The disparity in funding between American judo and its international counterparts has reached a breaking point, prompting one prominent voice in the sport to issue an urgent call to action.
In a candid moment on The Shintaro Higashi Show, the host made an impassioned plea to listeners: sign up for USA Judo memberships. It’s that simple, yet that critical.
“The number one issue with USA Judo is underfunding, not enough members,”
Higashi explained, highlighting the core problem plaguing American judo’s development. The membership crisis isn’t just an administrative concern—it’s the fundamental barrier preventing U.S. athletes from competing on equal footing with their international rivals.
“I recently had the chance of talking to Alex Bates, who is working on the high performance committee for USA Judo, and he goes, “No, we actually have now 14,000 members.” So they are trending in that right direction.”
“I was talking to Mac about this Team USA doctor that comes on — he’s a physical therapist — and he’s like, yo, we need more USA Judo members. And I slipped up and said, you know, oh, most of my dojo — 95% of my dojo — aren’t USA Judo members. And then he was like, how, why, like what are you doing? You know, whether USA Judo gives to you or offers you a certain service with that membership or not, you owe it to them because you got your career competing on that circuit, you got to travel the world doing judo — how dare you not push that?”
“And you know, I was like, whoa, whoa, Mac, you know, like I do a lot for judo. Oh, and I got a little bit defensive. Uh, but he’s absolutely right.”
The stark reality of this funding gap becomes clear when examining the numbers presented by U.S. Olympic bronze medalist and longtime judo coach Jimmy Pedro from a while ago. The French judo federation operates with over 550,000 paying members and commands an annual budget of $20 million. Meanwhile, USA Judo struggles with approximately 12,000-14,000 members, each contributing around $100 annually, generating a modest operating budget of just $1.15-1.5 million.
“The economics in France is night and day compared to what it is in the United States,”
Pedro stated, painting a sobering picture of the challenges facing American judo.
This economic chasm directly impacts what athletes can achieve. French superstar Teddy Riner earns over $1 million annually through sponsorships and competition fees alone—
“that’s bigger than our entire operating budget in this country for every single athlete that we have,”
Pedro noted. Russia dedicates $20 million specifically to developing their national team, dwarfing American investment in the sport.
The membership message hit particularly close to home for Higashi after a conversation with Mac, a Team USA physical therapist working with USA Judo. During their discussion, Higashi admitted that 95% of his dojo’s students weren’t USA Judo members—a revelation that prompted a stern response.
There are signs of progress. Alex Bates, who serves on USA Judo’s high performance committee, recently confirmed the organization now has approximately 14,000 members—trending in a positive direction. But the gap between where American judo stands and where it needs to be remains vast.
The consequences of inadequate funding extend beyond competition results. Olympic champion Kayla Harrison revealed years ago that despite her unprecedented success, USA Judo could only offer her a basic salary—forcing her to pursue mixed martial arts instead of continuing to represent American judo.
For those wondering whether their individual membership matters, the mathematics are straightforward. Every new member represents additional resources for athlete development, coaching education, and program expansion. The French federation’s 550,000 members didn’t materialize overnight—they were built one membership at a time.
The question facing American judo practitioners is simple: will they answer the call?
