September 12, 2025 • 12 mins
America’s college sports system is the best in the world — but who’s really reaping the rewards? In swimming, more than 15% of NCAA athletes are foreign, with some top programs like University of Florida running over 60% international rosters. These athletes train in U.S. clubs, compete for U.S. schools, and then take their peak performance home — winning Olympic medals for other countries. Add in new roster limits from House v. NCAA and the squeeze on American athletes becomes even tighter. In this episode, we unravel the gaslighting and poetic truths behind college sports, Olympic pipelines, and why the service academies may be the last guaranteed lane for U.S. swimmers.
Stay sharp. Stay skeptical. #SpotTheGaslight
Read and reflect at Gaslight360.com/clarity
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
Take care, Mark.
SPEAKER_01 (00:03):
What if
SPEAKER_00 (00:15):
the United States is quietly funding the medal counts
of other nations?
One scholarship, one pool, onelane at a time.
Because this isn't just theory,it's names you know.
Joseph Schooling moved toFlorida as a teen, trained at
the Bowles School, but his goldmedal went to Singapore.
Ilya Karun, raised in Las Vegas,swimming U.S.
(00:38):
club meets since age 5, but heraces for Canada and is a metal
machine at Arizona State underBob Bowman.
And Canadian media admitted itoutright after Paris.
Born in Canada, made in the USA.
Summer McIntosh, trainingfull-time with the Sarasota
Sharks in Florida.
Josh Leendo, sharpened his edgeat the University of Florida,
(01:01):
racing next to Caleb Dressel.
Swimming Canada's ownhigh-performance director said
it proudly, they're Canadian, nomatter where they train.
Translation, thanks America.
Today, we'll zoom in on swimmingto show how this pipeline works
in just one sport.
But it's not limited to thepool.
The same pattern repeats acrossNCAA athletics.
(01:24):
Tennis?
More than half of rosters areforeign.
At that point, the U.S.
Open might as well hand outdiplomas with the trophies.
Soccer?
Nearly a third international,which means half the time the
U.S.
women's team is losing tocountries we trained.
Track and field?
Distance finals look less likecollege sports and more like
Kenya This is Think First, wherewe don't follow the script.
(01:56):
We question it.
Because in a world full ofpoetic truths and professional
gaslighting, someone's got tosay the quiet part out loud.
What if the United States isquietly funding the medal counts
of other nations?
One scholarship, one pool, onelane at a time.
(02:16):
Because here's the odd pattern.
America trains the world's bestswimmers.
In our clubs, in our colleges,on our dime.
And then, they stand on theOlympic podium draped in another
country's flag.
And somehow, we're told this isnormal, even good, that it's the
beauty of sport.
(02:36):
Let's test that story.
If roster spots are finite, whoexactly gets squeezed out when
foreign athletes fill them?
If scholarships are funded bytaxpayers and alumni, whose
future are we really investingin?
If competition is supposed tosharpen everyone, how does that
help the American who nevermakes the roster to compete at
all?
(02:56):
If made here is the NCAA slogan,why does for elsewhere keep
showing up on the Olympic medaltable?
and if you were footing thebill.
Would you call this generosityor just bad math?
Here's where the poetic truthcomes in.
Poetic truth says, sport isglobal.
(03:17):
Diversity enriches us.
Everyone wins.
It feels inspiring.
It sounds noble.
And here's the gaslight.
Gaslighting says, no Americansare losing opportunities.
Scholarships are limitless.
The system works for everyone.
That's when the room starts tospin because trade-offs are real
(03:37):
and pretending otherwise is thetrick.
Now, here's the nuance mostpeople miss.
These athletes weren't nobodieswhen they arrived.
They were already good, alreadyfast, already dangerous.
But the NCAA system, thecoaching, the facilities, the
weekly pressure cooker of dualmeets and championships, that's
(04:00):
what takes them from really goodto world champion.
Leon Marchand was a promisingFrench junior.
After two seasons at ArizonaState, he shattered Michael
Phelps' world records.
Maggie McNeil was a strongCanadian recruit.
At Michigan, she became an NCAAchampion, then an Olympic gold
(04:21):
medalist.
Joseph Schooling was a teenagestandout.
