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Out Olympic rower Robbie Manson dishes on raking in the cash on OnlyFans
"I get more than double what I would be on otherwise."
Another athlete has spoken up about having to work a second job to support their journey to the Olympics. Today, it's Robbie Manson, a 34-year-old rower for Team New Zealand. Manson is just one of a growing list of athletes who have started using OnlyFans — a website known primarily for its fresh, farm-to-table adult content — to generate a supplementary source of income, sometimes making even more what they do as professional athletes.
"I get more than double what I would be on otherwise as an athlete - read into that what you will, but I am making more from OnlyFans than I am from rowing at this stage," Manson told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. While double is a lot, it might be less than what you're thinking. Rowing is not a notoriously flashy event, therefore rowers struggle to find sponsorships or financial support that is enough to live off of.
Rowing New Zealand can only sponsor Manson enough to pay for his training costs, and have been supportive of the financial freedom his OnlyFans success has provided. “I have a few friends that have supported me, but I don't have any big personal sponsors or anything - the team obviously has their sponsors, but I've never had an issue with that or Rowing New Zealand,” says Manson. Manson is fresh off an impressive sixth place finish at the Olympics, it makes sense that Rowing New Zealand would want to see Manson supported enough to keep rowing however he can. He explains further, "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's success on the adults-only platform is has a lot to do with being an out gay athlete. He was initially inspired to try it out after retired diver Matthew Mitcham started an OnlyFans. Mitcham, who made history at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the first openly gay athlete to bring home the gold, also recently spoke at some length about his and other athletes posting on OnlyFans. It's not just Manson's inspiration that comes from within the LGBTQ community, it's a lot of his support, too.
“The fact that I’m gay, I have the gay following and the audience already, and I’m slightly leaning into that," Manson reveals. That's all he's revealing though, not wanting to give away for free what he knows he can make good money off of. When pressed about what kind of content it is his gay following is so into, Manson gives a brief answer. "Artistic nudes - I don't want to say too much more than that, I think people need to subscribe if they want to know what's exactly on there."
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Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
