The Cost of Becoming an Olympic Swimmer for Team USA | WSJ
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Becoming an Olympic swimmer is an aspiration for thousands of young athletes in the U.S. But it comes at a heavy cost. Club dues alone can set swimmers back thousands of dollars each year. Here’s a breakdown of what it can cost to become an Olympic swimmer.
More from the Wall Street Journal:
Visit WSJ.com: www.wsj.com
Visit the WSJ Video Center: wsj.com/video
On Facebook: / videos
On Twitter: / wsj
On Snapchat: on.wsj.com/2ra...
#WSJ #Olympics #Olympian
As a former competitive swimmer, the financial costs are a drop in the bucket compared to the mental grind. Also, only the elite 2 people have a chance to my money. This isn't the NBA where the top 100 make millions each.
Nah being rich does have its advantages. Wealthy public schools have Olympic pools and since most kids end up participating in academic sponsored sports.Therefore most y’all swimmers are some rich folks
@@Dodbanna L take
@Dodbanna Nope. I went to a small school and we had a yards pool that had to be repaired many times but we had a great coach who challenged us to be excellent everyday. In particular, one of my teammates came from a poor household but he had immense talent and dedication which got him to the state final and then later in his career he won the national championship.
Im a college swimmer and these numbers are really exaggerated. Mostly because at the beginning you don’t spend anything besides club fees and then find out if you have potential to get to the next level. I didnt buy a tech suit until I was probably 4-5 years into the sport and nobody starts at nations capital or anything like that usually at an extremely low cost club / ymca and if you have potential and excel at it you may move to a better one that will cost maybe $1-2k a year. Plus if you are at the point that you need more than 1-2 tech suits per year you definitely have it paid for (either by college, sponsor, team etc.) Most swimmers with great potential dont use private lessons because they will be at a club with a coach they trust for all of that, so its not really an add-on cost. Last, goggles and caps are extremely inexpensive maximum $150 per year unless again, you can have them paid for by someone else in which case you would probably just get new everything for every meet. Its a snowball effect really, once you get truly great and show a lot of potential the resources will find their way to you not vice versa. Travel is also negligible because especially when youre younger most meets are very local and within dricing distance. Maybe one travel meet per year is really needed if its a qualification meet - which you would first need to qualify for at a local meet (sectionals, junior nationals would be examples of qualifying meets). Not affording a 2nd or 3rd tech suit or private trainer or the best club in the country is not a valid reason for people not succeeding at the sport. Given the median income in america it is extremely accessible and videos like this are only tarnishing the hard work the top swimmers put into it, they arent just great because they have money.
Well, there are those people that overpay because they don't know what they are doing and just trusting the greedy skills coaches. I agree with what you are saying and hope my kid can pursue swimming but needing constant skills training and paying tons of fees doesn't make sense unless that is the only way to get your foot in the door to a meet/qualifying tournament. If my kid does other physical activities and swims a few times a week, if taught properly, shouldn't forget how to swim properly. Wonder how qualifying for another country but swimming in the US will work out... hmm.
I'm a parent of two age group swimmers. One is a national top 50 rank in multiple events and the other is probably good enough to eventually swim in college if desired. I estimate the total cost at about $7000 per year for both put together. That is 11 months of training 5-6x/week, about 10 meets per year, and travel costs. One of my kids has a tech suit that cost about $180 and has used it for 2 years. The other has a tech suit that was given to him by a teammate who outgrew it. It cost $0.
I'm a former USA swim coach and I agree with everything here. My team had a few Olympic trial qualifiers but they didn't start out that way. They had no crazy tech suits until they started doing very well, and they ended up on scholarships for college swimming and so had most of there school paid for. Btw our fees were about 2,000 for the year.
I feel like most of the parents that spent the money on our team, as well as gym memberships and special equipment and the like did it in hopes of their kids getting a college scholarship. They see it as an investment.
