U.S. Silver Medal-winning freeskier Gus Kenworthy has announced he is gay, but admits to wondering whether his sponsors “would continue to pay him” after coming out, according to a cover story by Alyssa Roenigk of ESPN THE MAGAZINE. Kenworthy is sponsored by Nike, Atomic, GoPro and Monster, and sponsors “equal an athlete’s livelihood" in his sport. A top action sports athlete like Kenworthy takes in around 80% of his $500,000 to $1M a year from sponsorships, "which are based as much on image as they are contest wins.” With “legitimate income on the table,” Kenworthy is “worried” about how his announcement will resonate. He said, “Everyone wants to wear a Red Bull or Monster or Rockstar cap, a T-shirt and jeans and skate shoes. Everyone drives the same type of car and listens to the same kind of music. The industry isn’t the most embracing of someone who’s different. I’m nervous about that” (ESPN THE MAGAZINE, 11/9 issue). FUSION’s Jorge Rivas noted there has been “no word yet from his sponsors on whether they’ll continue to sponsor Kenworthy” (FUSION.net, 10/22).
TIMING IS EVERYTHING: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Eric Sasson wrote Kenworhty's decision to reveal he is gay "will prove most memorable" among the athletes who have also come out, because he "is at the height of his career." Kenworthy is considered to be the "top athlete in his sport," and in addition to his sponsor portfolio, he will likely go into the X Games this January "as the top seed." Sasson: "In other words, he had pretty much everything to lose by coming out, risking his image and perhaps even his income." Few athletes -- with the "possible exception of British Olympic diver Tom Daley -- have come out publicly during the peak of their careers when they had the most to lose" (WSJ.com, 10/22).