Four years at Texas turned himinto the guy who beat Phelps in
Rio.
The pattern is hard to miss.
They arrive with potential, theyleave with medals, and those
medals don't count for Team USA.
Want a few numbers?
Today, 15% of NCAA swimmers areinternational.
(04:45):
That's not a few.
That's a lane or two on everyrelay.
At the NCAA championships,non-US men win about 27% of
events, women about 15%.
That's not background noise.
That's the podium.
For American kids, only 2.5% ofhigh school boys and 3.2% of
(05:06):
girls ever make it to Division Iswimming.
every foreign recruit edges outdozens of homegrown athletes who
may never see that lane.
And at the Paris Games, 840international Olympians were
NCAA athletes representing 125countries.
In practice, the NCAA is theworld's most generous Olympic
(05:28):
donor.
It just doesn't put its name onthe checks.
And if you think this is subtle,think again.
On Florida's men's roster, oneof the most dominant in the
nation.
62.5% of swimmers areforeign-born.
That's the majority of the team.
Virginia Tech sits at 35%.
(05:49):
Georgia, 41%.
Tennessee, one-third.
These aren't fringe programs.
These are the powerhousesshaping NCAA podiums and Olympic
pipelines.
So when those teams dominate,American athletes aren't
developing under highercompetition.
They're watching from thestands.
(06:10):
Contrast that with Texas.
Under Eddie Reese, the Longhornsbuilt one of the greatest
dynasties in NCAA history,largely with American recruits,
dozens of NCAA titles, multipleOlympians, and a sustained run
at the top.
Texas proved you don't need toload your roster with foreigners
to win.
The talent at home has alwaysbeen enough.
(06:35):
And here's the kicker.
Many of these internationalsdon't arrive at 18 like American
freshman.
They come at 20, 21, even 22,already hardened by years of
international racing.
When a 22-year-old foreignrecruit with world championship
experience dives in against an18-year-old U.S.
freshman, that's not talentversus talent.
(06:57):
That's maturity versusadolescence.
And collegiate coaches knowwhich one wins points today.
And remember, coaches coach towin banners today.
That's the job.
The ripple effects for Team USAare some else's problem.
Then there's the money.
One foreign swimmer on a fullscholarship?
About$60,000 a year.
(07:19):
Over four years?
$240,000.
Add in travel, gear, coaching,medical support.
You're closer to$300,000.
Multiply by five internationalson a roster and you're easily
past a million dollars.
That's roughly a million dollarsin American resources invested
(07:40):
in polishing another nation'smetal hopeful.
And sometimes it's even worse, adouble subsidy.
Some internationals also receivestipends or funding from their
home federations whilecollecting NCAA resources.
U.S.
dollars on one side, foreigngovernment checks on the other,
all fueling metals that fly adifferent flag.
(08:03):
Now, defenders will say, butinternationals push Americans to
be better.
Iron sharpens iron.
Maybe.
but only if the Americanactually makes the team.
Iron doesn't sharpen iron whenone piece is left outside the
pool.
And in a world of roster capsand scholarship limits, that's
exactly what happens.
(08:25):
The reality?
Fewer reps, fewer coaches' eyes,fewer chances for Americans in
the pool.
That's not sharpening.
That's crowding out.
What if scholarships came with aflag attached?
What if the NCAA is already thebiggest donor to foreign Olympic
committees and nobody noticed?
What if the lanes your kiddreamed of were already spoken
(08:48):
for by another nation's championin waiting?
What if the real U.S.
medal table isn't on NBC buthidden in the fine print of
foreign rosters?
Picture a family that pouredevery weekend, every holiday,
into club meets and travel.
Thousands in dues, thousands inairfare, endless hours.
(09:08):
And then, the roster spot theywere hoping for goes to someone
who stepped off a plane alreadymedal-ready.
It's not on the kid, it's noteven on the coach.
The real question is, why is thesystem built this way?
And of course, it's not justswimming, tennis, soccer, track.
The trend runs through them all,but the pool shows the pattern
(09:29):
clearly.
No other league on earth pays todevelop rivals for free.
The NCAA does, withscholarships, state funding, and
a smile.
And here's the part most peoplemiss.
