Gold Medals, Side Hustles

Day 7: While other nations pay athletes, Team USA work day jobs

Feb 12, 2026

You have probably never heard of the US Secretary of Sports and Recreation. That’s because they don’t exist. Though America routinely ranks as the top elite sports nation in the world, the US government does not provide any direct support to those sports or athletes.

Contrast that with the rest of the world, where nearly every country has a sports ministry. In Europe nearly 80% of countries provide direct support to their athletes. France alone spends $300 million on for a population one-fifth the size of the US.

Frank Del Duca and Hakeem Abdul-Saboor are Team USA Bobsledders and US Army Soldiers *(Photo: AP/Pavel Golovkin)*

Now for the first time American athletes going to get paid, sort of. Thanks to a $100 million gift from a billionaire (the American way!) every member of Team USA will get $200,000 - with a lot of strings attached. So it should come as no surprise that many athletes have day jobs. From lawyer to pharmacist to cellist, and that’s just the curling team. Elsewhere there’s an engineer, a landscape architect, and several soldiers. If any of them should win Gold, they’ll also get $37,500 in prize money. Not bad, but it’s nothing compared to Poland, where you’ll get $200k, a car, an apartment, and a free vacation to go with your new hardware.

What To Watch Today

(All times Eastern. Full event replays available on-demand on Peacock)

Sidney Crosby 🐐 leads Team Canada as NHL players return to Olympic Ice Hockey. Breezy Johnson 🇺🇸 goes for her second Gold in Alpine Skiing Women's Super-G.
Watch all the Curling you can handle with Peacock’s multi-view 3 times a day!

3:30 am - Skeleton: Men’s Heats 1&2 🇺🇸
5:30 am - Alpine Skiing: Women’s Super-G 🥇 🇺🇸
6:10 am - Ice Hockey: Men’s Prelim. Round - SUI vs FRA
6:15 am - Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Moguls Finals 🥇 🇺🇸
7:00 am - Cross-Country Skiing: Women’s 10km Interval Start Free 🥇 🇺🇸
7:45 am - Snowboarding: Men’s Snowboard Cross 🥇 🇺🇸
8:05 am - Curling: Men’s Round Robin (4 matches) 🇺🇸
10:30 am - Speed Skating: Women’s 5000m 🥇 🇺🇸
10:40 am - Ice Hockey: Men’s Prelim. Round - CZE vs CAN 🐐
12:30 pm - Luge: Team Relay 🥇 🇺🇸
1:05 pm - Curling: Women’s Round Robin (4 matches) 🇺🇸
1:30 pm - Snowboarding: Women’s Halfpipe Finals 🥇 🇺🇸
2:10 pm - Ice Hockey: Men’s Prelim. Round - USA vs LAT 🇺🇸
2:10 pm - Ice Hockey: Men’s Prelim. Round - GER vs DEN
2:15 pm - Short Track Speed Skating: Women’s 500m Finals 🥇 🇺🇸
2:29 pm - Short Track Speed Skating: Men’s 1000m Finals 🥇 🇺🇸
3:05 am - Curling: Women’s Round Robin (4 matches) 🇺🇸

🥇 = Medal Event
🇺🇸 = Team USA
🐐 = GOAT in action