These Kenyan Athletes Are So (like) Underpaid
I was watching Pamela Jelimo’s win online (because I can never figure out what time these events are happening on tv). Anyway, Jelimo just killed it and she’s only 18! Maybe one day someone will figure out what these Kalenjins are drinking and they’ll package it and sell it to future runners. Is there a special ingredient in Mursik that nobody has discovered yet?
However, I want to talk about money and athletics. I was reading somewhere that the overgrown and odd looking Michael Phelps may end up making $5 million dollars for each gold medal he’s won. Whaaat? they should pay him now because in 10 years, they’ll have discovered the drugs Phelps has been ingesting and the medals will be withdrawn from him.
So, back to this issue of money. The Kenyan runners are the best in the world. They have dominated long distance running for at least 30 years, but still, their pay does not reflect their talent. Why?
Now, Pamela Jelimo is being touted as the new running sensation. So, I’m assuming that someone with that level of talent will skip college to focus on her running. So, let’s say she has a good 10 years of competitive running still ahead of her. I’d say, financially, she should pull in about $10 million dollars in earnings over the course of those 10 years. Is that unreasonable? not if your the best in the world.
It’s too bad private companies in Kenya don’t lavish them with endorsement deals the way American companies do with their athletes. These athletes could be great spokes people for diet drinks, healthy flavored water drinks, vegetable juices etc, etc….especially since so many Kenyans are getting fatter and fatter and are beginning to look for healthier alternatives in their diets. What better person to use than a healthy, fit looking athlete?.
I mean, if you work for coca-cola Africa, Jelimo would be a great marketing tool. She’s black, she’s African, she’s young. Put her up on a freaking billboard.
And speaking of advertisements and billboards, there’s an interesting article about Kenya’s mobile industry and the revenue’s they are generating for ad agencies (Safaricom: here, there and everywhere).
KE
Your kalenjins again (KE:you could be freudian about this people!! aint you)
Yes as for money :Kenyan athlestes are underpaid….it got something to do with supply…There are just too many kenyan world class athletes…(supply demand thing)….also kenyan athetes have modest education (discovered early in sec/primary school)…eg Jelimo,Ndereva etc.
However they make good money in kenyas sense (Jelimo this year wll make over 1M USD!!!) this is so much for any Kenayn to be honest…she is not thinking of 10M USD..she will buy a farm for her parents ! buy a house /building in Eld (strictly) ..keep some cows then mursik..life goes on
The richest Kenyan athlete ever is Shaeen (stephen cherono)..still under 24…the boy is worth over 1 Billion KES..thanks to Qatar….
There are however brillaint sports investors (milionaires in USD ) like Moses tanui,Lorupe,Lorna Kiplagat who built sports Training colleges of their own..branding them universities of champions….World athletes (westerners) pilgrim to ITEN keiyo/Kapsabet paying top dollar to this training colleges…..
BUT the problem is the Kenyan gov….Its not investing anything in athletes…They have constructed nothing in Eld,Kisii or Central were Kenyas athletes bud…..They EVEN do not have a sports POLICY 50 years on
Lord
Is it true that Kenyan athletes could even do better if they were more united? I heard that there is a alot of squabbling and favouritism at the national level.
On the contrary, I hear that the Ethiopians are ruled by an iron fist when it comes to representing their country. They all have to obey one coach – even gebresellasie who is the most successful Ethiopian athlete ever. There is no room for indiscipline and tantrums. That is why they are increasingly challenging Kenyans.
******
Gebresellasie has set up a factory in Addis Ababa that employs more than 800 people. He has also built a school in the rural town where he grew up. What are Kenyan athletes doing with their millions?
Do you think Kenyan athletes should fund high tech ventures in Kenya? At least in Eldy where they come from.
Josh
Unity of purpose always helps in any field !! The trouble with Kenyan athletics is the sheer talent availble[.....some estimate that practically 80% of some rv tribes are trainable to world class standards...]
This talent appears when one is young
So you become an athlete (world class) with primary or secondary education….your family is an average peasnt!! Your real exposure is low …you can never really make an impact…
When you check out atheltes who have been great (Tergat,Moses Kiptanui,Lornah Kiplagat,Ndereva ) etc they have as spouses or family learned persons who have Invested properly and assisted this athletes to last long
Ethiopia got very few athletes..They cannot reach EIGHT i mean 8 of world class level…Its this five/or 8 who specialise in (5000M,10000m) only
The goverment pays them very well (they r few anyway) .You can imagin the sheer frustration in thousands of budding athletes in Kenay.
