I give then credit for trying to attract better athletes through financial incentives..can this work in BB?
http://rss.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/31092612/"Associated Press Sports
updated 6:50 p.m. ET June 3, 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP)
-U.S. wrestlers will see a lot of green for any gold they win at the London Olympics.
Gold medalists at the 2012 Summer Games will earn a $250,000 bonus through the Living the Dream Medal Fund, a new incentive program that USA Wrestling hopes will lead to more success at both the Olympics and world championships. The Americans won three wrestling medals at the Beijing Olympics, their worst showing since 1968."It's exciting, and hopefully it will move the needle for us in terms of the medal haul,'' USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender said Wednesday.
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"The pinnacle in our sport is someone draping an Olympic gold medal around your neck, and now there's a financial benefit for that accomplishment that hopefully will motivate athletes and keep them involved in the sport longer.''
American athletes already get medal bonuses from the U.S. Olympic Committee - $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze - and many national governing bodies add to that. USA Wrestling gave Henry Cejudo $15,000 for his freestyle gold medal at 121 pounds in Beijing, and a benefactor contributed another $25,000, bringing his total bonus to $65,000.
But the Living the Dream Fund awards, announced last weekend at the world team trials, will be a significant increase and among the largest bonuses for American athletes.
In addition to the $250,000 for a gold medal, silver medalists in London would get $50,000 and bronze medalists $25,000. A gold medal at the world championships in September, 2010 or 2011 would be worth $50,000. Silver medalists at worlds would get $25,000, and bronze medalists $15,000.
While the bonuses already being paid by the USOC and USA Wrestling will be part of the new prizes, the majority of the Fund will come from private contributions. That will help build grassroots support for the U.S. team, Bender said, making fans who may never meet a Rulon Gardner, Cael Sanderson or Kristie Marano feel as if they had a hand in their success.
Though Bender wouldn't say how much is already in the fund, he did say there is enough to cover the bonuses should every American win a medal at the world championships this year.
"It just shows how close-knit the wrestling community is,'' said Jake Herbert, the U.S. champion at 185 pounds and a first-time world team member. "This sport brings all these amazing people together for a great cause. It's everybody helping everybody.''
And supporters of the Fund won't be disappointed, Herbert promised.
"We've got a young world team, a hungry group of guys and now there's a huge, huge pot of gold behind that gold medal at the end of the rainbow,'' he said. "It's going to be a good four-year cycle. We've got a great team, and we're going to do great things.''
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