Thanks. Not surprising that information from the WSJ was inaccurate. I’d imagine 99% of top swimmers come out of a college program.
Maybe not swimming but gymnastics, tennis, horse riding, etc.?! expensive from the start and it also depends on how good u are, some people make it to the olympics by 15 or 16
It’s not just a monetary value, you can lose your social life, friends and in some cases your mental health
For you to be great there are sacrifices that are needed to be made
That’s why everyone doesn’t do it.
The financial cost is really trivial compare to the mental stress and physical stress over Olympians. What they do are honestly amazing and hard
It's not trivial. 25-40,000 dollars per year means that only high-income families can afford to pay the training for their children.
trivial? this is privilege talk
@@manut975 it isnt 25-40k pa if you get a sponsor
SWIMMING IS NOT FOR POOR FAMILIES IN THE UNITED STATES.
But technically for everyone in egypt
@@yusuforief8387 really? how come?
@@summerfirebon2362 a club membership is about 30 bucks a year if we convert from EGP to USD
and the club pays for all the championships and there are places funded by the government where you can swim for free
The only thing you pay for is the gear, and we use the tech suits for more than a year so not a concern
there are other expensive sports than this
@@blackcat-mp7kh equestrian is more expensive
Any of these sports start as a hobby until they realize they have good potential. For swimming, you need the time and a facility to do this hobby which not everyone has access to. Once this and any hobby turns to a professional/olympian training , it will cost big bucks $$$$. This funnels only to the middle/upper class whose parents can afford this, I cannot imagine an olympic medalist with a full-time job and also an intense training every day.
Bro Olympian training is paid for by places, I’d you are that good, people want you instead of you wanting people
that's very true, however exceptions always exist, just look at Anna Kiesenhofer
@@zachsuarez1830 it's not always happening in US,and this includes medal Winners,they still struggle financially sometimes
This is just excuse mentality. Why don’t you watch the video titled “how fast can a former homeless swim 50 freestyle?” It’s literally the story of Olympic champion Anthony Ervin. There’s always a guy like you somewhere who’s real good at speaking half truths with no substance.
“Sacrifice is never easy or it is no true sacrifice.”
As a high school wrestling coach of going on 18 years I can tell you wrestling, swimming, etc... any of these sports are accessible to anyone but for those looking to go D1 for starters or have a crack at making the national team some day it does become not just a cost commitment but also very much a time and family commitment. The kid and family have to first understand and then agree that what it's going to take is a full on commitment to chasing the dream. You may have to give up going to this teenage social event or that school event in order to prep and train for whatever it is your doing that weekend athletically. And to be clear there is a HUGE different between being collegiate D1 and making the national team. Cause I'm sure some on here might reply with "well my buddy went to homecoming and prom and went D1". Yea but your buddy probably isn't Kyle Dake or Kyle Snyder or Katie Ledecky, etc..... Snyder even opted out of his senior year of high school wrestling to go train at the USA Wrestling training center as a 17 year old to prepare for wrestling at Ohio State and ultimately Team USA. The point is and I tell kids and parents this all the time, anyone can achieve whatever it is they wanna do, not all are willing to give up certain things to get there. How many kids and parents are willing to push the start time of opening gifts on Christmas day in order to go lift weights or run for a couple hours first? Watch not the movie Foxcatcher but the documentary about Dave / Mark Schultz and John DuPont. The Schultz's and other Olympic wrestlers back then had to basically go into poverty in order to train for worlds and the Olympics.
It's pretty much the opposite in India(all sports). Most of our Olympians are from rural areas that don't even have access to electricity, water and fuel and aren't even connected well either by roads or railways. The fact that some of our athletes succeed despite these obstacles is a true testament to their determination
Please consider doing one for as many sports as possible please. The Kids and Parents need to understand the complexity of sports.
We have committed to investing in our son's Baseball, training sessions can be around $15 - $30 per session. $600 team fee's. $75 - $100 ish per physicians appointment. The list goes on, but in total we budget about $6000 to $8000 per year.
