Top 20 or nothing? Why athletes outside the elite must rethink their model

We spoke with Antoine Lérault, Founder and CEO of Joue-La Comme, about the harsh financial realities facing professional athletes who rank just outside the elite tier—and how his platform is helping them build direct relationships with fans to create sustainable income streams beyond traditional sponsorships.

In professional sport, the rewards are often concentrated at the very top. The world sees – and sponsors chase – the star athletes who rank in the Top 20 of their discipline. These players enjoy lucrative contracts, media coverage, and brand deals that keep them financially secure well beyond their careers. But what about the thousands of athletes who compete just below that tier?

For them, the reality is stark: talent and dedication do not automatically translate into sustainable income. Even those ranked in the global Top 50 or Top 100 – objectively outstanding performers – often face financial instability, seasonal earnings swings, and limited visibility. As sponsorship budgets tighten and attention spans fragment, the gap between the elite few and the rest is widening.

The Traditional Model Is Broken
The traditional sports economy relies heavily on prize money, sponsorship, and occasional endorsements. Outside the top ranks, each of these is under pressure. Prize money typically decreases exponentially with rank, making it difficult for athletes to cover travel, coaching, and training costs. Sponsorships are increasingly concentrated on the biggest names, leaving mid-tier athletes with sporadic, short-term deals that rarely justify the effort required to secure them.

Moreover, the rise of data-driven marketing has pushed brands to focus on reach and impressions over long-term partnerships. The result? Even highly talented, consistent performers can find themselves invisible to the commercial and immensely lucrative side of the sport.

Communities as a Game-Changer
I believe the solution lies in a shift from dependency on external sponsorship to building direct, engaged communities. For decades, athletes have been told their role is to perform on the field, while commercial teams handle the business. It’s become increasingly obvious that today, this thinking no longer works. And athletes have caught on to this reality. 

Athletes are on the lookout for digital tools that allow them to build their own fanbases – beyond stadiums and tournament schedules – through authentic content, online memberships, exclusive experiences, and community-driven initiatives. This is not about “influencing” in the shallow sense; it’s about cultivating a sustainable ecosystem where fans feel invested in the athlete’s journey and are willing to contribute to it.

From Passive Followers to Active Stakeholders
A common misconception among athletes – especially those below the top20 – is thinking that a high number of followers makes them marketable. In fact, a large audience doesn’t always translate into value, especially considering that social reach is algorithmic, it’s rented space on a third party platform, and it’s by and large out of any users hands. In reality, premium communities go beyond social media followings. They are spaces where fans gain behind-the-scenes access, interact directly with athletes, and share in milestones and challenges. This model transforms fans from passive spectators, consuming the sport, into active stakeholders, physically and emotionally invested in the athlete’s career and with some level of skin in the game.

For athletes, the benefits are unquestionable:

1. Engagement: Athletes have realized that they can leverage fan engagement, that there’s a real appetite for that, which is not necessarily well captured or leveraged by sponsors. 
2. Data Ownership: Athletes generate thousands of data points every time they engage with their sport, whether in a globally broadcast match or when training or doing a workout session. Today, they have digital tools to finally own these data points and benefit directly from the value creation they generate. 
3. Financial resilience – Community-driven income streams are less volatile than prize money or one-off sponsorship deals.
4. Career longevity – An engaged fanbase can follow and support an athlete across disciplines, transitions, or even post-retirement ventures.
   

Rethinking Value
This shift also challenges the prevailing idea of value in sports. Instead of measuring an athlete’s worth purely by rankings or broadcast exposure, communities reward authenticity, relatability, and connection. An athlete ranked 85th in the world may have a smaller but more engaged fanbase than a Top 20 star – and in today’s fragmented attention economy, that engagement can be far more valuable to certain brands, partners, or projects.

The Road Ahead
The transition from a purely performance-driven model to a hybrid performance-plus-community model won’t happen overnight. It requires a mindset change from athletes, as well as guidance in digital strategy, storytelling, and audience management. But for those willing to invest in building their own ecosystems, the payoff could be transformative – not just financially, but in terms of autonomy, resilience, and personal fulfillment.

In a world where only a small fraction of athletes will ever make the Top 20, the rest have a choice: wait for the old model to reward them, or take control of their own narrative and build something lasting. The ones who choose the latter may not just survive – they might redefine what success in sport looks like.

About Antoine Lérault and Joue-La Comme

Antoine Lérault’s journey from biomechanics researcher to sports tech entrepreneur reflects his deep understanding of both the scientific and commercial sides of athletic performance. His unique background has shaped Joue-La Comme’s approach to solving one of professional sports’ most persistent challenges: creating sustainable career paths for talented athletes who fall outside the traditional sponsorship model.

Want to learn more about Antoine’s entrepreneurial journey? Read our in-depth interview exploring his transition from biomechanics to building one of Europe’s most promising sports tech platforms: From Biomechanics to Sports Tech: Antoine Lérault’s Journey with Joue-La Comme