History
The Wealthiest Athlete in History May Have Been a Roman Charioteer
The story of Gaius Appuleius Diocles, his money, and where it went.
This year's list of top-earning athletes was full of the usual suspects: Roger Federer at $106 million, Cristiano Ronaldo at $105 million, all while Lionel Messi earned a mere $104 million.
We often assume that modern athletes, even with inflation accounted for, earn more than athletes in the past. Markets are bigger. We have sophisticated sponsorship channels. Yet it's very possible our assumptions are wrong. One man, from thousands of years prior, might have them all beat.
However, his story couldn’t have been more different.
The beginnings of a megastar
For many, charioteering is an ‘escape the coal mines’ type of job. They were slaves or indentured servants and didn’t want to be. Charioteering was seen as a better escape than fleeing or gladiatorial combat.¹
Other competitors were simply middle and upper-class young men, who had a high tolerance for risk and an insatiable thirst for glory.
The latter would best describe Gaius Appuleius Diocles. Born in 104 AD, he was from a middle-class family in the Roman…