Another problem with Kenya is the AK…Isaia Kiplagat is a dinossour (very corrupt) and all the officails of AK…WAIT you will see immediately after olympics the AK officails will come take afew cups of Mursik at JKIA pretend they are tired (‘of hard work’) then sneak into TOWN HOLD FRESH AK elections (sham) where the entire lot are brought back into their original positions …Just wait and see…LEADERSHIP problem again as always
BUT when you look in terms of our level (national) we are doing very well indeed…
I agree the Kenyan Govt ought to invest heavily in our athletes cos thats what Kenya is well known for when it comes to sports & international events like marathons etc. There used to be a time when the UK athlete Paula Radcliffe struggled real hard to beat our women athletes who always ran her over at the final moment to snatch victory and again for the first time after a long time, believe me it was brillaint to see yesterday how well the women did in the 800mtrs.
As for these athletes doing something good for the country like setting up hospitals, schools etc yeh I’m for that idea. It needs to be done.
Thanks KE for this post on our athletes!!!
Asante sana!
Most athletes make their millions from product endorsements and that’s not the governments job. Great economies create big (often obese) consumers. Go figure, entrepreneur. Anyone with some 12,000 calorie junk food on sale?
LORD,
Long leadership is the reality in the world of sports. They never leave till death or poor health just like the Popes. From NFL,NBA,MLB commissioners,IOC ,FIFA and IAAF Presidents.So Kenya AK and Kiplagat is no exception.The ONLY difference between us and the rest of the world is we use those positions to enrich ourselves at the expense of those we serve.
KE
Kenyan Athletes are victims of Third World Economy.Our government can’t afford it.Thats why they diffect to rich ones.Another problem is lack of publicity and personal communication skills.Gabreselassie of Ethiopia has wrecked Millions because he can connect with media well despite limited English.Companies notice that and if you are a champion,they will use you.But Kenyans win yet utter two words at the media podium.They lack communication confidence.There exceptions like TERGAT,NDEREVA and LORUPE.They love to talk to the media and see how they have benefited.Dont be surprised if our White swimming brothers (the Dunfords) get huge endorsements yet our Track stars should be the ones picking them.
When you talk of Underpaid, you have to remember to ask yourself –
by who ? Most Kenyan Runners as other world runners do not work for anyone. They mostly run for their countries and are generally expected to as talented citizens. All they get in return are monetary Gifts, not salary and a sense of national pride. That is why they wave the flag after winning, right ? In other countries, ie USA the likes of Michael Phelps end up making money from endoresements etc provided by private enterprises. FYI, The USA govt. was only offering $25,000, for each gold medal won at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. (so i guess Michael did make at least 200k with his 8 Gold medals)
But do not compare and expect Kenyan companies to follow suit coz you need to keep in mind that American culture is conducive to endorsements from athletes as a result of the Pro – sports industry ie NBA, NFL ,etc So the public is already used to this and private companies can make money or improve the image of their companies by having sports professionals ie Michael Jordan, tiger woods etc on their side.
Lately, there has been a lot of “defections” of Kenyan runners running for other Countries for material benefits. They may stand a better chance of earning some endorsements money there than in Kenya, because in Kenya, Runners tend to come from one ethnic group and are in abundance therefore creating a nonchalant attitude towards runners in the general public.
The writer of this article is a classic example of the kind of attitude i’am talking about. she/he writes, “Maybe one day someone will figure out what these Kalenjins are drinking and they’ll package it and sell it to future runners. Is there a special ingredient in Mursik that nobody has discovered yet?” This is a sad and bigoted view. Worse still is how many other Kenyans would laugh at this bigoted comment. Do you think such people will be influenced into purchasing any product endorsed by Pamela Jelimo ? See you have to respect someone before you can heed their opinion.
In some countries that are desperate for recognition in the world sports arena, they are ready to spend ridiculous amounts of money to anyone who can bring them that Glory, that is why some Kenyans Ran for some Arab countries but still came up short. In China, gold medal was worth at least $150,000 in national government prize money. But look at the trouble China went through to try and secure the top spot in Olympics ?