Please do one for every sport you can, just like this. Great job
This is so true me and my brother have recently joined a swimming club and it cost a lot for my parents. I only hope we can give back what they put in.
Good analysis, WSJ!
With 2022 Winter Olympics approaching, I'd hope to see you put out same kind of reporting on figure skating which is even more excluding than swimming. In fact why not make a deep dive on what sports are only for families with certain incomes, meaning out of reach for talented chikdren from financially challenged families.
Big whoop. Even any hobby costs a lot if you really want to be a pro or just love your hobby. Look at what people who own horses for recreation pay.
Exactly. I don't want my tax dollars going to people swimming or doing any sport. They do nothing for me.
@@spedkaone right and an imperial military and corporate bailouts are somehow better
@@shayan_idk Did I say that? Are there absolutely no better things to spend money on that a guy who chose to hit a ball for a living?
U missed the important expense i.e whenever they get injured or something happens to them while training the hospitals slams that big chunk of bill on them☹️
Yyyyuuppp
Dont think so, once in a competitive level they are covered
That too, not the most expensive if you have insurance but yes
Most sports are for wealthy or high middle class people. The ones who has to study and have a job to be able to live, cant aspire to be a high level athlete.
interesting! given how well US performs in Olympics, I assumed there is a lot of government funding involved to train people across various sports.
The numbers they used, while they could be true, are pretty exaggerated from most swimmers. I was a D1 swimmer from a low income home and my club dues were around $600/yr, tech suits were $500/yr, other equipment was maybe $75/yr, and I mostly competed in local meets so I really only had to pay for lodging maybe once a year.
Did you compete in the Olympics?
@@saynotop2w Olympic athletes don't pay for they equipment. The hardest moment of a sport Carrier is when you live like a pro, train like a pro, buu equipment like a pro but you are not a pro yet. So you still have to play for everything.
Definitely for rich kids. It doesn’t matter how talented or how hard he/she have worked, without that financial backing you’re not gonna get to anywhere
It’s expensive yes but it’s not just for rich kids. If you’ve ever been part of a swim team you would see all kids of different backgrounds
@@iluvzurara2 In the beginning stage it doesn’t take a lot of money but once you qualify for the states we start traveling starting paying the airfare and hotels then that’s gonna cost you a lot more.
@@iluvzurara2 in order to be part of the Olympic team you have to compete in the highest level meaning that more likely you will be traveling internationally competing many years in order to get the ranking that you need to be part of a national team.
@@101kevinh national and college teams pay for travel and equipment, in middle school youre not good enough to travel, you only have big expenses in high school and if youre creative and motiavated enough you can get it all covered
@@carlnickson7353 I do believe that you are definitely more creative than most. Most schools doesn’t even have Olympic related sports, which you have to go to local clubs and pay monthly fees and private coaching( if you want to really improve and get any good) all I’m saying behind that shining gold metal there is A tremendous amount of price to pay. Price as $$$$ lots of it. Just think about how much money do you need to get involved in Equestrian 🐴. How much to own a horse these days?
This is the most incorrect video. These costs are highly inflated. As a competitive swimmer for a decade and college athlete, these cost are no where near claimed. Suits and equipment are at most $500 a year, as entry level swimmers do not wear the highest end equipment and once a swimmer reaches the college level, suits are heavily subsidized. Usually 75%+ of costs. Bad information, do your research. Disappointed as this will scare people away from this amazing sport.
5,000$ a year for club fees? I must be at some super cheap poor swim team, for me it’s ab 1,200$ a year for a coach that has trained jr National champions.
Im dirt poor and have been swimming 6 years minus the time from covid, and affording the tech suits and gym membership and meet costs have all been doable. The only real barrier to improvement has been to have the disciplin to do the things i know will improve me. Drills, yoga, bike riding, weightlifting. Theres always highly skilled people to get advice from .
