One of the seminal sports memories of my childhood was watching Greg Louganis dive in the 1988 Olympics.
I was in awe when he hit his head on the springboard, got stitches at the side of the pool, then went right back and won the gold medal.
I remember drawing an exaggerated picture of Louganis in school with red crayon streaks erupting from his head.
I was thinking about that while marveling at another diving triumph last month: Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook winning the first medal (a silver) for the U.S. team in Paris. I fear, though, that moments such as these are in jeopardy.
As part of a class-action lawsuit, the NCAA recently agreed that colleges can distribute about $20 million in sports revenue directly to athletes each year.
That money is expected to go primarily to football and men’s basketball, the major revenue-generating sports.
It’s great for those athletes, but the money has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is likely to be other sports — the sports we’ve been watching on our TVs this month.
Most countries have some sort of sports ministry or organization that receives public funding.
The United States does not. Instead, it relies on the NCAA, the largest athlete-development system ever created.
Whether that is still the case when the Olympics return to the United States in 2028 remains to be seen.
Of all the college sports at risk of disappearing, diving might be the most likely. Unlike at the Olympics, in the NCAA, divers are a small part of the larger swimming team. However, since divers have fewer events at NCAA meets than swimmers, they are considered less valuable.
To get a sense of perspective on the situation, I called Drew Johansen, head diving coach at Indiana University and four-time head coach of the U.S. diving team. Johansen spoke with me while sitting alongside the Seine on a Friday evening in Paris.
Epstein: What sports do you think are at the most immediate risk from the NCAA’s settlement?
Johansen: Diving for sure. I also think of wrestling, fencing, men’s gymnastics, track and field, even men’s swimming.
I know diving is in trouble because, in the NCAA, diving is part of swimming, but divers have fewer events. That means divers can’t score as many points as swimmers toward helping the team win meets. Is there any other factor?
