SwimSwam Pulse: 78% Think Less Than Half of ISL Swimmers Will Opt To Be ‘PRO’

SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.

Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers what percentage of swimmers they expected to opt for the ‘PRO’ category in the upcoming season of the International Swimming League (ISL):

Question: What percentage of ISL swimmers will opt to compete in the ‘PRO’ category in Season 4?

RESULTS

• 11-30% – 36.7%
• 31-50% – 30.6%
• 51%+ – 21.8%
• 0-10% – 10.9%

The ISL announced a new financial structure for its fourth season early last week that will give swimmers the option of competing under the ‘PRO’ or ‘Semi-PRO’ category.

Athletes will receive a salary for the season—a minimum of $10K and a max of $60K—if they opt to go ‘PRO’, but will be restricted from racing in outside “commercial” events that aren’t designated as Tier-1 by the ISL. Essentially, athletes can race in meets like the World Championships and Commonwealth Games, but can’t compete in other events with prize money like the FINA World Cup or USA Swimming’s Pro Swim Series.

If a swimmer decides to compete under the ‘Semi-PRO’ umbrella, they won’t receive a salary but will still be eligible to earn prize money bonuses and can compete in outside competitions.

This raised the question of how many athletes would go ‘PRO’ and how many wouldn’t.

Over 78 percent of readers think that fewer than half of the swimmers will opt to be ‘PRO’, with the 11-30% option leading the way with 36 percent of votes.

Over 30 percent think it will fall somewhere in the 31-50% range, while just 21.8 percent think that number will be higher than 51%.

The current ISL guidelines—which could very well be modified prior to the start of the season—say that a ‘PRO’ can miss one match during the entirety of the season for any reason, while ‘Semi-PRO’ swimmers can miss three in the regular season and one in the playoffs.

The question could well come down to money. The league’s top swimmers will earn close to the maximum of $60K in salary if they decide to be ‘PRO’, while the lower-end swimmers will be at the $10K minimum. Will a swimmer turn down that salary if they think they can make more money elsewhere? Or is simply valuing the flexibility in your schedule over the course of the year worth the money lost in salary?

There are many questions, and things are far from clear right now, especially after the 2022 World Championships were announced (after the ISL announced its Season 4 dates, which conflict) and the Dutch Swimming Federation’s recent decision to prohibit their athletes from racing in the ISL due to the congested schedule.

Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: What is the fastest conference in college swimming?

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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE

The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.