It's not just about pride, it'sabout competitive risk.
Every medal earned by a foreignNCAA product raises the prestige
(09:49):
of their home federation.
That prestige bringssponsorship, funding, and
momentum for America's rivals.
We're not just exporting talent,we're exporting competitive
advantage, and we're paying forthe privilege.
I've worn a uniform.
Mission and intent matter.
(10:10):
If the mission is opportunityfor American students and the
intent is nationalcompetitiveness, then your
roster should look like you meanit.
This isn't about banningforeigners.
It's about balance, abouthonesty, about asking whether
the trade-offs we're told don'texist are staring us right in
the face.
(10:30):
And maybe it's about noticingthat poetic truth has been sold
to us as policy.
Everyone wins.
when in reality, somebody alwaysloses.
In the end, it's not reallyabout lanes or medals.
It's about how institutions sellus a poetic truth to keep the
system running.
And if you don't stop to ask,you'll miss the gaslight glowing
(10:51):
in plain sight.
At the rate we're going, thenext Michael Phelps might not be
choosing between Power 5 schoolsat all, but between Olympic
trials and officer training.
Because with House vs.
NCAA roster caps and rostersstacked with foreign recruits
the service academies, Army,Navy, and Air Force may be the
last place an American swimmercan still get a guaranteed full
(11:14):
ride and a guaranteed lane.
If the last guaranteed lanebelongs to the United States
service academies, that's acredit to them and an indictment
of everyone else.
(11:39):
You don't need all the answers,but you should ask the one
question no one at the medalceremony dares to.
Whose flag are we really payingfor?
I'm Jim Detchen, and this hasbeen Think First.
You don't need all the answers,but you should question the ones
you're handed.
Until next time, stay skeptical,stay curious, and always think
(12:02):
first.
And if this story about rosterspots, subsidies, and the fine
print of college sports made youraise an eyebrow, go back and
check out episode 61, NILUnmasked.
It's where we pulled apart howcollege athletics went pro
without ever saying it out loud.
Together, the two episodes mightgive you a clearer picture of
(12:23):
the game behind the game.
And for those who want to takethis further, my new book,
Distorted is on the way thisOctober.
It unpacks the gaslighting andpoetic truths shaping not just
sports, but politics, culture,and everyday life.
(12:45):
You'll find it at Barnes& Noble,Amazon, Apple, and Kindle.
Or grab it first with anexclusive pre-order at
jimdetchin.com.
Take care, Mark.
SPEAKER_01 (00:03):
What if
SPEAKER_00 (00:15):
the United States is quietly funding the medal counts
of other nations?
One scholarship, one pool, onelane at a time.
Because this isn't just theory,it's names you know.
Joseph Schooling moved toFlorida as a teen, trained at
the Bowles School, but his goldmedal went to Singapore.
Ilya Karun, raised in Las Vegas,swimming U.S.
(00:38):
club meets since age 5, but heraces for Canada and is a metal
machine at Arizona State underBob Bowman.
And Canadian media admitted itoutright after Paris.
Born in Canada, made in the USA.
Summer McIntosh, trainingfull-time with the Sarasota
Sharks in Florida.
Josh Leendo, sharpened his edgeat the University of Florida,
(01:01):
racing next to Caleb Dressel.
Swimming Canada's ownhigh-performance director said
it proudly, they're Canadian, nomatter where they train.
Translation, thanks America.
Today, we'll zoom in on swimmingto show how this pipeline works
in just one sport.
But it's not limited to thepool.
The same pattern repeats acrossNCAA athletics.
(01:24):
Tennis?
More than half of rosters areforeign.
At that point, the U.S.
Open might as well hand outdiplomas with the trophies.
Soccer?
Nearly a third international,which means half the time the
U.S.
women's team is losing tocountries we trained.
Track and field?
Distance finals look less likecollege sports and more like
Kenya This is Think First, wherewe don't follow the script.
(01:56):
We question it.
Because in a world full ofpoetic truths and professional
gaslighting, someone's got tosay the quiet part out loud.
What if the United States isquietly funding the medal counts
of other nations?
One scholarship, one pool, onelane at a time.
(02:16):
Because here's the odd pattern.