Makbelly:
I gave the example of coca-cola africa and why they wouldn’t use these kenyan athletes in their advertisements? Look at all the healthy alternative drinks they are trying to sell to other Kenyans/Africans? athletes are always good marketing choices for health oriented beverages and foods.
The multinational companies in India use bollywood stars in their ad’s and I’m saying that they should start doing the same in Africa (use our local “heroes”).
On Mursik:
I do think it’s quite healthy, but I’ve now concluded that the reason the Kalenjins and Ethiopians dominate long distance running is because both groups reside in the rift valley – a place of high altitude weather that seems to create the perfect conditions for the training of long distance runners.
I agree, it would be a good idea for Coca Cola Africa to use these Athletes to promote their products. But a good idea to who ? Coca Cola is not a charitable organization. If their research has shown that using the Runners is just as good as using the ordinary guy on the street fiscally, then why spend millions on an athlete whose marketing influence is basically zero. That is just a sound business decision. Just because they are doing it in India and America doesn’t meant they have to in Kenya. Bollywood is the biggest movie industry in the world, Do you understand how much influence the likes of Anil Kapoor have on the Indian public ?
On the issue of Mursik, I am glad that you now have a different perspective to their natural abilities. But that revelation however profound it may seem, does not change the fact that you still see the Athletes as a group of People who are basically good at what they do as a result of their cultural or environmental background. That attitude is what defeats the purpose of using them as a marketing tool. See you have to see these athletes as individual achievers in order to be influenced or swayed by their endorsement. When Young Americans go the clothes stores to buy Jordan gear, They are fully impressed and excited by Michael Jordan himself. They do not consciously choose to buy those products because Jordan is yet another excellent African American basketball player.
@MakBelly
You seem to point to the crux of the african achilles!! You do put it though diplomatically.
Whats the use of (sportsmen or bussinesmen) working so hard in a ‘nobodies’ land? Where nobody owns. Would it NOT be a good idea another BERLIN conference of 1885 ?
Again MakBelly when a group of people who are culturally identifiable exceed a darwinian horizon on any field ,that field automatically becomes associated with them. It does not neccesaary create hatred in other groups…Thats why JET LI or BRUCE LEE would endorse a product succesffuly any where in the world despite the fact their displine is specific to a group of people
Kenyan athletes for all their success do NOT have the cachet of the Americans…
I loved it when we won the golds esp the 800m… BUT the Kenyan athletes are not “TV-friendly” like Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps or Tiger Woods…
Companies are in business to make money… sure they may throw some for CSR but they need sales…
BTW, Nissan did try with Douglas Wakihuri for their pickup…
When I say “TV-friendly”… many top notch – not all – American athletes interviw well… Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods do this very well…
makebelly:
You said the following:
“But that revelation however profound it may seem, does not change the fact that you still see the Athletes as a group of People who are basically good at what they do as a result of their cultural or environmental background. That attitude is what defeats the purpose of using them as a marketing tool”
Um…when 99% of the runners in Kenya come from one tribe, I thinks it’s prudent to look at it and find out what it is within the culture or environment that uniquely prepares kalenjins for long distance running.
I already mentioned the high altitude weather in the rift valley as one environmental factor. I’m not sure of the others, but there has to be something there.
#KE
You are right…any SANE person would have to question the disproportionate (more so even on world stage ) kalenjin athletic faculty.
I think its DNA….There are so many people living in high altitude even higher than RV (mexicans,peruvians,Nepalis,Chagas) yet they produce no athletes
Being a horseless and cattle keepers and first degree rustlers and the fastest of them prospered creating over thousands of years this unique race of people.
The altitude too assists but that means they must have lived in RV highlands for several milennia for evolution to take place….So they are right when they TALK of ANCESTRAL LAND…..genetics supports them
KE
The RV highlands must have been a hostile teritory…populated earlier by cushitic people…The kalenjins must have fought/rustled this cushitic people eventually over thousands of years forming the modern Kalenjin people….
The kalenjin language is very cushitic and many kalenjin persons show some cushitic heritage..this is also true for their cousins the maasai….I think the masai would be just as good as Kalenjins but only they live on lowlands (altitude)…..Yes the Narok Masai are very fast…Rudisha,Koncella,Ngatuny…etc (narok is highest altitude on masai land)
THis just my conjecture or a hunch