The fact that gymnasts aren’t exactly swimming in cash isn’t exactly breaking news to fans, but it was made painfully clear once again in last year’s Sportico list. Simone Biles, despite being the most decorated gymnast in history, found herself in ninth place with earnings of $9 million. Sure, it was an impressive year for Simone—she made a triumphant return to the sport after taking time off since the Tokyo Olympics and clinched the World Championships title. But somehow, even this comeback couldn’t elevate her earnings to match the likes of Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek.

While athletes like Gauff raked in $5 to $10 million in prize money alone, Biles’s “salary and winnings” category on the list was practically empty. Like, zero dollars. Australian Heath Thorpe summed it up perfectly in a post on X: “It is wild to me that you can be as successful as Simone Biles in gymnastics and earn essentially ZERO dollars from prize money.”

Fast forward to this year, and Simone’s performance was nothing short of legendary. She bagged three golds and one silver at the Olympics, proving yet again she’s still the undisputed queen of gymnastics. But, as if mocking her unparalleled talent, nothing changed on the earnings list. Fans were left scratching their heads in disbelief—how could winning three Olympic gold medals and dominating the sport for over a decade have so little impact on her paycheck?

On December 4th, Inside Gym revealed in an Instagram post that Simone Biles is present in Sportico’s list of the Top 10 highest-paid female athletes worldwide. The caption read, “2024 was a golden year for Simone Biles in many ways! Sportico releases its list of the 15 highest paid female athletes worldwide, and Simone Biles tanked 9th on the list, with an estimated $11 million in earnings. Congrats, Simone! Very well deserved, and it’s great to see a gymnast on the list.”

Simone Biles making it onto the Sportico Highest-Paid Female Athletes list was a significant achievement—no other gymnast made the cut, and she was basically the star of the show in a list dominated by athletes from other sports. But here’s the kicker: her fans were anything but pleased. Despite being the only gymnast to make the list, Simone landed in tied ninth place alongside WNBA star Caitlin Clark, both with earnings of $11.1 million.

At the top of the list? Coco Gauff, raking in a jaw-dropping $30 million, followed by skier Eileen Gu with $22.1 million. Then you had a slew of tennis stars like Iga Swiatek, Zheng Qinwen, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, and Nelly Korda—all above Simone. This reality didn’t sit right with her fans.

They were quick to express their frustration, pointing out that Simone’s decade-long dominance in gymnastics—along with her Olympic golds and World Championship titles—should’ve earned her a much higher spot.

Many left unhappy with Simone Biles’ position on the highest-paid female athletes list

Simone Biles is the GOAT, no question about it. But when it comes to cashing in on that GOAT status? Well, gymnastics just doesn’t pay like other sports. The prize pool is basically nonexistent. One fan summed it up perfectly: “The prize pool for gymnastics is nonexistent, so it speaks volumes on how Simone’s net worth is close to $30 million without relying on being paid for her sport while competing. The sum is too small to compare to other sports.”

Let’s break it down: Coco Gauff, who snagged the top spot on the list, pocketed a solid $9.4 million in prize money out of her $21 million earnings. Iga Swiatek, in third, earned $8.4 million out of her $13 million. Meanwhile, Simone Biles earned a mere $135,000 out of her whopping $11 million. Yes, you read that right—$135,000 for the gymnast who bagged three Olympic golds this year. Fans were quick to point out the absurdity of it all. One fan said, “Never thought I’d ever see a gymnast be on a list like this, knowing how their 0 funding behind gymnastics, but of course the GOAT would break into a list like this.”

Here’s the kicker: the Olympics themselves don’t reward gold medalists with any prize money. The U.S. throws in $37,500 for Olympic gold, and $22,500 for silver. So, yeah, Simone probably racked up most of her prize money from there. But that’s peanuts compared to what athletes in other sports make. Take Iga Swiatek, who earned around $2.5 million for her French Open win—talk about a difference!

So how does Simone stack up financially? Well, she’s had to rely on endorsements—and let’s be honest, those deals have kept her rolling in cash. She’s signed with brands like Athleta, Eli Lilly, GK Elite, K18, MasterClass, Nulo, Powerade, Spieth America, and Visa. But even so, gymnastics fans aren’t thrilled about the whole situation. One fan pointed out, “Maybe I’m biased, but she should honestly be #1. She makes all of her money from endorsements If NIL existed before she went pro, she would’ve been the most paid athlete in college for sure.” 

Imagine if NIL had been around when Simone was in college—her social media presence and dominance in gymnastics would’ve made her an endorsement king. She could’ve easily racked up similar numbers to LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, who has earned a jaw-dropping $9.5 million through NIL. A fan expressed hope for the future, saying, “Maaaan, this is crazy that all her earning is through endorsements. It makes me sad to think that gymnasts had to really debate going pro to make money vs. going to college. So glad that has changed and these gymnasts can have endorsements while shooting for college!!”

Despite the frustrations over gymnastics’ pay structure, fans are at least seeing some progress. As one put it: “The fact that there is a gymnast on this list is progress. It would be bizarre if multiple gymnasts could make that staggering sum. It requires longevity for starters, and few gymnasts have the level of dominance across a long period.” Fans are right—Simone’s been the world’s best for nearly a decade. It’s high time the sport recognized that. Still, making it to the top 10 is an incredible achievement, even if she’s been underpaid for her greatness.