September 3, 2010
the world’s richest athlete was a charioteer
The very best paid of these—in fact, the best paid athlete of all time—was a Lusitanian Spaniard named Gaius Appuleius Diocles, who had short stints with the Whites and Greens, before settling in for a long career with the Reds. Twenty-four years of winnings brought Diocles—likely an illiterate man whose signature move was the strong final dash—the staggering sum of 35,863,120 sesterces in prize money. The figure is recorded in a monumental inscription erected in Rome by his fellow charioteers and admirers in 146, which hails him fulsomely on his retirement at the age of “42 years, 7 months, and 23 days” as “champion of all charioteers.”
35,863,120 sesterces = $15 billion dollars.
comments
I remember a time when charioteering wasn’t all about the money
love of the game.
See, there’s the difference between the Greeks and the damn Romans.
Why shouldn’t charioteers be rewarded for their abilities? I guarantee you, his managers and the arena owners rake in a lot more than 35,863,120 sesterces.
And that doesn’t include any of his income from sandal endorsements.