Miko, i meant "housing etc. was supplied for free. Also guaranteed training jobs for the rest of their lives once their sports career was over.". This definetly wasn't true.
BTW, while you boxed I was in a rifleing team. I had to quit because I studied too much, but my friend attended Union-level competitions.
Certainly, Tretyak didn't command a batallion. My father didn't as well, while he officialy was a battalion commader, being at a scientific job at the first place. And he was a leading Army sportsman, LenVO champion in pistol shooting, and his record still isn't beaten, since 1965

But his main job was science.
The situation isn't as simple as you try to show our Western friends.