If there’s one thing Lolo Jones apparently doesn’t like about vying for the U.S. bobsled team, it’s sliding for relatively paltry pay.
The American track and field star on Monday rankled members of the bobsledding team — with which she has been working the past seven months — when she tweeted a Vine video poking fun at her bobsledding paycheck, which came to $741.84 for her training thus far.
“Seven months with bobsled season. The whole season. That’s it,” she says in the video before adding, “I’m going to be a little late on my rent this month.”
Jones, who has numerous endorsements from her track and field career, joined U.S. bobsledding in an attempt to win an Olympic medal that eluded her over the past two summer games.
Among those miffed by Jones’ action was gold medalist Steven Holcomb, the most accomplished American bobsledder in history.
“It wasn’t taken very well,” Holcomb told USA Today of Jones’ video. “People were really kind of insulted. You just made $741, more than most athletes in the sport. So what are you complaining about?”
In response, Jones released a statement that read: “I don’t want to offend anyone, and I’ve always wanted to help out my bobsled teammates. Some of them have debt because they’ve given their life to the sport. My partner Jazmine and I had to raise money for the bobsled to be funded just to finish the season, because only 2 of the 3 sleds are funded by the team.
“I can’t imagine halfway through my track season having to stop and raise money to finish. The Vine of the paycheck is just showing the difference between track and bobsled, and to be honest bobsledders work more hours than track! The bottom line is that all Olympic athletes dedicate their lives to their sports and do not receive lucrative paychecks like athletes in mainstream professional sports. So hopefully, this will make people appreciate just how hard Olympians work, often just for the love of the sport.”
