Why College Gymnastics Wins in Broadcasting, But Swimming Lags Behind

The Paris Olympics was a big win for Team USA in both swimming and gymnastics. But here’s a twist: many top athletes in these sports come from college competitions. Yet, there’s a striking difference between how these sports are broadcast. A 13-year-old swimmer, watching a college gymnastics event, noticed this gap. She wished swimming had the same live broadcasting as gymnastics. Her dad, a college swim coach, agreed, but pointed out that college swimming has a long way to go. College gymnastics gets live broadcasts on ESPN 2, free with cable. But college swimming? That’s on ESPN+, which costs $120 a year or $12 a month. This makes swimming less accessible. Change might be slow because college swimming programs are being cut due to lack of funds and revenue. So, swimming fans might have to wait a while for more live broadcasts.