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?
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Is swimming a dying sport? I don't think so. It's not getting the exposure I'd like to see - like say, tennis - but it's not dying.
Maybe it seems to be dying because a handful of elite swimmers are the ones who get all the attention. Hoff wasn't praised for her swimming initially, it was her crying and throwing up. She was just a kid, though.
If you don't turn pro in swimming what do you do when college is over? Peirsol is majoring in Government. I don't know where he expects to go with that, but good for him for taking the Nike offer.
The downside to turning pro is they aren't getting paid NBA and NFL contract amounts and sponsorship can be a pain in the butt. I was mortified at seeing Peirsol bring out a bottle of Penta water on Cold Pizza and not so inconspicously flash the label at the camera. But without sponsorship, the sport will die.
Someone mentioned Michelle Kwan in this thread. Kwan wins most events she enters but is unable to get over not having an Olympic gold medal and so she refuses to turn pro. I think it's wrong, because it takes a spot away from a younger and possibly more deserving skater.
Athletes need to think of their future, and in our sport, after collegiate swimming there is no pro sports team. At 22 or 23 can you afford the resources of an NCAA coach and a nice big training pool for hours on end?
Is swimming a dying sport? I don't think so. It's not getting the exposure I'd like to see - like say, tennis - but it's not dying.
Maybe it seems to be dying because a handful of elite swimmers are the ones who get all the attention. Hoff wasn't praised for her swimming initially, it was her crying and throwing up. She was just a kid, though.
If you don't turn pro in swimming what do you do when college is over? Peirsol is majoring in Government. I don't know where he expects to go with that, but good for him for taking the Nike offer.
The downside to turning pro is they aren't getting paid NBA and NFL contract amounts and sponsorship can be a pain in the butt. I was mortified at seeing Peirsol bring out a bottle of Penta water on Cold Pizza and not so inconspicously flash the label at the camera. But without sponsorship, the sport will die.
Someone mentioned Michelle Kwan in this thread. Kwan wins most events she enters but is unable to get over not having an Olympic gold medal and so she refuses to turn pro. I think it's wrong, because it takes a spot away from a younger and possibly more deserving skater.
Athletes need to think of their future, and in our sport, after collegiate swimming there is no pro sports team. At 22 or 23 can you afford the resources of an NCAA coach and a nice big training pool for hours on end?
