By Haley Wen, Swimming World College Intern.
Every four years, the Summer Olympics come around and interest in competitive swimming spikes. NBC confirms that swimming is one of the top three most-watched sports from the last few Olympics. Swim fans emerge from the woodworks during this special time.
Top competitors like Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky have reached celebrity status outside of just the swimming arena. Following the Summer Games in London, CNN reported that there was a 13% increase in those taking up swimming in the US. The Summer Olympics are an amazing time to be a swim fan, because for once, your interests are making the big headlines. You overhear your swim idols becoming the topics of small talk over coffee. How many times has that happened during the FINA World Championships or NCAA Championships?
Photo Courtesy: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Sports
The Olympics are a boon for the sport of swimming. It is understandable that everyone, swimmers and non-swimmers alike, wants to tune in. It’s easy to get excited about an event that elicits so much fanfare and patriotism. Just look at the recent headlines regarding the United States Women’s National Soccer Team when they won their second World Cup. The final game drew 14 million viewers. On the day of the game, Budweiser printed an ad which reads, “The world will watch them play today. Who will watch them play tomorrow?” This ad stirs the waters and forces bandwagon fans to examine their intentions. Who is there during both the highs and the lows of their team’s journey?
While the fan experience for swim meets is typically sub-par on average, the stands are packed with team spirit at the championships. It is true that majority of the athletes who make up any sport do not compete at the Olympics, and the reality is that not many will ever get the opportunity to compete on a big stage. However, there are still many ways for athletes and swim fans alike to support swimmers at all levels throughout their swimming journey.
Remember Your Swim Roots
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien
Just because you left a team doesn’t mean you should leave them behind. Checking in on your old team is one of the simplest ways to support swimmers of all levels. It could be your old club team, high school team, college team or even your old rival team. Who are the swimmers qualifying for Sectionals, for Junior Nationals or for Olympic Trials? What colleges are those continuing to swim attending, and how are they doing there? How is your team faring against their old rivals? You can reach out to volunteer, to time, or to work hospitality at their next home meet.
With access to the internet, swim fans can take to Swimming World‘s meet coverage to follow all the highlights at Speedo Sectionals, Futures, and beyond!
Go to Swim Meets
Photo Courtesy: Sun Devil Athletics
It’s great to watch meets when they’re shown on TV or being live streamed, because it shows advertisers and cable companies that there is a market for the sport of swimming. High viewership communicates that if they show swimming, people will tune in. The wider the exposure, the more people will want to get involved. In addition, thanks to apps like MeetMobile, the results are still at your fingertips no matter where you live.
An even better way to be a swim fan is to actually show up at a the meet. Look up the nearest college or high school dual meet, grab a friend and go! Swimmers rarely get the chance to have spectators who aren’t their friends or family at a meet, so your presence can make a huge difference. Watching a college team eek out a win against a rival can be just as exciting as watching Olympians compete.
Matthias McManus, former swimmer at Arizona State University (ASU), talks about what it was like when over 2,000 spectators came to see ASU duel University of Arizona (UA) his freshman year in 2016. “I’ve never seen anything like it for a dual. People were watching from garages. The energy in the pool was electric, and the crowd was insane,” he reflects. In the end, the ASU men’s team won the meet, defeating UA for the first time in a decade.
Expand the Way You View Results
Photo Courtesy: COMO Swim & Dive Twitter, @COMOswimming
When scrolling through the results of a meet – whether yours, your friend’s or your child’s – check some results you wouldn’t normally seek out. See what other swimmers are achieving. Look out for people who dropped a lot of time across the board or who may have made their first junior national time, and watch out for them in the future. A swimmer doesn’t need to be an Olympic athlete to have a career worth noting or even following up on.
Being a Swim Fan
Obviously the only real qualification to be a swim fan is a love of the sport, and many people already do a lot to support swimmers everywhere. However, there are ways that we can show our passion for this amazing sport that might go beyond what we might have done in the past. The future of swimming continues to shine brightly – let’s keep it that way.
Link to NBC Story: Gymnastics, Track And Swimming Will Win Ratings Gold In Rio
Link to CNN Story: Michael Phelps Legacy from Rio 2016
–All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.