After breaking two individual world records and leading off a world record-setting relay two weeks ago, Regan Smith‘s planned NCAA career was a hot topic of the 2019 U.S. National Championships last week.
Smith, a rising high school senior, is slated to swim for back-to-back-to-back national champion Stanford in the fall of 2020 following her potential first Olympic berth that summer. Given that she’s now the fastest woman in history by .71 seconds in the 200 back and .43 in the 100 back, it’s safe to say at this point she would be a medal favorite in Tokyo. And with Olympic medals, comes money – from national governing bodies, and potentially, from sponsors. And that’s where NCAA eligibility comes in.
According to a recent article by the San Jose Mercury News’ Elliot Almond, Smith takes issue, at least to an extent, with the current NCAA model that prohibits her from receiving the world record bonuses she could otherwise get if she were a professional athlete.
“It’s frustrating to her,” her father, Paul Smith, said. “She said, ‘Why can’t I put it in a trust fund to buy furniture when I’m 22? I earned it.’”
“She is under all kinds of pressure to go pro with the Olympics coming up — that’s a lot of money,” he added. Regan, however, has wanted to attend Stanford since she was a kid, and is “almost certain” she’ll still go, Paul said. “If [going to Stanford] means the world to you, some sacrifices have to be made,” Paul said he told Regan.
NCAA swimmers are allowed to accept money from their national governing bodies (like USA Swimming), for medals won at the Olympics, but not bonuses for world records set. They also cannot accept sponsorships or do endorsement deals.
The Mercury news cites USA Today in saying that Katie Ledecky was able to keep the $355,000 in medal awards she won at the Rio Games, Ryan Murphy came away with $234,375, and Simone Manuel almost $200,000. Seventeen American NCAA swimmers were allowed to keep about $1.5 million in prize money, according to USA Today.
But as we know, Ledecky and Manuel both went pro before their collegiate eligibility was used up, both signing suit deals with TYR, among others.
Olympian Elizabeth Beisel, who swam all four years at the University of Florida weighed in on the situation: “As sad as I was to miss out on that money, especially in the London Games when I won my two medals, I knew the education and degree I was getting at Florida was far more important,” she said.
Bob Bowman, who coached Michael Phelps through turning pro before college, added: “You’re weighing your long-term financial security verses your long-term personal enrichment… You hate to have to give either one of them up. Maybe the model has changed instead of all-or-nothing, some.”
The NCAA’s amateurism rules are some of the most controversial in sports today, especially in ones (like basketball and football) that generate massive amounts of revenue for schools. The pro-athlete side of the discussion is gaining traction nationwide, and the state of California has gone as far as to consider a bill, that if signed into law, would allow for NCAA student-athletes in California to profit off their name, image, and likeness beginning in 2023.
Not really pertinent to the issue bit almost no college football programs run at a profit. Less than 20 last year as I recall.
If you follow the model of the wealthiest Swimmer ever, Michael Phelps, she should go Pro. As someone in another post said, Regan only will be the shiny new penny once. Now is her time to go Pro.
The correct choice is to go pro. NCAA is overrated. She can pay for stanford with the sponsorships she gets. You only get so much time to go pro. Ledecky should have gone pro right after London 2012. She waited until after 2 years after Rio 2016… fortunately she is getting paid and well paid a deservedly so, but she could have made a lot more money. The NCAA experience doesn’t have a value of millions of dollars which she and Franklin forfeit in favour of college swimming. Please Reagan dont do that mistake. Just like Dressel did em 2017. Please be like Michael Phelps or like Michael Andrew.
The NCAA wants their athletes to earn money the old fashioned way – by working at McDonald’s.
One thing that hasn’t really been mentioned is that Regan hasn’t swam on her high school team since she was 12 (in Minnesota, 7th & 8th graders can compete for their local high school teams). Subsequent to her 7th grade year, she has foregone high school swimming in order to pursue her individual goals. So, it’s a bit different of a situation from Missy Franklin, who always competed with her friends on the high school team, and who craved a continuation of the team experience.
At this point, Regan is a rock star, and she has already announced her intention to attend Stanford. There is no way that Stanford is going to revoke an offer of admission to her if… Read more »
The timing of the Olympics is everything.
This is her chance to basically be the star of an Olympics.
She won’t be new and exciting in 2024.
It’s very simple. Turn pro. Go to Stanford for class and training. Dont compete collegiately and dont get a scholarship. Best of all worlds given the reality of the rules.
TAKE THE MONEY
Still go to college. But take the money.
Go pro, Olympic medals, become a social media influencer, make lots of money, sort of retire, party, rehab, marriage, have a kid or three, announce you miss the sport, comeback, more medals, invent a backstroke wedge that doesn’t break, work as a masters swim coach part-time but no early morning workouts.