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?
Former Member
Amusing to see that someone on this forum thinks that going pro in swimming means they are making substantial amounts of money and success to the point that they are affecting growth in the sport in the younger age groups.
Wrong.
Even the most successful swimmers don't get a fraction of the dough or noteriety they deserve compared to the Big 3. It's a rounding error in comparison. If they ever did.... it would certainly help filter the message downward and across sports for recruiting purposes.
John Smith
Originally posted by TheGoodSmith
Amusing to see that someone on this forum thinks that going pro in swimming means they are making substantial amounts of money and success to the point that they are affecting growth in the sport in the younger age groups.
Wrong.
Even the most successful swimmers don't get a fraction of the dough or noteriety they deserve compared to the Big 3. It's a rounding error in comparison. If they ever did.... it would certainly help filter the message downward and across sports for recruiting purposes.
John Smith
I don't exactly understand your last statement. If you are saying that swimming pros aren't going to effect the growht of hte sport, you are correct. Few swimmers will ever make enough money or prestige to truly increase tose young peole who go into swimming. If anything, increased purses and swimming pros will probably only help to maintain the status quo in th e US.
Originally posted by TheGoodSmith
As a parent of 3 USS age groupers, being a former age grouper, highschooler, collegiate and USS participant, a masters coach and currently a masters swimmer...... you think I want to degrade the world I have participated in so much of my life?
Based on your gloom and doom posts, I'd say yes.
Originally posted by aquageek
What I found amusing is your constant belittling of our sport saying its dying because there aren't enough sponsors of our gold plated membership rolls, we aren't setting world records everyday, and the endless other ways you try to say its a dead or dying sport. Yet, you then get all goo goo over a swimmer going pro.
As to this deserving thing. No one deserves anything in life. You work for what you get and the market determines your financial value.
Maybe it's the other Smith who has this attitude, I can't keep your two straight.
Aquaugeek,
The number of competitive swimmers in the US has extremely decreased in the last 5-6 years. Look at how they have had to increase qualifying times to get the same numbers of swimmers at meets yet there are fewer swimmers registerd at collegiate levels according to the NCAA. Also, many Y programs and club programs are losing students. One reason is that there are fewer people in the age-group category. This is even more upsetting. There is a bubble of 9-13 year-olds but they aren't enrolled in swimmign programs.
I have been told that the market for swimmers is very lucrative. We spend a lot of money. However, we are very small compared to ohter sports. Having a big name swimmer as a client and an endorser is supposed to help sell products to us because of product compettition
Originally posted by TheGoodSmith
I'm trying to figure out which is worse.... and argument with Ion or Geek.
Isn't that cute, the two Smiths teaming up against common enemies. And, I see you've enlisted a foreigner on your side. Beware, Cruise, these are the same twins that think "ferners" shouldn't be allowed in USMS records.
WWRS?
Just as I don't ever expect to hold any "Canadian" records if I go up there for a meet and happen to break one........other than a beer chug with Peter!
However I may be unclear on this, Peter are beer drinking records in the "open" division of by country?
i think janet evans might have missed out on serious dinero by not going pro in 1988 when she cleaned up in the olympics and smashed world records
ande
