{"id":620455,"date":"2025-08-06T17:02:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T00:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=620455"},"modified":"2025-08-06T18:50:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T01:50:37","slug":"rowdy-gaines-i-stand-with-michael-phelps-im-fighting-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/rowdy-gaines-i-stand-with-michael-phelps-im-fighting-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Rowdy Gaines: I Stand With Michael Phelps; I&#8217;m Fighting Too"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Rowdy Gaines: I Stand With Michael Phelps; I&#8217;m Fighting Too<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>During the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/meet\/2025-world-aquatics-championships\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Championships<\/a>, Olympic gold medalist and NBC Sports analyst <strong>Rowdy Gaines<\/strong> issued <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/rowdy-gaines-usa-swimming-rudderless-american-team-far-from-killing-it-at-worlds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criticism<\/a> of USA Swimming while Olympic legends <strong>Michael Phelps<\/strong> and\u00a0<strong>Ryan Lochte<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/michael-phelps-ryan-lochte-disappointed-in-american-performance-at-worlds-share-gravestone-picture-on-instagram\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted\u00a0an image<\/a> depicting a funeral from USA Swimming. These comments received <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/bobby-finke-hits-back-at-stupid-criticism-of-u-s-at-world-championships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">backlash<\/a>, including from members of the U.S. team. Now, Gaines has responded with an editorial provided to Swimming World.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s be honest \u2014 when Michael Phelps speaks, the swimming world should listen.<\/p>\n<p>So when he posted a meme last week showing a tombstone for USA Swimming with the words, \u201cCall it a funeral, or call it a fresh start. We\u2019ve got 3 years,\u201d that wasn\u2019t for clicks. It was a message. A challenge. A wake-up call from the greatest swimmer\u2026no, the greatest athlete in history.<\/p>\n<p>And I stand with him.<\/p>\n<p>When someone like Michael Phelps speaks up, it\u2019s worth listening, not because of the medals, but because few people understand this sport\u2019s heartbeat like he does.<\/p>\n<p>His post wasn\u2019t a eulogy. It was a challenge to reflect, refocus, and demand more from the systems surrounding our athletes. It was a reminder that no program, no matter how decorated, is immune to decline without direction.<\/p>\n<h3>This Wasn\u2019t About the Athletes<\/h3>\n<p>This conversation isn\u2019t about criticizing our athletes. Far from it. I\u2019ve spent the last 50 years cheering for them, mentoring them, and calling their races with immense pride. I have always been one of their biggest supporters.<\/p>\n<p>But both Michael and I, along with many others in the sport, are saying what\u2019s becoming harder to ignore: the structure guiding USA Swimming is not functioning as it should. And if we don\u2019t address that now, we risk losing the very culture of excellence that built this legacy in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Our athletes are showing up. They\u2019re giving their all. This is about making sure the system behind them is doing the same.<\/p>\n<h3>This Is Bigger Than One Meet<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, this team battled illness. <strong>Jason Knapp<\/strong> and I acknowledged that on air throughout the World Championships. These athletes pushed through brutal illnesses, halfway around the world, and still managed to shine.<\/p>\n<p>Team USA won the overall medal count and the gold medal count. That should absolutely be recognized and celebrated. But we can\u2019t confuse medals with long-term health. A strong performance doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t deeper structural issues under the surface.<\/p>\n<p>If we only measure success by the scoreboard, we may miss the warning signs that could hurt us down the road. This isn\u2019t about one meet. It\u2019s about a growing vacuum at the top of our sport\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n<h3>No CEO. No Direction. No Time to Waste.<\/h3>\n<p>USA Swimming has now gone a full year without a Chief Executive Officer. That\u2019s not just a delay, it\u2019s a leadership void. And with LA 2028 approaching fast, time is not on our side.<\/p>\n<p>There are passionate, hardworking people inside USA Swimming doing their best. I want to recognize the efforts of the new National Team Director, and give full credit to Coach <strong>Greg<\/strong> <strong>Meehan<\/strong> for leading under truly challenging conditions in Singapore.<\/p>\n<p>But these athletes are being asked to operate without a clear vision, without permanent leadership, and without the support structure they need to thrive.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not fair to them. It\u2019s not fair to the athletes. And it\u2019s not fair to the sport.<\/p>\n<h3>Our Clubs. Our Coaches. Our Culture.<\/h3>\n<p>Across the country, our clubs are the backbone of American swimming and they are developing world-class talent every day in and out of the pool. The athletes are doing their job. The coaches are delivering. They haven\u2019t failed. But the system that\u2019s supposed to support them? That\u2019s another story.<\/p>\n<p>If we don\u2019t give these coaches, athletes, and staff the direction and resources they deserve, we risk losing the very culture that\u2019s made Team USA the gold standard in global swimming.<\/p>\n<h3>If You\u2019re on That Board \u2014 It\u2019s Time to Lead<\/h3>\n<p>If you serve on the USA Swimming Board, this moment is in your hands. Ask yourself, honestly: is this where we need to be? If not, then lead. Transparently. Boldly. Now. Leadership isn\u2019t just about managing. It\u2019s about inspiring. Setting a course. Owning the moment.