I haven't followed the sport closely in a few years, but the economics of cycling mean most riders, men and women alike, are paid poorly relative to athletes in other sports; it's more comparable to sailing than football.
No one is paying to line up alongside the Tour de France route, and the teams are usually sponsored by corporate interests who don't see a huge return on their investment.
The article is interesting. I worry that by watching football I'm participating in something bad for the athletes (even though they want to do it of course, for money). I guess it's true for all pro athletes, it is bad for them physically in the end.
Football has evolved into something much more insidious. Physical breakdown is something to be expected at the highest level of sports, but concussions that end in dementia and suicide is something else altogether.
No one is paying to line up alongside the Tour de France route, and the teams are usually sponsored by corporate interests who don't see a huge return on their investment.