Shannon Sharpe couldn’t believe the monetary figure that United States Olympians were getting for gold medals. When he and his co-host Chad Johnson saw that $37.5K figure on a recent episode of their Nightcap podcast, he said it should at least be $200K.
Sharpe said that if Noah Lyles wins the gold medal for the 100-meter (he did, sorry, Leigh Diffey), then he and “Ocho” would put up $25K each. He passed that same message along to both Sha’Carri Richardson and Ryan Bailey. And on top of that, Sharpe said, “I’ll give $50,000 to any American to break a world record; I don’t give a damn what the event is.”
Sharpe wasn’t kidding. He was serious about it being a world record and a world record only.
Tuesday saw U.S. long-distance runner Cole Hocker stun the world with a gold-medal victory in the men’s 1500-meter, setting a new Olympic record.
However, his impressive feat didn’t qualify him for Sharpe’s promised payout, a distinction the ESPN personality and multi-faceted podcast host was quick to point out.
It’s crucial to understand that Olympic and world records are distinct achievements. While Hocker’s come-from-behind gold medal victory was undeniably impressive and a testament to his skill, it didn’t meet Sharpe’s strict criteria for a payout. Sharpe’s insistence on a world record for his bonus offer adds an intriguing layer to the story, even as Hocker likely celebrates his Olympic gold without needing additional financial validation.
Hocker’s stunning Olympic gold in the 1500-meter won’t net him Sharpe’s promised $50K bonus, but he’ll still — hopefully — collect the $25K offered to gold medalists.
With Team USA storming to the top of the medal count, Sharpe and Chad Johnson might feel a pinch in their wallets. Their pledge per gold medal means a hefty $600K or more — a tab that would have been even bigger had world record pole vaulter Armand Duplantis opted to represent the U.S. over Sweden.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.