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_589587\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-589587\" data-attachment-id=\"589587\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/summer-mcintosh-met-michael-phelps-via-facetime-after-sensational-trials-performance\/michael-phelps-73\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/michael-phelps-2024-Olympic-Trials-6981-Edit.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1000,750\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;OM-1MarkII&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;michael-phelps-&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1719022152&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;\\u00a9Peter H. Bick&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;288&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;16000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.002&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;michael-phelps-&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"michael-phelps-\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;6\/25\/24 &#038; 8\/1\/25 &#038; 2\/16\/26&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/michael-phelps-2024-Olympic-Trials-6981-Edit-700x500.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/michael-phelps-2024-Olympic-Trials-6981-Edit.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-589587 size-medium-small\" src=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/michael-phelps-2024-Olympic-Trials-6981-Edit-450x338.jpg\" alt=\"michael-phelps-\" width=\"450\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/michael-phelps-2024-Olympic-Trials-6981-Edit-450x338.jpg 450w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/michael-phelps-2024-Olympic-Trials-6981-Edit-267x200.jpg 267w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/michael-phelps-2024-Olympic-Trials-6981-Edit-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/michael-phelps-2024-Olympic-Trials-6981-Edit-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/michael-phelps-2024-Olympic-Trials-6981-Edit.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-589587\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Phelps &#8212; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>This Isn\u2019t About Michael \u2014 It\u2019s About the Moment<\/h3>\n<p>Michael and I have talked almost daily over the past year, not about headlines, but about the future of this sport. About how we can protect what\u2019s been built and help take it to the next level.<\/p>\n<p>Michael didn\u2019t post that message for attention. He has nothing to gain by speaking out. He did it because he cares deeply. Because he\u2019s not willing to watch this sport drift.<\/p>\n<p>Neither am I. We didn\u2019t go public lightly. But the time for silence is over. This isn\u2019t about drama or finger-pointing. It\u2019s about accountability. It\u2019s about urgency. It\u2019s about doing right by the next generation.<\/p>\n<h3>Let Me Be Clear<\/h3>\n<p>Much has been made of a word I used in an AP interview, entitlement. I understand how it might have been misinterpreted, so let me clarify: I wasn\u2019t criticizing our athletes. I was talking about a mindset, one that for decades, came with wearing the Stars and Stripes.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t arrogance. It was belief. Belief that Team <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usaswimming.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USA<\/a> would always rise to the moment, because we had for so long.<\/p>\n<p>I had that mindset in 1984. But the world has changed. The rest of the world has caught up. Many of the best swimmers in the world now train right here in the U.S. That\u2019s not something to fear. It\u2019s something to embrace and respond to. Because if we want to stay on top, we\u2019ll need to evolve, adapt, and lead again.<\/p>\n<h3>LA 2028: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Moment<\/h3>\n<p>I know what a home Olympics feels like. I lived it in 1984, standing atop the podium in Los Angeles. That moment shaped my life in ways I will be eternally grateful for.<\/p>\n<p>Most athletes never get that opportunity. Even Michael didn\u2019t. This generation will, but only once. We can\u2019t afford to squander it. We owe it to them and to every kid on the edge of their neighborhood pool watching with wide eyes and big dreams.<\/p>\n<h3>It\u2019s Not Too Late But the Clock Is Ticking<\/h3>\n<p>We can fix this. But not with spin. Not with delay. And not by staying quiet. It\u2019s going to take leadership, unity, and the courage to act.<\/p>\n<p>This message isn&#8217;t about drama or division. It&#8217;s about urgency. And it&#8217;s going to take all of us \u2014 athletes, coaches, fans, parents and yes, even the media \u2014 to push for better. We need every voice if we&#8217;re going to protect what&#8217;s been build and take it to the next level.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you care about the future of swimming, talk to your local leaders, board reps and clubs. Ask the hard questions. Demand better. Our athletes deserve it.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rowdy Gaines: I Stand With Michael Phelps; I&#8217;m Fighting Too During the World Championships, Olympic gold medalist and NBC Sports analyst Rowdy Gaines issued criticism of USA Swimming while Olympic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67367,"featured_media":510324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,122077,17,7,134664],"tags":[70619,6302,3455],"class_list":["post-620455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-americas","category-commentary","category-usa","category-usa-swimming","tag-2025-world-aquatics-championships","tag-michael-phelps","tag-rowdy-gaines"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Rowdy Gaines: I Stand With Michael Phelps; 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