Fresh off of her three individual titles and a team championship at last week’s NCAA championships, Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin has decided to turn pro and has signed with WME-IMG’s Mark Ervin. At the 2012 London Olympics, Missy brought back a total of five medals, four of which were gold. Despite all the potential for endorsement deals following the 2012 Games, Franklin opted to spend the last two years attending classes at the University of California and honing her craft at the collegiate level. Some have estimated that Franklin’s decision to attend college may have cost her an estimated $5 million in endorsement deals. At just 19 years of age, Franklin can make up for those lost opportunities as she is sure to be the face of Team USA swimming during the 2016 Rio Games and beyond.
When asked about her decision on the TODAY Show, Missy said, “It is something that I have dreamed of my entire life and being able to swim as my job – that is the coolest thing.” She went on to add, “I swim because I love it, and I’m not going to let it [being a job] get to me.” Missy’s next step is swimming with Team USA in August at the world championships.