I swim in the bath........very hard to to a flip turn when you're 6'2".
So basically, to be an Olympian, your parents must be rich?!
No, but it helps. Duh.
@@JerkingLegacy Who pays for the club dues if the parents can't?
@@sasshole8121 Loans probably
@@sasshole8121 You’d have to find sponsors or swim through a school. You, however, said Olympians. Not all sports require something as huge as an investment as a pool
Like with anything, the best training and equipment, require money. It’s not free, why should it.
Thanks for such knowledgeable video.
We shouldnt tarnish what these olympians achieve. Its more than just the money, the mental and physical discipline, the right diet and sleep, endless hours of waking up early to train and to recover.
Most of us dont even have the discipline to put in 20 mins a day for exercise. Or eat the right food. Im guilty of this.
These athletes should be an inspiration for us people to do better in our lives. To better ourself, physically and mentally.
If we have a small inch of level of discipline they have, maybe our lives and outlook in life will be better too!
Track and field is in an identical situation, with the exception that going pro gives you an opportunity to earn prize money and appearance fees
In india, of you are talented and got selected, Indian govt will pay for everything things including dress, food, travel, stay, coaching, training and etc all for free.
I mean, People need to have the time and money to get to that talent. India’s poor showing at the olympics demonstrates that something is not working at the grassroot level, and the barrier of entry is probably way higher for the avg Indian
Edit: And I’m aware that cricket is not in the olympics, but there is definitely a barrier of entry issue for common sports like swimming, running, etc. India wouldn’t need a policy like that if it wasn’t so hard for Indians to even get into sports like swimming
LOL another indian using every opportunity to "show off" their country, when in fact Michael Phelps alone won more than 2 times the gold medals than India has ever won in their entire Olympic history.
Westchester County, NY, is one of the most expensive counties in the country. Washington DC is a high cost metro area. Seems suspect that they use those locations as the "sample" prices for club fees...
The membership in my club is around 200 per year and I live 15 min away from Paris … this is nuts!!!
600 dollars for a swimsuit? How about anywhere between 5k to 200k for a piano.
You can rent a piano for much cheaper to see if it's a good fit, or buy a used instrument - sometimes you can even find neighbors who are willing to give them to you for free.
Wow that's relevant
China and Russia: the new global leaders!
+ all of the years the parents have to support
Now do track and field… join your high school team: $0
Except that it doesn't work that way in many countries. You have to pay to join an athletic club or a swimming club or a golf club or a football club and it's like this in many countries, so yes athletes sacrifice alot of time, energy and money. If swimming was cheaper in the US, I guess the team would look like your athletics team.
Nah there's very little difference. Instead of buying swimsuits you're buying spikes. If you're shooting for the highest elite levels you'll be joining some sort of club or specialized gym where you can train year-round, even if you also participate on your high school team. Then you'll be footing the training and travel costs. Same story...
@@beyourself2444 youre wrong. It wouldn't look like the track team. Black women specifically are very particular about their hair. Black men body can also be a challenge since they are naturally bulky and not lean.
@Nathan Bickell did you not read the video title? “The cost of becoming an OLYMPIC swimmer” not high school
And the video didn't even talk about the mental/social/developmental aspect of being an Olympic swimmer (or any sport really).
No one:
Thanos: EVERYTHING.
Provided you have parents that are willing to drive, swimming - even at a national level - is quite accessible. My club fees were a couple hundred bucks per year. Now compare that to the $$$$ parents spend on other sports like gymnastics.
Brits learn to swim from 6-12years old and it costs between £60-80 per month for a swimming membership... much cheaper for children.
It is but at what cost. I was part of a smaller team for most of my swimming career. Only once I got older and knew other coaches I found out about bigger championship swim meets that I had qualified for but had not been informed about and it was during a period when I was unmotivated. If I had potentially known it could have driven me more. I ended up going to a different team that was probably 4 times the price and did improve tremendously. Also 18 and up there is something called masters swimming that is definitely a lot cheaper. But has easier times but championships all over the world.
