College Swimming League CEO Robert Kent Discusses Innovative New Venture
On a normal December afternoon, the sport of college swimming may have changed forever. The Collegiate Swimming League (CSL) announced itself to the world on December 9, offering 12 of college swimming’s top programs the chance to compete in a brand new format.
The league’s press release indicated matches structured like the former International Swimming League, including “Skins” races. It also promised the opportunity for “new, innovative sources of income” for the college teams, including “full coverage of all travel and lodging costs” and “high-level production” for meets.
The league could be a difference-maker for a sport that has long struggled to market itself. But a plethora of questions and uncertainty come with its potential ramifications. We spoke with CEO Robert Kent to learn more about the league, and how it will impact the swimming world.
The ISL’s Innovation
Robert Kent should know a thing or two about innovation in college swimming. Kent was the General Manager of the International Swim League’s Toronto Titans, witnessing the league’s rise and fall over a three-year period. He pointed to the project as a trailblazer in the swimming world.
“The creativity and innovation that ISL brought in, has never been touched by anyone in any sport,” Kent said.
The league introduced a format in which athletes competed as teams, with its own scoring system and offering rapid-fire racing and an engaging atmosphere. The structure looked to increase competitiveness, and Kent emphasized the CSL as having similar goals.
“We want to create the gamification of a swim meet, in the same way you would watch a basketball game,” he said. “We want to make it a true team sport.”
Marketing to Millions
While the scale of this new experiment is groundbreaking, a commitment to a greater team aspect in college swimming is hardly a new concept. In fact, the league’s co-founder, Kyle Sockwell, has been directly involved in efforts to draw interest to college swimming across the country by experimenting with different formats.
“I’m so excited about the creative and marketing ideas which Kyle has brought,” Kent said. “He and I are on the same page in our attention to detail, and our desire to pick apart every aspect of the event.”
Most recently, Sockwell helped put on the “Dual Meet Challenge” in Knoxville, Tennessee. The competition involved four of the top-ranked teams facing off in a bracket-style dual meet. The concept showed potential for different types of meets within college swimming, with top athletes like Claire Curzan and Ilya Kharun scoring season-best times at the meet.
“There’s a real nice marriage between the styles and format of the CSL, and the credibility of these (college) institutions.” Kent said. “It’s a blend of quality, and innovation.”
Sockwell’s involvement also promises creative marketing strategies to generate swimming interest, beyond the meet’s structure. The “swim influencer” has worked with schools to employ things like “halftime shows” featuring Sockwell and star swimmers, and various promotional giveaways to draw fans. Kent pointed to these creative ideas as something the CSL will implement as well.
“We want to make the underlying product (of these meets) much more fun,” Kent said. “Everything from the lighting, to the lane placements, is being picked apart and considered.”
How Will the League Fit In?
The College Swimming League certainly looks to be an exciting new concept for swimming. But a key question remains: how will the league fit in with the rest of the NCAA schedule? Schools already compete in around eight to 10 dual meets per year, along with their conference championship meet, and the NCAA Championships. Participating in even more competitions may be a hard ask, with an already-packed itinerary. Kent, however, attempted to dissuade these concerns, looking at the Fall as potentially ideal timing for the league.
“It’s basically a training block, with a few inconsequential dual meets,” Kent said. “We think we could offer a really high-quality product, one that from a swimmer’s and coach’s perspective is more relevant.”
The concept is not dissimilar from models used in other college sports. For example, college basketball teams often participate in a “tournament” in the early part of their season. The competitions often serve as a precursor to more serious conference competition, allowing teams to prepare for these meaningful games. Kent pointed to these other sports’ competitions as influential in how the league will look operate.
“The idea is that you can get the swimmers going fast earlier in the season, and get them in shape, so that they’re in great shape for NCAA’s,” he said. “We’re trying to work complementary to that championship meet.”
Navigating NIL
Fitting the league’s season into the NCAA schedule isn’t the only challenge its creators face. One of the big drivers behind the ISL’s success was the financial opportunity it provided for professional swimmers, allowing them to be paid like pro athletes. College athletes, however, are technically not allowed to receive a “salary” under NCAA rules.
There is some leeway, however, with the addition of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) within the NCAA. Tournaments, like the “Players’ Era Festival” for college basketball in Las Vegas, are able to offer “NIL payouts” to schools to compete. The payouts could subsequently be used toward players, with the NCAA now allowing direct payments to Division 1 athletes.
“It’s a bit of a challenge to figure out how to manage (the NIL aspect),” Kent said. “But we’re looking at all kinds of models to try to figure out how to do this.”
The CEO also pointed to the broadcasting and sponsorship of the league as a tricky situation to figure out. Many of these “tournament”-style collegiate competitions own their own broadcast rights, through hosting the competitions at a neutral site. However, if the meets were held on a college campus, they’d be subject to broadcasting with the “conference network” of the respective team competing.
“We’re not for or against either (a neutral site or hosting the events on campus),” Kent said. “It’s just whichever makes the most sense.”
These financial questions will continue to weigh on Kent and Sockwell, as they figure out how to run the league. Kent stressed that they were issues the two were deeply invested in solving.
“Kyle and I are sole, 100% owners of the CSL,” Kent said. “We want this to be commercially successful, and to be able to offer as much as we can, while also turning a profit.”
Next Steps
The December 9 announcement was an exciting debut, sending ripples throughout the swimming community. Nevertheless, Kent explained there are still plenty of details to hammer out. The CEO was incredibly enthusiastic in sharing the amount of commitment he had already received from college coaches, though, surpassing his expectations.
“I was going in thinking, ‘well there might be some push-back,’” he said. “But the initial buy-in was so easy; everyone is on board, both coaches and swimmers.”
Ohio State and N.C State have both already verbally committed to competing in the league. Kent said more information on the teams competing could come this spring. The clear anticipation from those potentially competing makes it easier to envision success, even with the underlying challenges the league faces.
“We’re really excited to keep going, and see how this turns out,” Kent said. “So far, it’s been the best-case scenario.”