KDS777

Very well said. When I was 18 I became an adult. And, when I was 23 I had the ability as an officer to call in direct tactical nuclear weapon strikes along the FEBA on behalf of my armored regiment in Europe. Definitely not "kid" stuff..............

Thankfully there are enough electronic fingerprints online about this guy and his actions now, so that any prospective sponsor looking to sign him up is going to see it and act accordingly when they Google his name. It's a shame to be learning such "basic" life lessons at 25, but hey, to each their own right ?

He'll look good in a paper hat and a headset in his next career.

CZAMFlyer

If this guy continues to snowboard well, he'll have absolutely no problems lining up eager sponsors. It's amazing how inflated this 'controversy' has become. If anything, this has served to elevate his profile far above what it would have been had he kept his phone in his pocket. I think the notion of shameful "basic life lessons" was shattered after several 'nobodys' became household names after a deliberate controversial act (ahem: Hilton/Kardashian/Ritchie et al). Please note that I'm not implying this tweet was designed to springboard a post-Olympic career, but it's worked exceptionally well for some.
My theory in my post above is thus borne out.

DrunkCargo

I don't get it. He's a strong, fit guy beyond the average. He can endure economy much better than most. Seems if anything a compup would be highly undeserved.

Adam Smith

Despite the allusion above to him earning hundreds of thousands or millions of sponsorship and prize money, he's likely not a rich guy unless he comes from money. Even if hundreds of thousands or a million is true, of which I'm a bit skeptical, remember that he has been a pro snowboarder for about 13 years (according to other posts in this thread). Even if he has earned $1 million over that time, over 13 years, that's $76K a year, which is okay money, but not exactly 1% money. And a decent chunk of that dollar figure may well have come in kind, e.g. in free snowboards or clothing that don't have a lot of monetary value for re-sale.

Of all our athletes who go to the Olympics (both summer and winter), very few strike it rich. The time they spend training often prevents them from having full-time jobs, while sponsorship dollars and prize money don't amount to much. Many of these athletes also need to finance at least part of their own equipment, travel, etc out of their own pockets - not everything is covered by federations or the COC.

Other than the NHL players and athletes from a few sports where there's money in some kind of pro circuit outside of the Olympics (e.g. tennis), most of these guys (Canadian or otherwise) are not rich or ever going to get rich doing it.

Really not the point of my post, which was the DL also did not upgrade some people just because they won medals, and that certain posters here will demonize AC, and talk about how wonderful US carriers are, at every possible opportunity.

lallied

IMHO its all about expectations. It’s great when airlines upgrade honeymooners or anyone who won an award, be it sporting or otherwise as a special treat. Or someone in J gives up their seat for a soldier. Or if you tell them you will propose to SO on board. All in media this year. But if that = guaranteed upgrade either they need a LOT more J or paying J pax are going to be removed from their seats. Which seems unrealistic to me.

NordsFan

Journal de Montréal February 2016, gives some info on ST's financial situation with quotes from the man himself.

More recently.

And yes, it is tough for some to find funding to aim for the Olympics; some of the wealthier guys who earn a living on the pro tour have waived their federal and provincial assistance grants.

FlyerTalker70

If I was AC I would give the olympian Executive Platinum status on Canadian Airlines. I suspect the olympian wouldn't know the difference until he tries using it anywhere and finds out it wasn't worth the plastic it was printed on. A reward for an award in my book

simpleflyer

I'm grateful for this post which mentions that the Olympics is about a team. A team of athletes, but also of volunteers, and of fans.

I think the reason the tweet irked is that he didn't complain about the quality of economy seating per se - which would have actually won him a few admirers - or even about seat 57A, specifically, but about his having to be the one who sat there.

If you are a team member, you think about the team - in this case, the other people traveling with you - virtually, as well as literally. There were the athletes, and then there were the people who traveled (most on their own dime) to cheer on and support those athletes. There were the people who aid in various ways, sports programs that eventually see Olympic athletes get launched. To quote the hardware store ad, we all play for Canada.

That said, I don't expect athletes to be heroes, or even larger than life. But maybe this will serve to warn him to be cautious about using Twitter. Least said on that obnoxious bird, soonest mended.

CZAMFlyer

I haven't even bothered to open your links, because: who cares? What possible relevance does a passenger's income & assets have on this story? It just reeks of sour grapes.

Speaking of irrelevance:

I guess only weak, unfit, below-average people with minimal endurance deserve compups? When did they become based upon pity?

CZAMFlyer

Generally, yes, but this guy is a Red Bull athlete winning on the biggest X Games stages on the planet. He's doing very well for himself (and probably hasn't ever paid for a snowboard in his life).

YEG_SE4Life

I don't know if AC sees it that way. I have never received one.

canadiancow

It says he's a millionaire. And I think it's quite relevant.

AC offered free or discounted seating for athletes, ensuring they could get to and from the olympics.

If a millionaire wants to sit in PY or J, there's a very easy way to make that happen.

CZAMFlyer

A point that was made several pages ago. Look, he made a foolish tweet and was rightly criticized for it. But many people went too far, demeaning his character based upon his supposed income and the fact he lives in a nice residence, etc. Note that nobody is armed with any facts about how much he earns, how many deductions & expenses he pays, nor who actually owns the roof over his head. Some took the wishful stance that his future sponsorship earnings will be in jeopardy. I'll bet none have met the guy, and most had probably never heard of him prior to this story.
I suspect if he has as much disposable income as people seem to believe, he might willingly pay for an upgrade out of pocket. But AC flights out of Seoul immediately following the Olympics were rather full in all cabins and perhaps that wasn't an option. Frustration often sparks knee-jerk reactions that get the better of us all. They're called learnable experiences.

Cut the dude some slack, all of you.

Rundosrun

It does seem a lot of the FFs have quite the girth these days. J class a bit more comfy for them and those around them.

FlyerTalker70

I'd go one step further, if they got the endurance to compete at the Olympics they got the endurance to be on a middle seat rouge long haul flight to/from ICN