Olympic Champion Gold Medal Mel Stewart and Coleman Hodges have an open and honest conversation about the comments Cate Campbell recently made on an Australian morning talk show.
For context on the show: Channel 9 Australia’s TODAY SHOW is defined in media as “Infotainment”. It’s not Saturday Night Live, but it is more entertainment than news. It’s meant to be taken in a light-hearted manner. Cate Campbell did not mean for her words to go viral or to be taken seriously (you can see this in the way that she laughs through most of the interview and seems to ham up many of her statements). But, with all human behavior, joking is often how we communicate a TRUTH.
The fact is that when Australia won more gold medals than the USA at the 2023 World Championships, US media (NBC) tried to skew results to show US on top instead of acknowledging Australia as the better team. They did this by switching the medal table structure to show the team with the *most* medals at the top, not the team with the *most golds* (as they normally do). If you’re an American, think about how you might react if this happened to us. It probably wouldn’t feel so good.
Australia vs Team USA is an old rivalry in swimming. This rivalry arguably saw it’s climax in history at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney Australia – when Team USA Sprint Star Gary Hall Jr said the men’s 4×100 free relay would smash the Aussies like guitars. They did not. At the end of the race, Ian Thorpe dramatically ran down Gary Hall Jr, touching first for gold. During their celebration, the Aussie Team played air guitars.
I don’t think we see too many rivalries look like that anymore in swimming. The US and Aussies still have many heated battles in international competition: Kaylee McKeown vs Regan Smith, Katie Ledecky vs Ariarne Titmus, Caeleb Dressel vs Kyle Chalmers. But all of these competitors are friends outside of the lanelines. They have respect for one another and treat each other as such.
So at face value, are some of Campbell’s comments discrespectful? Yes. I can’t deny that. However, disrespect was not the intention. Had NBC not switched the medal tables around, I beleive this would have been a very different conversation because the Aussies wouldn’t have had a reason to be upset. But because they did have a reason, Campbell amplified that frustration for comedic relief at the expense of our American ego. Campbell messaged SwimSwam and said this was, in fact, meant to be light-hearted banter and that she has immense respect for Team USA and its athletes.
Hopefully, this gives you a bit more context surrounding this topic. My personal feeling? Go Cate Campbell. Speak your truth (even if it’s exaggerated for comedy) and the sporting world will benefit. Heading into the 2024 Olympic Games, perhaps we will see this AUS/USA rivalry have some more primetime moments.
Both Americans and Aussies are seen as sore losers outside the West, so it’s pretty funny to see them call each other out.
Small historical correction: Gary our split Thorpe in 2000. Gary passed him on the opening 50, Thorpe came back on him. It was very painful, though, and that is perhaps why we don’t remember the details correctly. Also worth pointing out that Gary came back and won the 50 at that very meet. He had incredible mental strength.
All of that is total media diversion from the only thing that mattered.
Australia easily won the medal table and USA lost the medal table for the first time since 2001 in . . . Fukuoka.
7 gold medals is a bad result for Team USA. People who try to tell us the contrary are dishonest. And I didn’t expect nothing more from NBC which is a corporate media and like all corporate media they like spewing propaganda.
And instead of sweeping the facts under the carpet and deny the harsh reality, in the short term USA swimming, US coaches and swimmers should wake up, take that as motivation and do the necessary to try to convert… Read more »
Even if she was dead serious, it’s pretty soft to get offended by a statement like that. Sh*t talk is part of sports, it’s just words.
They do seem overly sensitive.
I did see good sportsmanship moments between the US and Aus. I have no problem with the Aussies as long as they don’t have a problem with us.
Incidentally, is being called a “yank” derogatory?
Great piece here; very balanced analysis. The world is very different today than in 2000; we have things like respectful workplace laws, safe sport, etc. It’s not perfect but a step in the right direction. Really appreciate comments that the swimmers themselves treat each other with dignity and respect…as they should. Swimmers named in this article are true role models and professionals. Maybe NBC could take some cues from that.
Simone Manuel still lives rent free in her head 🙂
Rather than think Dean Boxall think Rohan Taylor – he is the real change agent, since he took over as head coach Australia’s performance has been transformed – he has created the environment to allow Dean Boxall and co to thrive.
On the question of Cate’s comments the response from Lilly King was even more interesting.
I seem to remember a press conference a few days before the start of the 2021 Olympics, where Lilly predicted that the US would win every women’s event at the Olympics.
Well she got that awfully wrong – hmmmmm!
What’s that old saying people in glass houses etc.
The US have more overt way of expressing national and team… Read more »
The actual quote from King at that press conference: “I think the women, if we have the meet we can have, can win every single individual gold,”
direct quotes matter….
How does this solve🙃🙂?