There’s no bigger stage for millions of athletes around the world than the Olympic games. With a legacy of over 120 years, the extravaganza has produced many champion sportspersons, who have etched their names in history. However, longtime UFC commentator and podcast mogul Joe Rogan appears to claim that the reality of the Olympics is not something many people are aware of.

Joe Rogan and his guest Derek from ‘More Plates, More Dates’ got into a serious discussion during the #2239 JRE episode when they revealed the shady tactics that coaches use for their athletes. The 57-year-old guest would reveal how there are some instances of foul play among Olympic athletes, which didn’t seem to surprise Rogan because he claims that there’s just nothing to gain for these athletes financially when they compete in these events.

“[It happens] especially [in] something like the Olympics. There’s no money in it. You’re not making any money, which is crazy,” said Joe Rogan. Derek would chime in, claiming that what pushes the athletes to try to secure a spot in the Olympics is because it’s about “pride and winning a medal” for them.

On the other hand, Joe Rogan also pointed his fingers at the people who run the Olympics and make the events happen. He claims that it’s them who fill up their pockets with the majority of the money. “It’s pure exploitation. That’s what it is because it’s not like there’s no money. Like, ‘Why are you making all the money?’ ‘Well, these people are noble. They don’t want to get paid.’ ‘No, you’re just not paying them. They don’t even know how much money there was,” Rogan added.

It has been a longstanding tradition in the Olympics of not paying the athletes to compete. The committee doesn’t put any cash prize up for grabs, and instead, athletes receive remuneration for their achievements in other ways, like getting money from sponsors and their respective governments. But Joe Rogan seems to have an issue with this model of the international sporting event and has called it a ‘scam’ in the past.

Joe Rogan once claimed that the Olympics is a “giant scam”

The #2239 JRE episode wasn’t the first time when Joe Rogan used the word ‘exploitation’ to describe the Olympics. A few months ago, he brought up the same issue and came out in support of the athletes, who are no less than world-class. Of course, there’s a lot of money involved, as we mentioned already, as Olympic events often garner an average of 30 million viewers every four years, and having people compete for no money at all is just a big red flag, according to the longtime UFC commentator.

“The Olympics is a giant scam… You have the best athletes in the world participating in their disciplines, and then you have enormous amounts of money being made, none of which goes to the athletes. It’s a giant scam,” Joe Rogan stated earlier in August. “It’s [the money] not made by athletes; it’s not made by the Olympics but by the people who put the Olympics out. They’re the ones reaping all the money and siphoning cash from these athletes. The money they make is astronomical.”

The path to preparation for the Olympics is a long and strenuous one, and athletes have to bear various costs to compete at the most elite level. As such, having to compete with any financial benefit seems wrong for Joe Rogan. But what do you think? Do you think the Olympic Games need to remove their non-profit business model? Let us know in the comments down below.