professional vs. amateur swimming.

Former Member
Former Member
OK just read that Katie Hoff has gone professional. Not that this has any bearing on anything but I am bit bummed. I really was hoping that she would break Pablo’s NCAA records for most wins in college. There is a part of me that really wants to have swimmers be amateurs, but that is quickly blasted out of the water with all the DUAH! Why wouldn’t an oober athlete get millions of dollars for their athletic talents --that is years overdue. Does any one think swimmers will get to be “divas” or “divos” like some professional athletes?
Parents
  • Having been a professional swimmer for four years -- though not at the upper tier -- I can say that the answer is definitely not. Swimmers are superstars in the sport of swimming. Never, never, never, never has a swimmer transcended the sport to the real world. Mark Spitz, maybe. Janet Evans, sort of. Michael Phelps, to some degree. Amanda Beard has taken this year to capitalize on her marketing fame. But outside the Speedo ads, I haven't seen her anywhere else. If anyone would showcase themselves as a "diva," I would think Amanda would be it. But swimmers fight an uphill battle. We're not on TV every week like the Big Three. The magazines don't usually advertise swimmers. Jenny Thompson's Got Milk? ad was great, but only came out for a breif period. I think I saw Pete Sampras' ad long after his retirement. Even Bart Simpson's milk ad had more visibility. Not to say it can't happen, but this isn't the sport for those looking to be rolling in the bling-bling.
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  • Having been a professional swimmer for four years -- though not at the upper tier -- I can say that the answer is definitely not. Swimmers are superstars in the sport of swimming. Never, never, never, never has a swimmer transcended the sport to the real world. Mark Spitz, maybe. Janet Evans, sort of. Michael Phelps, to some degree. Amanda Beard has taken this year to capitalize on her marketing fame. But outside the Speedo ads, I haven't seen her anywhere else. If anyone would showcase themselves as a "diva," I would think Amanda would be it. But swimmers fight an uphill battle. We're not on TV every week like the Big Three. The magazines don't usually advertise swimmers. Jenny Thompson's Got Milk? ad was great, but only came out for a breif period. I think I saw Pete Sampras' ad long after his retirement. Even Bart Simpson's milk ad had more visibility. Not to say it can't happen, but this isn't the sport for those looking to be rolling in the bling-bling.
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