Keep Winning The Metal, Team USA!!

In today’s world of quick jabs and sound bites, pretty much everything is used to churn political venom into Facebook and Twitter gold.   Today is a prime example of this.  In the vain of political savvy(ness), we all watched our Facebook pages fill up with photo ops of politicians sitting around with bags of fried sandwiches.

Sad truth is that many of those Chick-fil-a bags are likely props filled with staplers or wireless keyboards.  Who knows…

The Olympics is no different.  Remember the Ralph Lauren designed suits Team USA wore during the opening ceremonies that were, “Made In China?”  This was pounced on by the spin machine, big time.  A few days later, we all saw some of Team USA in Adidas garb.  Still outraged?   Notre Dame wears Adidas.  Andy Roddick wears Lacoste .  “It’s different,” I know.  I get it.

This all said, in the next few days you’re gonna see some spin regarding the value of the medals, and how the athletes will be taxed about $9,000 for bringing home a medal of precious metal.   Digging a little further, the actual medal/metal isn’t what brings the bill, it’s the $25,000 cash prize that comes with winning.

Here’s the apparent rub.  Unless the athlete makes over $380,000ish, and takes $0 deductions, they may owe the dough.  Well, after you peel back the soundbites and the layers of what’s really going on, the deductions from food, travel, equipment, and an Olympic level coach, pretty much zaps the bill away.  There ya go.

So, if you catch a Tweet or Facebook ‘Status Update’ from a fuming friend about Team USA getting taxed 9 clams for succeeding, don’t get as fired up so fast.  The original post may be created by a spin jobber couched as a soundbite intended to fire you up, one way or the other.  

Disclaimer:  I’m not saying the hard working athletes shouldn’t keep every cent, no matter what.  I’m simply pointing out that we prolly don’t want to go crazy per a political soundbite without peeling back a few informative layers.  

Just a fleeting thought.

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