 Ain't no way Jordan have 75 mil only

[@digitalian99]

so his secret was to not die, clever

[@GOODKiDMANCiTY]

The narrator voice rivals Morgan Freeman 😂

[@AthleticInterest]

Wow! The all-time master of voiceovers 😄

[@JaimeJuncoG]

Flamini has something to say here