The math is using the largest possible prices for everything. You can be a good swimmer without those things and if you really are good enough sponsors will pay for the rest of it
To be a successful Olympian..you need to be rich and most of all..well talented and with passion for the sport.
You know what else cost a lot? Any other valuable profession.
You know atheletes only have about 12 years competing. Out of those, probably only around 5 years of prime.
After that they are thrown back into society where they find any job they are hired.
@@blipblop92 So? It's a career choice. There is nothing noble about being an athlete. If they want job security, sports is not it.
I have realized that all sports are just businesses and financial traps for most families hoping their kids could eventually be the top ones. Look at the money, time and sacrifice that you have to put in with time, I don't think it is worthy at all. For me, I just want my kids to build up both physical and mental strengths through training and competitions at local clubs and that's it - going pro will be a bad option.
Nice video.
This expenses list lookin like the first one I ever made for myself as a young adult
govt should run all those program and fund it , so if their students are successful they will get cut for all free stuff they've been given to athletes
Most of these expenses are for the 1% of athletes. If you train swimming even up to college it is not that expensive. Swim lessons through cities are cheap and many cities have clubs as well that are relatively cheap for year round swim. High school swim is pretty much free as well. Most people only use things like tech suits for collegiate level. Maybe state champs for high school, but even then only people with money use them.
The best swimmers come out of year-round clubs. High school swimming is seasonal
We're talking about people going to the Olympics. The people taking cheap lessons and swimming only in high schools will most likely not be an elite swimmer
Pretty good hustle when only a dozen of kids ever make it to the world elite stage
Actual cost of training $50k+
Team USA payout per gold Medal for 2020/21 summer Olympics:
$37,500
This is funny on the cost compared to ice hockey. 5K a year barely cover 10u travel hockey 10K-30K per years very low estimate for hockey
It is so different in the US to in the UK
I’m so thankful to have parents who are willing to put about £6000+ a year for me to swim and pursue my dreams ❤️
What club program coat $5,000 a year 🥴 mine is just $720. There are many to choose from in all areas don't just settle for the most expensive
This is not surprising. Elite athletes use the collegiate system which covers the cost for 4 years or more, but then need sponsorships or an upper -middle to affluent family to afford all those costs. I laugh at the deceptive comments calling this "a hobby". Ha! a hobby is buying some inexpensive stuff at a craft store, and taking up painting, pottery or a purchase at the garden center and getting your green thumb on in the garden. The USA swimming world doesn't want you to know how expensive and exclusive it is. No white kid from some Appalachian "hollow" or inner city person of color doing this sport. The only surprising thing here is that a Murdoch owned WSJ threw a spotlight on it.
Um the USADA will ensure you are OK, international rules do not apply here, it would be helpful if you were an informant though??? That is some training there
I think I'm crazy enough to found this video
Not just swimming, but most Olympic sports is where the meritocracy myth most heavily resides. This is not to discount the tremendous feat that it is to be an Olympian in any sport, nor otherwise claim that it is impossible to be an Olympian without this level of investment, however, often this feat is grounded in a level of investment that is limitedly accessible to a historically privileged elite. It would be a fair assessment to say that elite sports are economically elite as well, which is especially apparent at the NCAA level where this lack of socioeconomic and racial diversity is explicitly evident across the majority of the sports offered in both the men's and women's side.
Lol u talking about USA we in civilized world (Poland) have teams at any lvl for free or very low price
Yeah but all your good swimmers end up training in the US or some even in Russia
This video is incredibly misleading in a number of ways.
Club dues are double counted in the "Training" section and "Membership" section. And cherry pick those from NCAP? Why you paying club dues if you're going to just have a private coach instead? Then we are going to pretend that Olympic hopefuls are going to Swim Labs for private lessons? Get out of here.
if you don't have enough money, you need to be 'THAT GOOD', and get discovered by talent scout. is there another way? idk
Wow just think...years of personal and financial investment for the possibility of landing a Wheaties commercial deal.
