When Shannon Sharpe makes a promise, he intends to make good on that promise, and if that’s altruistic to the American crowd? All the better. In a bold move to support Sha’Carri Richardson‘s quest for gold at the Paris Olympics, Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson are offering substantial rewards to American athletes. They will provide $25,000 each to Richardson and Noah Lyles if they win gold, plus an extra $50,000 for any American who breaks a world record. This initiative aims to inspire extraordinary performances on the global stage and might just circumvent the financial threshold set by World Athletics.

In contrast, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee offers $37,500 to gold medalists, $22,500 to silver medalists, and $15,000 to bronze medalists, which is still a disparity considering that it’s inversely proportional to the efforts and toil of the athletes. Despite these figures, the reality of training expenses for track and field athletes often exceeds $100,000 annually. Recognizing this discrepancy, the NightCap podcast hosts have also pledged additional funds to support athletes achieving great results in Paris.

Shannon Sharpe’s comes in clutch with a smart financial tactic for Olympic glory in Paris

Track Spice recently shared some intriguing news on their X handle regarding potential payouts for top USA track and field stars Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson. According to the tweet, Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson have pledged, “they both will give Noah Lyles or Sha’carri Richardson $25k for winning GOLD. Total $50k. Both will also give $50k to any American that breaks the World Record. Total 100k. What if Kenny Bednarek or Erriyon Knighton wins GOLD? @ShannonSharpe.” In the clip from the Nightcap podcast on Youtube, both hosts were disappointed that gold medalists from the USA get only $37,500. Since they deserve at least $200k. So Sharpe said he’ll give $50K to any American who breaks a world record. This move is seen as an effort to provide additional incentives and recognition for exceptional performances on the global stage.

Other athletes Shannon Sharpe name-dropped are Sydney McLaughlin Levrone on the hurdles, joking that her chances of winning are so high, they might as well “mail her” the $50k right then. Sharpe’s praises for Sha’Carri Richardson are in direct contrast to the way he criticized her for getting disqualified before the Tokyo Games over a failed drug test. He had said at that time, “She could’ve competed. She didn’t qualify to compete. Stop the bulljive antics. Train hard. Sports aren’t sympathetic.” But Richardson does deserve all the praise for making it so far, notwithstanding all the hurdles along the way. 

She broke the U20 World record in 2019 for the 100m and 200m at the NCAA Division I Championships. After a rough few years, she returned to win the 100m and 400m relay events in the 2023 World Championships. She even won the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships with a time of 10.82s in the 100m. Additionally, her performance in Budapest made her the fifth fastest woman in the world. She was anointed as the fastest woman of 2023 as well. Lyles on the other hand, fired up the tracks of Budapest clinching gold in the holy triumvirate of categories – 100m, 200 and the 4*100m relay. He had stellar timings of 9.82, 19.52 and 37.38, respectively. So it’s only obvious that the poster boy and girl of US track and field be commemorated that well deserved $50k from Unc and Ocho. And the other frontrunners too, as we’d be remiss if we didn’t consider their talent into account.

Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles have Americans banking on them

Historically, USATF has excelled in the Olympics. They have accumulated 820 medals since the inception of the Olympic Games, out of which 339 are gold medals. This year, they will continue to add more accolades to their name. The events of track and field, including throwing, jumping, running, and hurdles, will run till the women’s marathon event on 11th August, 2024. At the Olympics this year, the USA has already won innumerable medals in varius disciplines and it remains to be seen what kind of magic will Sha’Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles, and other big names will infuse. 

Sha’Carri Richardson trains alongside teammates Christian Coleman in Florida under Dennis Mitchell five days a week. She focuses on strength training, endurance exercises, and circuits focused on improving her speed. Lyles too includes intense workouts in his exercises. These include foundational strength training, technical refinement, and mental preparation. He will be targeting gold medal wins in both the 100m and 200m events, as well as the 4x100m relay event. Sha’Carri too is a favorite in the 100m race. According to sports analysts, the USA track and field team can expect 18 gold medals in Paris.