From 1.75 Million to 140 Million Won per Month... How a Former National Athlete Made It Big Through Live Streaming

Former National Badminton Player Akane Araki

Switches to Live Streaming After Retirement

Broadcasting Income Soars to 80 Times Her Playing Days

A former Japanese national badminton team player, who boasts four international championship victories, has made headlines by switching to live streaming after retirement and earning up to 16 million yen (about 140 million won) in a single month. Her story has attracted attention not only as a tale of individual success but also as a case that highlights the reality faced by elite athletes navigating post-retirement career and livelihood issues.

Akane Araki. Instagram capture

Starting with Just a Smartphone Despite Family Opposition

The protagonist is Akane Araki (30), noted for her tall stature of 176 cm and remarkable physique with a 'nine heads' body ratio. Following in the footsteps of her mother, who had been a world champion, she picked up a racket at the age of seven and went on to become an elite athlete who took the top spot in international competitions four times. However, in January 2020, in her mid-twenties, she announced her retirement without hesitation.

The main reason for leaving the court was economic reality. Araki confessed, “It was hard to make good money in badminton.” She added, “Even if I stayed on with my team’s company after retirement, the monthly salary would be only about 200,000 yen (approximately 1.75 million won).” Even during her career, she had to personally cover the costs of private training, shuttlecocks, rackets, and string replacements, which further deepened her doubts about continuing as an athlete.

Just two to three months after retiring, Araki noticed the growth of the remote live streaming market triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite strong opposition from her family, she left home and moved into a small apartment in Tobu-Nerima, Itabashi, Tokyo, with monthly rent of 60,000 yen (about 520,000 won), and began one-person broadcasting with nothing but a smartphone. Determined to block out discouragement and negative attention over her career switch, she even cut off all social media connections with colleagues from her playing days.

Akane Araki. Instagram capture

Maximum Monthly Income of 16 Million Yen... Fraud, Harassment, and Rumors Along the Way

The live broadcasts generate income by allowing viewers to interact in real time—sending paid items and donations. Araki's disclosed peak monthly income was 16 million yen, which is 80 times higher than her monthly income of 200,000 yen as an active athlete.

However, the road was far from smooth. In the early days, she joined an entertainment agency and paid about 1 million yen (approximately 8.75 million won) for “training center fees,” but got little actual guidance because of COVID-19, among other reasons. She also experienced situations where the agency took 70% of her broadcast donations.

Araki shared, “Because I spent my whole life in sports and knew nothing about the ways of the world, I ended up being deceived and suffered heavy losses.” Since then, she explained, she has become very cautious regarding people who approach her in the streaming industry.

She has also had encounters involving major donors. According to Araki, some viewers demanded personal meetings in exchange for their support, and when she declined, they donated large sums to competing broadcasters to lower her ranking.

Araki Akane. Instagram capture

She also suffered due to rumors about her changed appearance. After losing 15 kilograms and changing her style compared to her days as an athlete, online communities spread speculations about plastic surgery and even rumors that she might be a virtual person created by artificial intelligence. Responding to these claims, Araki said, “When I was active, I kept my body fat extremely low and built up my physique, but after retirement, my management style simply changed,” dismissing the plastic surgery allegations.

Helping Retired Athletes Build a Second Career, Drawing on Her Own Experience

After overcoming numerous setbacks and difficulties to establish herself as a professional streamer, Araki established an internet broadcaster management agency in August last year based on the lessons she learned. Currently, around 10 creators belong to the agency, including other former badminton players like Araki herself.

Her business initiative addresses a chronic issue facing the sports industry: the challenge of career transition for retired athletes. Since most athletes devote themselves to sports from a young age, many struggle to adapt to society after retirement and have trouble finding alternatives outside rejoining another sports team.

Araki pointed out, “A second career is a very difficult task for athletes. Because they have been focused solely on competitions all their lives, they typically lack broader social experience.” She added, “I want to prove and show former athletes that there are diverse opportunities and new paths outside the playing field.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.