“Wouldn’t want it any other way”: These two brothers are funding their Olympic dreams one OF subscription at a time
These two brothers are exposing the financial hardships that Olympians endure... as well as themselves!
Mark
Klass Francisks Rozentals has a message for anybody who’s offended that he’s chasing his Olympic dream with money from OF: get over it and sign up!
We’ve previously covered the tale of British canoeist Kurts Adams Rozentals, who says he’s being forced to choose between his career as an OF model and Olympic athlete. This past November, the United Kingdom’s governing body for water-related paddle sports banned him two years for a racy video, all but making the decision for him. But the 23-year-old Rozentals says he has no regrets.
He says his annual grant from Paddle UK was just $21,000, while he earned over $130,000 from OF over just a few months.
Now, his younger bro is following in his footsteps.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Klass, 20, says the measly stipend that Olympic athletes receive leaves many with little choice but to work a side hustle. His happens to be taking off his shirt, and with a body like that, who can blame him?!
“This is my life now and this is my dream–the Olympics,” he posted this week on IG. “And I wouldn’t want it any other way. Sport is a part of my identity and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.”
To avoid Paddle UK’s puritan wrath, Klass has left Team GB and is competing for Latvia, where he and his family is originally from.
He says his family’s emigration story, and his mother’s efforts to create a better life for them, influenced his decision to bare it all.
“My mother, who has worked her a** off to help me and my brother afford this sport, is one of the strongest people I know,” he wrote. “She taught me the ‘do whatever it takes’ mentality, and I think this is a pretty good demonstration of it ????.”
FWIW, older bro Kurts filmed their mother’s reaction when she walked in on him filming in his Calvins. She exploded with faux rage.
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Exposing themselves… and hypocrisy!
In an interview last year, Klass pointed to the dichotomy around how sports are pushed on young people and how most athletes are compensated.
“It confuses me how sports are pushed so hard in schools, especially when I was younger, yet a lot of Olympic athletes can’t make a living in their sports,” he said. “That’s a real hardship, especially if you don’t have sponsors.”
More Olympians are speaking out about their lack of financial support. Out American speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy told Queerty the most he’s earned from his sport in a year is $25,000.
New Zealand rower Robbie Manson, who started his own successful OF page in 2024, says his income from the platform allowed him to keep competing.
Meanwhile, Team GB’s divers have been on OF for years. But none of them have been banned from competing.
The problem with Kurts wasn’t about the platform he was posting on. It was about the content he was posting.
According to Outsports, Kurts uploaded a video to Instagram that showed him engaging in an explicit act on an airplane. A disciplinary panel found his antics brought the sport into “serious disrepute.”
While Klass keeps his videos tamer, he admits that he always films shirtless. “Otherwise I won’t get any views,” he says. “That’s just how it is.”
Brothers who film together…
Recently, we’ve covered an array of family members wading their way into the OF waters. A plethora of “straight guys” make OF content with their dads, while OF twins (yes, twins) hook up in homophobic countries and then brag about it.
It’s apparent that Klass and Kurts like to hang loose themselves. But if you’re thinking about a date, you can only pick one!
For now, we’re content to watch Klass and Kurts try to paddle their way to L.A. for the 2028 Games. They’re certain to make a splash either way.
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