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Melia Stout

Mrs. May

Passion Project

25 January 2018

Diving

If you were to search “diving” on the internet the first thing that would pop up would
probably be an article or video about scuba diving but, today I will be talking about a different
kind of diving. Diving is my passion and I sometimes wonder why more people aren't interested
in it like I am. This leads me to ask the question, Why is springboard/platform diving not a
mainstream sport? Stereotypes following the sport, insufficient practice facilities, and
intimidation of the sport are all reasons why diving is not a mainstream sport
One key factor why diving is not a mainstream sport is the stereotypes associated with it.

Personally I don't feel stereotyping because the people most affected by it are males. People

perceive diving as a gay sport, this is a stereotype. From an article written by Jim Buzinski, “Is

Tom Daley gay? He’s a diver, so he must be” it’s obvious just by reading the headline people

perceive male divers as being gay. This is a huge reason why guys would stay away from even

trying the sport. Diving is not a very masculine sport to begin with, form technique, and body

awareness are the foundations of the sport.While sport’s with high male involvement are usually

focused on speed, agility and strength. This leads people to perceive that less masculine men or

gay men would be involved in it. “It could be that gay athletes self-select for certain sports,

avoiding some seen as being less tolerant.” (Buzinski). Gay athletes shy away from sports that

are traditionally known as straight sports, so it only makes sense that straight athletes would do

the same vice versa. The preconceived notion that dive is a gay sport is why there’s not a high

volume of male divers bc they fear for being labelled.

Another reason diving is not considered a mainstream sport is because there just aren't

that many divers. People are intimidated by the sport. The fear of smacking or having to dive off
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of impressive heights is what makes people so timid to try. In an article written by Dr. Alan

Goldberg he says “Most fears and blocks in this sport are a result of accumulated scary

experiences[...] These could be related to diving or totally unrelated.” (Goldberg). Although

extremem sports are on the rise people still are fearful. This shows that past experiences or

traumatic events will cause fears, making people quit or stay away from diving boards and diving

platforms. Diving is a very mental sport, throwing yourself off of a 7 or 10 meter platform and

successfully doing multiple flips requires mental toughness. Mike Brown, the head dive coach

for Dos Rios Diver has been coaching dive since 1990 and states that “I hear it while the

olympics is going on, before the olympics, after the olympics and people say oh my god thats

such a beautiful sport and id really love to do that but im afraid and thats is really and truly the

answer people are afraid of the sport.” This shows that people are not opposed to trying it but

they are too scared. In an article from the daily universe written by Alex E.J. Mohammad he

writes, “Swim and dive is one of the more individual players sports, even after being considered

a team sport. There is an apparent amount of individual work.” (mohammad). The independent

aspect of not being able to rely on a team can be a downside for athletes. It puts more pressure on

the individual, making them reliant on themselves.

Lastly there is an obvious lack of facilities that can be deemed acceptable for a

competitive level of diving. This affects why it isn't a mainstream sport but, is also why its isn't

one. My club diving team has to practice at 7 p.m., when it's freezing cold, because there isn't

any pool availability. There are only 57 pools in the US alone that has platform diving. On the

USA Diving website it shows that there are only 3 club teams within 50 mile’s of Granite Bay.

That means it takes a ceratin motivation to really get involved. Limited pool availability is a

huge factor why diving is not a mainstream sport.

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All these factors lead me to understand why there is not a lot of recognition for diving.

Most people turn away from it before even trying. The fear of getting hurt or being labelled as

gay is quite detering. The saying “out of sight out of mind” can apply to diving because there

aren't very many places to join a dive team so for most people it isn't even an option. Being a

diver myself its hard getting the regognition we deserve because it isnt as popular as mainstream

sports.

Works Cited

Buzinski, Jim. “Is Tom Daley Gay? He's a Diver, So He Must Be.” SBNation.com,
SBNation.com, 10 Aug. 2012, www.sbnation.com/london-olympics-
2012/2012/8/10/3231463/tom-daley-gay-matthew-mitcham-olympics-london-diving.

“Diving.” Competitive Advantage: Mental Toughness, www.competitivedge.com/catalog/diving.

Mohammad, Alex E.J. “5 Reasons Why Swim and Dive Isnt a Popular Spectator Sport.” The Daily
Universe, 27 Oct. 2014, universe.byu.edu/2014/10/07/5-reasons-why-swimming-and-diving-
arent-popular-spectator-sports1/.

Stout, Melia L, and Mike Brown. “Diving .” 27 Jan. 2018.

“Find a Club.” Team USA, www.teamusa.org/USA-Diving/Membership/Find-a-

Club.