I wrote recently about the rich medal bonuses that the Olympics’ top athletes stand to earn for their performances, and I noted that the United States’ medal bonuses – $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze – are well below those handed out by nations like Russia and Italy. But maybe the lower payout makes sense in terms of fiscal responsibility: the United States led all nations with 104 medals at the 2012 London Olympics, 46 of which are gold.
