SwimSwam Podcast: Michael Andrew Offers Thoughts on Looming ISL Season

On the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman Hodges and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

We sat down with Michael Andrew, who’s currently in a training camp with his New York Breakers in Hungary. Andrew tells us what he and the Breakers have been up to at the Gloria Sports Arena, home to Energy Standard. He also gives his candid thoughts on the coming ISL season and specifically how Australia has reacted to their athletes traveling to and from Budapest for the 6-week competition.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.

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THEO
3 years ago

The real test for the ISL will to see how successful it can be in the year following an Olympic year. The stars will have way more flexibility in focusing on the league, and there will be so much more name recognition and fanbase in the sport following that show both within the swimming community and outside of it. Probably especially so for non-USA countries.

I feel like their timing was gonna be perfect but having to weather the Covid season is a bummer for the league. I personally will still watch some this year but I have to imagine next year is the real test.

Admin
Reply to  THEO
3 years ago

I agree – year 2 probably doesn’t make nor break the league. Year 3, if they go back to the original year 2 plan, is big. They don’t necessarily need to ‘break even’ financially in year 2, but things need to settle down a bit, and the audience needs to grow substantially. They probably need to bring in some major financial partners, too, and they need to come to some equilibrium point with the national federations.

At some point, for this league to work at the scale it needs to work at, they won’t be able to have a system where every athlete just signs with whatever team they want every year. My biggest question about the evolution of the… Read more »

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Braden Keith
3 years ago

But I thought that new ratings system is going to make it a universal sports sensation. It’ll be the new MMA.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  THEO
3 years ago

A lot of stars (and non-stars) will be way too burned out to compete the fall/winter after the Olympics. It’s usually a dead year, and it’s not because there wasn’t a gimmicky swim league with some money. They were legit burned out. Some (Schooling as but one example) never recovered. So it will be the real test because that’ll be the worst year for star participation.

Neptune
3 years ago

I promise you no one give a rats ass about the isl

monsterbasher
Reply to  Neptune
3 years ago

It boggles my mind swim fans don’t want to grow the sport and instead insulate even more than it is now…

swimapologist
Reply to  monsterbasher
3 years ago

The problem I’m having with it is that Konstantin Grigorishin is probably the only person on earth who has both the resources & the passion to make this happen, but the ISL management team is an absolute travesty.

The boss is, at least, partially responsible for the general failures by his management team.

Until someone decides to put better people in charge of this league, it’s going to plateau as a sideshow for mid-tier swimmers. There has to be a limit to that – how much was spent on last season? I remember hearing the number $75 million? He’s got a lot of millions, but he’s going to run out of them eventually.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  swimapologist
3 years ago

Where have I seen this before: he “hires only the best people.”

Konner Scott
Reply to  Neptune
3 years ago

I do.

Ghost
3 years ago

Someone ask why Constantine didn’t come to ISL in USA? He isn’t allowed in this country!!

Corn Pop
Reply to  Ghost
3 years ago

Is he on a list or just generally not in the good books?

PhillyMark
3 years ago

Gonna need name-tags at NY Breakers meets and practices

NYswim
3 years ago

Nobody cares about Michael Andrew

PhillyMark
Reply to  NYswim
3 years ago

You’ll be happy to know he is tentatively scheduled to be on the SS Podcast everyday

Konner Scott
Reply to  NYswim
3 years ago

I care.

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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