Katie Ledecky is the most dominant swimmer to attend college in the 21st century. In her Freshman year at Stanford University, she set 12 NCAA records, nine American records, and led the team to its first NCAA championship of the century. After a similarly spectacular sophomore year, with another NCAA team championship, Ledecky decided to start accepting money for professional endorsements. Because NCAA rules prohibit college athletes from accepting money for endorsements, this decision meant that Ledecky’s college career came to an end. Ledecky, like other superstar athletes before her, was undoubtedly aware that the window during which some athletes can earn substantial money is small and could be unexpectedly cut short by injuries or poor performance in the next season; waiting two more years could have meant that Ledecky might never make the kind of money her celebrity would be worth in 2018.
10.30.2019