This is what Olympians train for.
And here I was day dreaming I could put my son into an Olympic swimming program.
Competing is an expensive hobby ... that’s unless you always win.
Actually, it’s the same with vanity: You have to spend a lot of hard earned money in order to have the nicest cloths, newest car and a bigger TV than your neighbors’.
So ask yourself who’s the fool? 😉
Not at all comparable
not even sure why they started the video with shots of bball players, hockey players that have their respective pro teams to return to.. Atleast preface that not all sports are equal... Also should note that top swimmers in the collegiate level can get additional revenue now.. by taking on sponsorships.. they didn't do their own due dilligence for this video.. that is a new rule as of this summer..
"Relatively accessible sport like swimming" Bro do they know what the race breakdown is for swimming in the US?
You forgot about the cost it is to maintain proper eating
It is a business - make sure you get more money back than you invest, include the time that your whole family invests for you. Sport is more like job, work or your career, treat it the same as you do for every other money making scheme.
Nope.
Then you will never succeed.
They only talk about America 🇺🇸
For any non swimmers, this is overblown. You only need one 250 dollar tech suit a year (for men), a decent USA club will charge 4000 a year, and travel fees are also a few thousand dollars. Private coach? Nutritionist? Tf?
Once you get past college, I wouldn't know
Being an Olympic athlete means one has to spend a lot of money on hard drugs.
So basically becoming an olympian or star athlete you need to come from a well to do family. People in the comments can argue all they want about how even if your poor you can find a cheap pool to practice but for limited time let me tell you if you need to practice having a private place you can practice all day and have a coach can lead you to have a successful swim career.
That is incorrect
No, but you have to be at least middle class (for swimming) to at least pay dues
Is this a propaganda to not be motivated to be part of the Olympics? Those people represent their countries! Don't tell me Phelps pays to be part of the Olympics, Phelps is the Face of American Swimming.
You guys missed the most important and possibly second largest cost…. Food.
To many families, they train their kids in a sport is never expected to be an Olympic athletes. Use the number in the video, the cost to train a kid before the college is about ~40K. If the kids can make a college with full scholarship, the training is probably worth it.
In the video, they talk about 25-40,000 dollars per year. By the time they reach college, they may have paid the same as three or four Ivy League degrees.
@@manut975 2:58 look it up before comments.
@@chelsea7xhf The amount mentioned at 2:58 is for "club dues alone". At 3:43 they mention the total cost at 25-40,000 dollars per year.
@@manut975 I see, thanks. But I assume, no one spend 25K to train a 10 years old. Maybe age between 15-18 that push to college age, then you will need a private coach to get full college scholarship.
So if you wanna be a professional swimmer your gonna go broke and i you make it into the olympics your getting 1% of what you invested in your self
ayee i swim for ncap
Y'all focus too much on the cost of equipment, etc. What truly makes any competitive sport viable only for the financially well-off is nutrition: a malnourished child cannot hope to compete against one with a rich (no pun) diet, good sleep, low stress, etc.
Swimming isn't this expensive
expensive
The Olympics must not exhibit any political or biased tendencies. The host country, Japan, is also disseminating this information to athletes and officials who participated in the Olympics.
But Japan, meanwhile, asked the IOC to require that athletes who participated in the Olympics pay a silent tribute to the victims on the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was not an easy decision made by the United States, the Allied Powers at the time, in that Japan, a war criminal country, did not give up on the war and continued to kill innocent people.
Remembrance of the victims of the atomic bombing is no different from forcing people to visit Japanese shrines.
This double aspect of Japan does not qualify as a host country for the Olympics, a place of global harmony, and even after the IOC rejected Japan's request to commemorate the atomic bombing, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Committee said they plans to include a performance that commemorate the victims of the atomic bombing in this Olympic closing ceremony. This proves that Japan has not yet abandoned its role as a war criminal country rather than an Olympic host country.
