Why is swimming not a Spectator Sport?

If you are new to swimming and you find that the bleachers are sparse, don’t fret! Yes, football stadiums and basketball games might get more fans but swimming falls into a category of itself. Although not many swim meets are watched regularly, the Olympic swimming is one of the most-watched Olympic sports. Here is a couple reasons why swimming isn’t typically a spectator sport.

1.       Terminology. Swim meets have a very different scoring system that is difficult for spectators to understand. There is also use of many unknown technical terms. If you don’t have full understanding of something, it is less likely you will enjoy watching it.

2.       Time. If you have ever experienced a swim meet, you know that it lasts majority of the day. There are many different events which also accounts for the long day of swimming. If you combine this with lack of knowledge on the sport, it could be dreadful to watch.

3.       Team Sport. Although this is considered to be a team sport, there is a lot of individual work.  Each swimmer swims different events, but competes as a team. However, the relay race is more team-like.  In other sports, fans enjoy watching the whole team at once which swimming doesn't offer.

Although these are majority of the reasons that swimming isn’t a spectator sport, it all comes down to lack of publicity. It is not often that you see swimming on billboards or on commercials publicizing the upcoming event. With these reasons combined, swimming is not typically a popular spectator sport. What do you think could help bring in more fans? Comment below!