America trains the world's bestswimmers.
In our clubs, in our colleges,on our dime.
And then, they stand on theOlympic podium draped in another
country's flag.
And somehow, we're told this isnormal, even good, that it's the
beauty of sport.
(02:36):
Let's test that story.
If roster spots are finite, whoexactly gets squeezed out when
foreign athletes fill them?
If scholarships are funded bytaxpayers and alumni, whose
future are we really investingin?
If competition is supposed tosharpen everyone, how does that
help the American who nevermakes the roster to compete at
all?
(02:56):
If made here is the NCAA slogan,why does for elsewhere keep
showing up on the Olympic medaltable?
and if you were footing thebill.
Would you call this generosityor just bad math?
Here's where the poetic truthcomes in.
Poetic truth says, sport isglobal.
(03:17):
Diversity enriches us.
Everyone wins.
It feels inspiring.
It sounds noble.
And here's the gaslight.
Gaslighting says, no Americansare losing opportunities.
Scholarships are limitless.
The system works for everyone.
That's when the room starts tospin because trade-offs are real
(03:37):
and pretending otherwise is thetrick.
Now, here's the nuance mostpeople miss.
These athletes weren't nobodieswhen they arrived.
They were already good, alreadyfast, already dangerous.
But the NCAA system, thecoaching, the facilities, the
weekly pressure cooker of dualmeets and championships, that's
(04:00):
what takes them from really goodto world champion.
Leon Marchand was a promisingFrench junior.
After two seasons at ArizonaState, he shattered Michael
Phelps' world records.
Maggie McNeil was a strongCanadian recruit.
At Michigan, she became an NCAAchampion, then an Olympic gold
(04:21):
medalist.
Joseph Schooling was a teenagestandout.
Four years at Texas turned himinto the guy who beat Phelps in
Rio.
The pattern is hard to miss.
They arrive with potential, theyleave with medals, and those
medals don't count for Team USA.
Want a few numbers?
Today, 15% of NCAA swimmers areinternational.
(04:45):
That's not a few.
That's a lane or two on everyrelay.
At the NCAA championships,non-US men win about 27% of
events, women about 15%.
That's not background noise.
That's the podium.
For American kids, only 2.5% ofhigh school boys and 3.2% of
(05:06):
girls ever make it to Division Iswimming.
every foreign recruit edges outdozens of homegrown athletes who
may never see that lane.
And at the Paris Games, 840international Olympians were
NCAA athletes representing 125countries.
In practice, the NCAA is theworld's most generous Olympic
(05:28):
donor.
It just doesn't put its name onthe checks.
And if you think this is subtle,think again.
On Florida's men's roster, oneof the most dominant in the
nation.
62.5% of swimmers areforeign-born.
That's the majority of the team.
Virginia Tech sits at 35%.
(05:49):
Georgia, 41%.
Tennessee, one-third.
These aren't fringe programs.
These are the powerhousesshaping NCAA podiums and Olympic
pipelines.
So when those teams dominate,American athletes aren't
developing under highercompetition.
They're watching from thestands.
(06:10):
Contrast that with Texas.
Under Eddie Reese, the Longhornsbuilt one of the greatest
dynasties in NCAA history,largely with American recruits,
dozens of NCAA titles, multipleOlympians, and a sustained run
at the top.
Texas proved you don't need toload your roster with foreigners
to win.
The talent at home has alwaysbeen enough.
(06:35):
And here's the kicker.
Many of these internationalsdon't arrive at 18 like American
freshman.
They come at 20, 21, even 22,already hardened by years of
international racing.
When a 22-year-old foreignrecruit with world championship
experience dives in against an18-year-old U.S.
freshman, that's not talentversus talent.
(06:57):
That's maturity versusadolescence.
And collegiate coaches knowwhich one wins points today.
And remember, coaches coach towin banners today.
That's the job.
The ripple effects for Team USAare some else's problem.
Then there's the money.
One foreign swimmer on a fullscholarship?
About$60,000 a year.
(07:19):
Over four years?
$240,000.
Add in travel, gear, coaching,medical support.
You're closer to$300,000.
Multiply by five internationalson a roster and you're easily
past a million dollars.