I hope that the people of the world will face this double aspect of Japan and correct their misconceptions about Japan. I also demand the IOC not to tolerate this double act of Japan, the host country of the Olympics, and take corresponding measures.
Hold on was that bruce jenner @ 0:21 !?
Yes......i miss that guy
YES HE IS. WHEN HE WAS A MACHO ALPHA.
Real pros use budget gear.
In US every thing is about money
Wednesday Twenty-First of December Two Thousand And Twenty-Two.
18.52pm.
Dear Sir/Madam. Good-evening. How are you? I hope you are well.
Thank you, for the video.
Francesca Kray.
The cost of becoming any athlete for Team USA is absurdly high because athletes have to pay out of pocket for healthcare expenses, housing costs especially in specialized locations such as the mountains for winter sports athletes or altitude training camps are astronomical, and unless you are on full-ride scholarship to a D1 school, education and development costs rack up because they are not sponsored by national federations. Moreover, if you are a blue-collar athlete training to make the Team, you'll be hemorrhaging money big time unless you're working >40hrs/week which leaves not enough time to train and recover. Other countries have figured out how to give their citizens the best opportunities to reach their potential and to simply maintain an active lifestyle by prioritizing leisure and vacation time, healthcare, education, development programs, and culture, broadly speaking, as a matter of policy. In the US meanwhile, aside for athletes participating in a select few team sports, international sporting success is reserved for rich kids. But hey, same can be said for the arts and culture, journalism and media, politics and academia. So much for meritocracy!
The biggest cost though? Opportunity cost. Olympic hopefuls are foregoing alternative careers for their dreams.
Trying to see your point here
A rich man's sport or for that matter women's or transgender seems to be the vogue these daze/
Too much work today
Wawo
Same as soccer in the US, you need to pay to play. But they still sucks anyway
So, who is that guy on the Zoom call and why is his opinion relevant?
This happens a lot on WSJ and Bloomberg videos: they show you somebody speaking authoritatively on the subject matter, but they never tell you who that person is, so there's no way for the audience to know if the opinion is any relevant.
Its not worth it.
yes rigged games are always costly for those who pay to win and for those who get paid to loose
Here comes the brain-dead boomer.
Find a natural body of water and train there, it costs you nothing to do so.
And their performance in the Tokyo Olympics is subpar, without Phelps
Someone just won 4 golds for USA.
Caeleb dressel 5 gold medals 2 world records and 2 Olympic records is subpar?
You just pretty much just told us all you don’t know much about swimming w that comment
Caleb Dressel?
[吃瓜]
Fun fact - Michael Andrew skipped collegiate level because his mother didn't want him to be radicalised by liberal professors.
she must have thought her son had a weak mind and couldn't think for himself
Cringe
Well, he could have gone to a conservative school then, but can't think of one that has a good swim program. His route must have been very expensive
That explain’s the lack of diversity in competitive US swimming.
Wonderful to be reminded by Olympic swimming how the islamic world is totally out of touch with reality.
Clearly, you have never been to China or Asia…
China is a very bad example
@@moeomeohuyenmeo1883 These are not average suits - these are specialty suits
Capitalism
They do all the work and the people who make the money are broadcasters. Capitalism 101.
Yes, for the vast majority of athletes it's a labor of love since few make $
The opposite is true of China where usually poor family children are selected at very young age to train. Not saying one is better or worse then the other.
China's definitely seems better
@@gidd Chinese use steroids.
@@adammyers3222 ah yes , western propaganda
CHINA SWIMMERS: POOR FAMILIES
U.S. SWIMMERS: HIGH MIDDLE CLASS AND RICH FAMILIES.
@@gidd Okay! with the BS "Western propaganda", that's why a lot of Chinese moves to the West, away from the lying communist Chinese government.