Who is the highest paid athlete ever? It’s not Tiger Woods. I’ll save you some time and just tell you that you’re not going to get it. The answer is: Gaius Appuleius Diocles. Ever heard of him? Doubtful, unless you read this article linked from Yahoo.
Recorded in a monumental inscription erected in 146 A.D., the figure eclipses the fortunes of all modern sport stars, including golfer Tiger Woods, hailed by Forbes magazine last fall “sports’ first billion-dollar man.”
Diocles, “the most eminent of all charioteers,” according to the inscription, was born in Lusitania, in what is now Portugal and south-west Spain, and started his spectacular career in 122 A.D., when he was 18.
Life for a charioteer in Rome wasn’t easy. Often slaves who could eventually buy their freedom, these racers engaged in wild laps of competition at the Circus Maximum, running a total of about 4,000 meters (nearly 2.5 miles).
“After seven savage laps, those who managed not to be upended or killed and finish in the top three took home prizes,” wrote Struck.
The cultural phenomenon of sports certainly is not new to our generation. Nor is the desire for winning and glory…
