Roberto Jimenez has never been shy about speaking his mind – and now, the elite grappler is taking aim at one of the sport’s most hotly debated issues: athlete pay.
In a recent social media post, Jimenez voiced his frustration over the lack of financial compensation for professional competitors:
Professional Jiu-Jitsu athletes should get paid.Europeans, Pans, Brasileiro, Worlds, Gi & NoGi (competitions).
We need to get paid for our effort, we are not monkeys in a zoo.We are athletes, we are fighters, we are warriors. We deserve more.
There are world champions that have to work Uber.We need compensation for making the show happen.
He was joined in his thoughts by many other respected members of the BJJ community.For example, Kyra Gracie:
Is it truly sustainable — or even fair — for athletes to invest their own money, cover all their expenses, give away their image for free, and still pay a private company that profits by selling their image through pay-per-view?
Could it be time to reflect on whether this model truly values the athlete’s contribution?
Is it possible that a private company, not recognized as an international federation, do not support and protect their athletes?
And when an athlete’s effort is acknowledged with just a social media post — and yet they end up competing in an empty gymnasium because the ‘federation’ didn’t even promote the event — can that really reflect the value of their dedication and sacrifice?
When the ones who sacrifice the most are the ones who receive the least, maybe it’s time to question who’s really winning.
The Gracie added yet another comment, questioning the IBJJF claim to be a “federation”:
The IBJJF presents itself as a federation — but is it really?
It operates as a private company, focused on profit. If it were a true federation, wouldn’t we see financial transparency?Investments back into the sport? Democratic elections for leadership?
An active athletes’ commission?
These are common structures in other sports that genuinely support their athletes.It makes me wonder: are we calling it a federation simply because we’ve been led to believe it is?
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.