That's roughly a million dollarsin American resources invested
(07:40):
in polishing another nation'smetal hopeful.
And sometimes it's even worse, adouble subsidy.
Some internationals also receivestipends or funding from their
home federations whilecollecting NCAA resources.
U.S.
dollars on one side, foreigngovernment checks on the other,
all fueling metals that fly adifferent flag.
(08:03):
Now, defenders will say, butinternationals push Americans to
be better.
Iron sharpens iron.
Maybe.
but only if the Americanactually makes the team.
Iron doesn't sharpen iron whenone piece is left outside the
pool.
And in a world of roster capsand scholarship limits, that's
exactly what happens.
(08:25):
The reality?
Fewer reps, fewer coaches' eyes,fewer chances for Americans in
the pool.
That's not sharpening.
That's crowding out.
What if scholarships came with aflag attached?
What if the NCAA is already thebiggest donor to foreign Olympic
committees and nobody noticed?
What if the lanes your kiddreamed of were already spoken
(08:48):
for by another nation's championin waiting?
What if the real U.S.
medal table isn't on NBC buthidden in the fine print of
foreign rosters?
Picture a family that pouredevery weekend, every holiday,
into club meets and travel.
Thousands in dues, thousands inairfare, endless hours.
(09:08):
And then, the roster spot theywere hoping for goes to someone
who stepped off a plane alreadymedal-ready.
It's not on the kid, it's noteven on the coach.
The real question is, why is thesystem built this way?
And of course, it's not justswimming, tennis, soccer, track.
The trend runs through them all,but the pool shows the pattern
(09:29):
clearly.
No other league on earth pays todevelop rivals for free.
The NCAA does, withscholarships, state funding, and
a smile.
And here's the part most peoplemiss.
It's not just about pride, it'sabout competitive risk.
Every medal earned by a foreignNCAA product raises the prestige
(09:49):
of their home federation.
That prestige bringssponsorship, funding, and
momentum for America's rivals.
We're not just exporting talent,we're exporting competitive
advantage, and we're paying forthe privilege.
I've worn a uniform.
Mission and intent matter.
(10:10):
If the mission is opportunityfor American students and the
intent is nationalcompetitiveness, then your
roster should look like you meanit.
This isn't about banningforeigners.
It's about balance, abouthonesty, about asking whether
the trade-offs we're told don'texist are staring us right in
the face.
(10:30):
And maybe it's about noticingthat poetic truth has been sold
to us as policy.
Everyone wins.
when in reality, somebody alwaysloses.
In the end, it's not reallyabout lanes or medals.
It's about how institutions sellus a poetic truth to keep the
system running.
And if you don't stop to ask,you'll miss the gaslight glowing
(10:51):
in plain sight.
At the rate we're going, thenext Michael Phelps might not be
choosing between Power 5 schoolsat all, but between Olympic
trials and officer training.
Because with House vs.
NCAA roster caps and rostersstacked with foreign recruits
the service academies, Army,Navy, and Air Force may be the
last place an American swimmercan still get a guaranteed full
(11:14):
ride and a guaranteed lane.
If the last guaranteed lanebelongs to the United States
service academies, that's acredit to them and an indictment
of everyone else.
(11:39):
You don't need all the answers,but you should ask the one
question no one at the medalceremony dares to.
Whose flag are we really payingfor?
I'm Jim Detchen, and this hasbeen Think First.
You don't need all the answers,but you should question the ones
you're handed.
Until next time, stay skeptical,stay curious, and always think
(12:02):
first.
And if this story about rosterspots, subsidies, and the fine
print of college sports made youraise an eyebrow, go back and
check out episode 61, NILUnmasked.
It's where we pulled apart howcollege athletics went pro
without ever saying it out loud.
Together, the two episodes mightgive you a clearer picture of
(12:23):
the game behind the game.
And for those who want to takethis further, my new book,
Distorted is on the way thisOctober.
It unpacks the gaslighting andpoetic truths shaping not just
sports, but politics, culture,and everyday life.
(12:45):
You'll find it at Barnes& Noble,Amazon, Apple, and Kindle.
Or grab it first with anexclusive pre-order at
jimdetchin.com.
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