Each second in swimming matters, each pound lifted, each yard trained, and every breath taken. Still after every hard week in the chlorine, I wonder why it matters to me if that hard work isn’t recognized.
Swimming, considered a non-mainstream sport by many professional news outlets and schools, often gets sidelined due to the lower spectator rate and individual aspect of the sport, according to Universe Sports by Brigham Young University. Many school and club swim teams, as well as my own, have seen our numbers dwindle over the years due to these problems, especially for girls’ high school teams, the teams losing almost 1 percent of athletes in the 23-24 season, according to Swim Swam News, a news website for swimming.
While football and baseball commonly take the spotlight in American sports, sports like boys’ wrestling, tennis, and lacrosse have begun to fade due to the increase in attention to those other sports which stand in a media limelight. Football has grown to an astonishing 1,031,508 high school players with increases near 200,000 each year since 2021 while wrestling lies at 291,874, having had some increases but ultimately staying in the same range, National Federation of State High School Associations, nfhs.org stated.
As a South swimmer, I practice up to nine times per week, and some days, practices are both before and after school. Many of my teammates’ lives are centered around this sport, but are not given the recognition they deserve for their hard work from other athletes and sports. Sports have become a place of opportunity, personal development, and love and celebrating that effort makes every sport a little more worth it. As a student at South I make a point of staying after school some days to attend sports like badminton and wrestling and support them.
Caring about under-represented sports should be a priority, not to take the spotlight off other sports, but to recognize these athletes’ hard work. Media attention to sports can give athletes in lesser played sports credit for their work and can change these conditions. So go to those sporting events, support the bake sales, and encourage athletes to try new sports.
