Like B. Shaw, Meadows' income was dependent on staying visible on social media.
A million bucks only throws off 40-$50K a year.
Do you think Shaw would stay relevent if he dropped to 270 and did not compete anymore, not even in his own Shaw Classic?
So, this is one reason these guys keeping pushing it. They have families to support.
That $40-50K income on $1M in cash would be a very secure investment. Basically risk-free - like a GIC.
There is no reason why Shaw shouldn't have been able to accumulate $2.5M in cash. With that, we're talking about a $100K guaranteed income just sitting on your cash. It would be a bad year for me if I was only making $80K, and that only took about nine years of me literally banking everything I made, and living close to the poverty line.
I knew if I did that for 7-9 years, I could generate a comfortable living off my savings alone, and I did.
I don't see any reason why Shaw should be making any less than $100K per year just off his cash - and just doing social media, he should be able to add a solid additional $100K to that figure.
Shaw should have been told that Strongmen have no shelf life and planned for this eventuality.
I just feel with good financial planning, Shaw should be able to live comfortably for the rest of his life, essentially doing nothing but social media - or even literally nothing at all. And if he trimmed down earlier and kept his health [that may be impossible at this point], he could have been able to just enjoy the fruits of his legacy and spend the next 30 years with his family.
But now, I would be surprised if Shaw gets another 15 years. I hope I'm wrong - but being 420-lb at 6'8.5" at 41 years old just doesn't bode well for longevity.
Ultimately, he lived life on his own terms, and at one point, was possibly the strongest man to ever live - but I think he could have done all that without continuing to tax his body and central nervous system precisely when he should be protecting it - specifically, by the time he placed 6th at WSM in 2019 at age 37, he should have regrouped, entered 1-3 slightly lower tier pro shows, won them, and retired with fans still thinking he had more WSM wins in the tank if he chose to come back.
Then, just like Ronnie Coleman and Georges St-Pierre, he could talk about making a comeback for 3-4 years, and milk a bit more sponsor money that way.
I don't mean any disrespect to Shaw - ultimately his mentality made him the champion he is - I just feel he pushed his body at a critical junction [age range] that may make it impossible for him to reverse the damage he caused by competing at the highest level of Strongman. And I feel that every year that passes, he is making it that much harder for himself to reverse said damage.
Eddie Hall was more cognizant of the risks he was taking to his health by being 400+ pounds, and chose to retire from the sport after he won the WSM promotion just one time. I think that is the right approach for elite Strongmen.
I'm in no position to judge - I would just sincerely prefer that Shaw not die young. For his kids. His wife. His fans. And of course - for himself.
