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Forbes’ rundown of the wealthiest athletes at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics makes one thing plain: in today’s world, the biggest winners aren’t always the ones who win medals on the snow. Leading the pack is Eileen Gu, whose estimated $23 million in earnings over the past 12 months puts her at the top of the Olympic pay chart — a glaring reminder that branding and media savvy now matter as much as athleticism.
That reality gets complicated when the brightest corporate spotlight falls on an American-born athlete who now skates under a different flag. Forbes notes that much of Gu’s income flows from endorsements with Chinese and global brands, a fact that should make patriotic Americans ask whether our companies and media are rewarding global clout at the expense of national loyalty.
Meanwhile, the professional marketplace still rewards raw talent and spectacle, and NHL men returning to the Olympic ice are prime examples of capitalism at work. Auston Matthews, a Team USA forward, checks in near the top with an estimated $20 million between salary and endorsements, showing that American pro sports still produce massive rewards for excellence.
It’s worth remembering how the NHL’s return to the Games reshaped the financial picture: roughly 146 NHL players are in Milan-Cortina, and the league’s minimum salary and contract structures mean many Olympians are already millionaires before they lace up. That practical reality underlines a simple conservative truth — merit, markets, and private contracts drive opportunity far more effectively than athletes waiting on bureaucrats.
On the alpine side, veterans like Lindsey Vonn remind us that grit, legacy and name recognition still carry real economic weight; Forbes pegs Vonn’s recent earnings at about $8 million even as she battles injuries to chase one more Olympic run. That kind of resilience deserves respect — and it’s the kind of story that should make Americans proud rather than bowing to a culture that always puts controversy ahead of character.
Younger American stars are following similar paths: Chloe Kim remains a commercial draw despite injuries, and Ilia Malinin’s rise in figure skating shows how homegrown talent can build lucrative sponsorships without changing countries. These athletes demonstrate that determination and American branding can translate into real prosperity without selling out core principles.
There’s also a lesson in how the Games are funded and rewarded: a $100 million private donation to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee will funnel about $200,000 to each American athlete, proving once again that private generosity, not taxpayer-funded mandates, uplifts competitors. Conservatives should celebrate that model — it channels voluntary support to those who earn it and avoids expanding government control over sport.
At the end of the day, Milan-Cortina’s financial leaderboard offers a sober prompt for patriotic reflection. Support Team USA and the athletes who choose to compete for this country; demand that corporations think twice before funneling prize money and prestige to those who abandon American teams; and above all, remember that free markets, individual grit, and national pride — not virtue-signaling or globalist applause — build lasting greatness.
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