Elite women athletes are juggling side jobs and roommates to keep pace with the cost of living, particularly in Southern California, where many beach volleyball players train and live.
Now, a growing number are turning to OnlyFans to close the gap.
Professional beach volleyball player Avery Poppinga estimates she spends nearly $50,000 a year on flights, hotels, coaching, gym memberships, and gear, largely out of her own pocket, just to continue competing at the professional level.
Poppinga, who graduated from Loyola Marymount University, joined the subscription platform in 2024 after a fellow beach volleyball pro suggested it as a way to earn extra income while she worked a remote job on the side.
In February 2025, she signed an official sponsorship deal with the company through OFTV, OnlyFans’ safe-for-work streaming division. The agreement includes social media promotion, branded merchandise worn during tournaments, and video content production.
OnlyFans, long associated with adult entertainment, has quietly expanded into sports sponsorships over the last two years. The platform now works with roughly 285 professional athletes, according to a company spokesperson, including competitors in surfing, speedskating, tennis, motorcycle racing, bobsledding, ultrarunning, and cliff diving.
The company says it is especially focused on helping athletes in niche sports where traditional funding opportunities remain limited.
That financial strain is especially visible in beach volleyball.
Despite being one of the Olympics’ most-watched events, the sport receives little national television coverage outside the Games, limiting exposure and sponsorship revenue for players trying to build careers.
USA Volleyball reportedly provides stipends to only its top four teams, leaving many athletes to finance the rest themselves.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
