Australian Arina Rodionova is the latest sports figure to join the OnlyFans platform, an adult social network that publishes uncensored content.
In August 2024, tennis player Alexandre Muller announced that he would be sponsored by OnlyFans. “I’m not a millionaire, OnlyFans allows me to pay my coaches, to have my physical trainer a little more often in the tournament. My year is planned according to what I earn… OnlyFans is a social network like any other. I post about tennis and my life. I don’t post anything explicit as people would expect, I just talk about tennis. Everyone knows OnlyFans as an erotic themed website, but that’s not the case for me,” explained the Frenchman.
Despite all its glitz and glamour, professional sport still does not offer a viable financial model for many athletes
Mark Borkowski
Nick Kyrgios signed up for OnlyFans in 2023, while media-savvy former tennis players Ashley Harkleroad and Sofya Zhuk (“There will be no nudes, but…”) became stars of the platform.
Fighter Paige VanZant, driver Renee Gracie, Olympic athlete Alysha Newman, fighter Pearl Gonzalez, soccer player Madelene Wright, boxer Ebanie Bridges and basketball player Liz Cambage are some of the sports figures who have seen their fame and income multiply thanks to OnlyFans.
, Paige VanZant admitted.
Liz Cambage revealed she made more money in a week on OnlyFans ($1.5 million) than in her entire NBA career.
Why is OnlyFans a “smart business” for sports stars?
Consultant Mark Borkowski has analysed in the Daily Mail the reasons why sports stars are looking for new funding on a platform like OnlyFans.
Professional athletes from around the world are choosing to join OnlyFans to monetize their content, increase their social media presence and engage with fans
“Arina Rodionova jumping on the OnlyFans bandwagon is just another sign of the times – a clear reminder that professional sport, for all its glitz and glamour, still does not offer a viable financial model for many athletes,” he says.
Borkowski argues that athletes’ decision to jump to OnlyFans is “smart business”, as it allows them to directly manage a creator economy platform where they can attract their audience directly and, more importantly, get paid for it without waiting for a tournament or sponsor’s check.
Some sponsors may be hesitant, but the culture is changing. The real scandal is not that athletes are turning to Onlyfans, but that they have to do so as a first choice
Regarding the reputational damage that participating in OnlyFans can cause for some athletes, it is worth noting that Tim Stokely, the creator of the platform, originally conceived it as a space where influencers could post exclusive content in exchange for a monthly subscription fee.
OnlyFans became a social network where explicit sexual content was published, although in recent times it is managing to get rid of this stigma to return to its original idea of being a platform for celebrities.
“Professional athletes from around the world are choosing to join OnlyFans to monetise their content, increase their social media presence and engage with fans… For many, funding a career in sport can be difficult, but OnlyFans is helping them cover their costs by giving them the tools to succeed on and off the field, court or ring,” an OnlyFans spokesperson told Les Roopanarine.
“Fans want to get to know the real people behind their favorite sports stars and Onlyfans gives them that opportunity,” say OnlyFans.
The reputational risk for sports stars of publishing their content on OnlyFans
Despite OnlyFans’ change in trend, consultant Mark Borkowski recognises that there is still a reputational risk in athletes’ decision to make the leap to the adult platform: “There is a risk, but it is more due to ingrained conservatism and double standards than any fault on the part of the athletes seeking a way to get ahead. Cloaked in ‘respectability’, there is always the risk of a backlash to their reputation, especially for female athletes, who still have to navigate the outdated morality clauses of a sporting world that claims to be progressive but remains deeply conservative.”
“Some sponsors may be reluctant, but the culture is changing rapidly. The real scandal is not that athletes are turning to Onlyfans, but that they have to do so as a first choice,” he said.