LONDON — And now for the $1 million question: Does it make dollars and sense for Missy Franklin to remain an amateur?
Winning a gold medal is priceless.
But cashing in on Olympic glory could buy her a college education and a car and a house and …
“We just want her to make an educated decision,” said D.A. Franklin, mother of the Olympic champion in the 100 backstroke. “What happens if she goes pro, then gets into college and says: ‘Wow, this isn’t as much fan as I thought it would be.’ “
Nobody asked for my two cents, but here’s my suggestion to a young Olympic star: Stay a kid as long as possible. Once you turn pro, swimming is a job.
“You’ve got a contract with these sponsors and they expect you to perform. You get bonuses for certain (achievements). Is that fair to put on a 17-year-old, who isn’t even out of high school?” D.A. Franklin said Tuesday.
Although there are no guarantees the money will wait, a maturing athlete’s ability is likely to grow. Her value to corporate America is unlikely to decline.
Missy can return to Colorado, enjoy her senior year at Regis Jesuit High School, then accept an athletic scholarship to California or another collegiate swimming powerhouse. Going pro can wait until 2014. But it’s a gamble for Franklin. Should she finish this meet with a flourish, the offers will only get more lucrative and become harder to ignore.
After she finished fourth in the 200-meter freestyle Tuesday, missing a bronze medal by a fingertip, her time of 1 minute, 55.82 seconds reminded us that the difference between Olympic glory and a gallant effort is less than a hiccup. She has discovered life can quickly become more complicated than trying to be the first to touch the pool wall. The glitter of a gold medal can be distracting.
“That was a dream come true for me, but knowing I still had four more days of the meet, it’s really hard,” Franklin said.
Franklin has fielded questions on her ability to lift spirits of Colorado residents hurting from wildfire destruction and the murder of 12 in a movie theater. After a victory in the 200 back, the first hug between the teenage champion and her mother in three weeks was recorded for posterity by NBC. Singer Justin Bieber reached out through Twitter to offer congratulations and Franklin excitedly responded: “I just died! Thank you!”
It’s all good.
But it’s all bigger than swimming now.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053, mkiszla@denverpost.com or twitter.com/markkiszla
