Commentary by Grant Anger, College Swimming Intern.
During the summer Olympics, swimming is one of the most popular sports watched in the United States. Its popularity matches that of gymnastics due to studs like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Katie Ledecky. Most non-swimmers know these names and the feats they have accomplished at the Olympics.
The problem remains that this popularity only surges every four years. Non-swimming fans completely forget that professional swimmers exist and compete outside the Olympics. But what if there was fan-centered pro meet that occurred every year that was catered to the fans? This would definitely change up the traditional meet format.
What do you think this meet should look and feel like? How could this meet help grow swimming into a sport with a national following?
The Meet
Photo Courtesy: Peter Bick
The meet would not be of significant importance other than its primary focus on giving both casual and serious fans a fun meet to watch. It would be all about the glamour of the meet and showcasing top talent rather than selecting a championship team, like at US Trials. The meet’s focus would be gathering a lot of swimming stars at the same meet to perform for the fans.
Time standards should be fast, and the prize money would be attractive enough to encourage as many stars as possible to attend. Ideally, the meet would be in early June, giving enough space between NCAAs in March and US Trials in July. This way, both pro and college stars could attend and compete.
The meet would also only last one or two hours long, spanning two days at most. This would encourage more fans to tune in, because watching a three-hour meet is not super interesting to a casual fan. In this fan-centered meet, only one final heat would compete. Eliminating B, C, and D heats for finals sessions allows for the hype and excitement to remain high for every race of the night. Most non-swimming fans would only be able to recognize one or two names in the A final anyway.
The Atmosphere
Photo Courtesy: Hayley Good
This meet should also be a little boisterous: There should be lots of cheering and noise throughout the entire session, and the atmosphere should be fun for the fans to watch. Now that USA swimming is allowing alcohol to be served at meets this might help liven the stands. Alcohol has been served at every other pro sports game for a while, and now swimming joins that list.
Encouraging fans to come in, watch the races and throw back a beer or two is not the worst idea (only for those ages 21 and up – the legal drinking age – of course). It invites fans to cheer and celebrate after an exciting race. However, drunkenness should never be tolerated and swimming should remain a family-friendly sport. There is a fine line to walk with alcohol allowed at swim meets, and security measures should be appropriately instituted.
To encourage an electric atmosphere, walk out music should be cranked up. Bumping music before the race not only gets the swimmers fired up but also the fans. Imagine a packed pool with several thousand people singing along to Sweet Caroline before the women’s 50 butterfly. The swimmers then walk out of a tunnel while pyrotechnics go off. Each swimmer would be announced like they do on WWE. Each event should be hyped up, increasing the excitement for fans and swimmers alike. The atmosphere should be energetic with fans cheering loudly and going nuts for great races.
Meet Event Line Up
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The 50s of stroke should be added and the 100s removed. This might be unpopular and sounds a bit unorthodox, but try to understand the reasoning. For a casual fan, a 50 of stoke is probably the most fun event to watch because it is the fastest. Because this is a fan-centered meet, the 50 should be added.
The 200s of stroke should remain, because they are also arguably the most strategic event. The lead swimmer tends to change the most throughout a 200, and the constant jockeying for the position would interest even the most basic swimming fan. The competitiveness of the 50s and the unpredictability of a 200 might wow the fans more than the 100s would. The exact event line up could change and isn’t super relevant, but it should be geared toward what causal fans would want to watch the most.
Most normal meets end with a relay, because they are the most exciting event to watch – a fan-centric meet would be no exception. Relays should always close out the finals session. Each night would end with either the 400 medley or freestyle relays to finish an exciting night of racing. Ideally, the relays would be mixed, as strategy is taken to a whole new level. The drastic comebacks and lead-changes make these relays arguably the most fun events to watch.
Teams
Photo Courtesy: USA Swimming
USA swimming began the Swim Squads this year to some success. They were exciting, but there remains room for vast improvements. There should be five or six teams with their own mascots and colors. These teams would compete against each other at pro meets like the swim squads now; however, this meet would be the final championship of the pro series.
Swimmers would compete for their team in individual events, but relays would be made up solely of members from these teams. This way, fans could cheer on their favorite team in every event. These teams would be scored just like any other meet but would have the scores combined for men and women. At the end of the meet, the winning team gets to have a big celebration on the podium to accept trophies and be recognized as champions. This would let casual fans pick a team they want to support and cheer for. Improving on the Swim Squads idea could be a massive boost for professional swimming.
Creating a National Following for Professional Swimming
With the amount of interest swimming garners at the Olympics; there is a wide market for a more prominent professional swim series than what is in place now. Swimming could have a large national following if presented in a creative, exciting way. This fan-centered meet might be a colossal failure at first, but it is important to have an open mind in attempting to grow the sport to a national following. An increase in interest could help our beloved sport explode into something extraordinary!
What would you change about professional swim meets to attract more fans and grow the sport?
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.