Athletes and entertainers being paid insane amounts isn’t as new as you might think, although fashions do wax and wane. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_A

Athletes and entertainers being paid insane amounts isn’t as new as you might think, although fashions do wax and wane. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Appuleius_Diocles https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Appuleius_Diocles Gaius Appuleius Diocles was born in approximately 104 A.D in Lamecum... Diocles is believed to have started racing at the age of 18 in Ilerda... Records show that he won 1,462 out of the 4,257 four-horse races he competed in and was placed in an additional 1,438 races (mostly finishing in second place). The ‘champion of charioteers’ is one of the best-documented ancient athletes, most likely because he was such a star at the famous Roman Circus Maximus. [1] Being the best in the field also seems to have allowed Diocles to perfect his showmanship. Many of his victories took the form of a ‘come from behind’ crossing of the finish line at the last possible moment. The crowds loved it. Any race with Diocles quickly became the ‘featured event’ of the day. This naturally helped Diocles make even more money. His winnings reportedly totaled 35,863,120 sesterces, equivalent to 358,631.20 gold aureus or 2,600 kg of gold, allegedly, over $15 billion in today’s dollars, an amount which could provide a year's supply of grain to the entire city of Rome, or pay the Roman army at its height for a fifth of a year. Classics professor Peter Struck describes him as "the best paid athlete of all time".