• Loading stock data...
Sunday, August 31, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Get your ticket now!

Reigning BMX Gold Medalist Finds Balance Between Managing Sponsorships and Training

Photo credit: Connor Fields
connor-fields-2020-olympics

Photo credit: Connor Fields

The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games are still more than a year away, but many athletes are already well into their preparation.

The hard work doesn’t start and stop with the physical training, but also the logistics and financial aspects of being an Olympic athlete. A majority of athletes’ annual salaries aren’t in the millions, so to provide their freedom to be elite athletes, they have to take on extra responsibilities.

Reigning BMX Gold Medalist Connor Fields is preparing for what would be his third Olympic Games, which includes a fine balancing act between training responsibilities and sponsorship responsibilities.

“The older you get, the more natural it becomes,” Fields said about the business side of his nine-year BMX career. “When I first started, I was 18 and living at home with no bills. Everything was for the love of the sport. Now, life is expensive. I have to make decisions based on what helps me financially and career-wise.”

READ MORE: Inside Sports Tech Tokyo’s Aspirations to Be Gateway to Asia for Sports Tech Businesses

“It’s a delicate balance because you don’t want to lose the passion,” he added. “But at the end of the day, I have a mortgage due every month.”

For a solo athlete like Fields, financials can be tricky. In some sports, like men’s basketball, year-round earning for Olympians is a given. Some other sports, like skiing, can offer athletes handsome earnings year-round even in non-Olympic years. Sports like BMX can support elite participants, but not much beyond those few. Still, some sports offer almost zero earning potential beyond the Olympic cycles.

“For some sports, the Olympics really is the holy grail,” Fields said. “There is an opportunity in BMX, but it’s very feast or famine.”

Fields has two full-time sponsorships: Chase BMX and Monster Energy.

More sponsors will come as the Olympics draw nearer, especially those who sponsor the general USA Olympic team. Over the last cycle, Fields was sponsored by Polo Ralph Lauren, one of the team’s major sponsors. Other major sponsors, like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, come in and can sponsor individual athletes too.

“The marquee athletes get first bite at the apple,” he said.

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

His first Olympics in 2012 didn’t bring any sponsorship interest. Unless an athlete is already world-class heading into their first Olympics, sponsorships are virtually non-existent, he said. Prior to 2016, he saw more as he finished seventh in London.

Now, as a gold medalist, he should see a significant surge.

“Coming into this next one, I’m an Olympic champion,” Fields said. “A sponsor can say they’re attached to an Olympic champion.”

Now with his main BMX sponsors and eventually with the Olympic cycle sponsors, Fields has to balance time commitments. Training five or six days a week for his races is mixed in with photo shoots and corporate meet-and-greets. It’s all about working with the sponsors to ensure it doesn’t take too much time away from the training. An athlete also has to be careful to not take on too many sponsors to ensure all parties are happy.

They want you because you’re successful, and if you do too much, it backfires,” Fields said.

READ MORE: Toyota Grows Olympic Involvement With Six New Partnerships

The Olympic media cycle will begin later this year, in terms of sponsorship media commitments for the Olympics, Fields said. Athletes expected to make the Olympics can sign sponsorships with clauses that pay a portion up front and then tender the rest of the money if they make the team — since some aren’t decided until even a month prior to the games.

“It’s tough for sponsors, because they have to look at past Olympic results, but also current efforts,” Fields said. “They’re investing in an athlete and creating a story around them.”

Along with performance, Fields said sponsors are more interested in athletes with a story hook.

Fields hasn’t made Team USA yet, but in his third cycle, he’s not too nervous about the process.

“I’ve done it twice before and I know exactly what to expect so it seems easier and I’m less nervous,” Fields said. “It’s more like a job now after nine years.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.

The Most Expensive Roster Year in College Football History

The House settlement created revenue-sharing—and a big NIL loophole.

Who Are the Richest MLB Owners?

MLB owners are among the wealthiest people in the U.S.
Cooper Lutkenhaus

Running Prodigy Ditches High School and College for Nike at 16

Cooper Lutkenhaus is a contender at next month’s track world championships.

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.

Featured Today

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks at quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.
August 22, 2025

Private Equity Enters College Sports—Without the Equity

As college football starts, lending agreements have become PE’s best way in.
Aug 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Son Heung-min poses during an LAFC introductory press conference at BMO Stadium

Son Heung-Min Effect Will Hit Big for MLS and L.A.

With a record signing, the South Korean supernova has landed at LAFC.
August 29, 2025

Cowboys’ Parsons Approach Shows High Cost of Delayed Contracts

Parsons will sign a four-year, $188 million deal with the Packers.
Candace Parker
August 29, 2025

Candace Parker Not a WNBA Owner Yet, but Her Business Is Booming

Her WNBA peers say she made the blueprint for earning off the court.
Sponsored

Gareth Bale on MLS vs EPL, Retirement & Buying Cardiff City

Gareth Bale shares his post-soccer business playbook.
August 29, 2025

Kyle Schwarber’s MVP Candidacy Could Lead to Massive Payday

The Phillies slugger makes history and could do so again this winter.
Breanna Stewart
August 28, 2025

Breanna Stewart’s Injury Meant Rare Presence at WNBA CBA Talks

Stewart “makes the league sit up straight,” the union director told FOS.
August 28, 2025

Micah Parsons Traded to Packers, Set to Sign Record 4-Year, $188M Deal

The Cowboys reportedly offered Parsons $40.5 million per year in March.
Willie Mays
August 28, 2025

Willie Mays’s Son Tries to Block Sale of Some Memorabilia 

Michael Mays disputes that his father wanted certain items sold after he died.