USA Gymnastics faces mounting backlash over FloSports streaming deal
UPDATE 1/29/2021 7:20 p.m. ET: FloGymnastics released the following statement in response to the USA Gymnastics partnership on Friday evening.
“We at FloSports recognize the importance of learning from mistakes and working hard to make sure they are never allowed to happen again. Seven years ago while reporting on gymnastics, a content editor posted a link in a story that was wrong and in terrible judgment. When discovered, the link in the story was immediately removed and the story was ultimately taken down. Public apologies were made at all levels of the organization online and on social media and we restate those again today. FloSports did not believe this editorial decision was right in 2014 and we still believe that to this day. People and companies make mistakes but we remain dedicated to improving our business each day. Significant editorial staff and organizational changes have been made since 2014 and enforcement of new editorial policies has been strengthened to ensure such incidents can’t happen again in the future. FloSports and USA Gymnastics share a common goal of increasing the reach of this sport at all levels. We will work to empower athletes and amplify their voices. And we have committed to investing in the enhancement of health and wellness resources available to USA Gymnastics members.“
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UPDATE 1/28/2021 2:45 p.m. ET: USA Gymnastics responded to Gymnastics Now’s request for comment on the backlash to the FloSports deal with the following statements.
“USA Gymnastics and FloSports are both committed to learning from past mistakes and implementing necessary changes to ensure those mistakes are not repeated,” the organization said. “As we enter this partnership, we do so with the shared goals of increasing the reach of our sport at all levels and across all disciplines, empowering athletes and amplifying their voices, and enhancing the health and wellness resources available to USA Gymnastics members, while demonstrating consistent progress and accountability.”
“While we understand that some viewers may be skeptical of this change, we believe that the volume and range of events available via FloGymnastics – which will span all five gymnastics disciplines from the grassroots to elite levels – will increase reach and inspire greater participation in our sport.”
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USA Gymnastics is facing widespread backlash from athletes, fans, and coaches after announcing a 5-year streaming deal with FloSports’ gymnastics platform, FloGymnastics, on Wednesday.
“We are thrilled to be welcoming FloSports, a partner who is aligned with our goals of expanding athlete health and wellness resources and providing outlets for our athletes to tell their stories,” USAG CEO Li Li Leung said. “We know the FloSports platform will provide a unique opportunity for us to continue growing the sport of gymnastics at all levels and across all disciplines.”
Beginning with the 2021 season and running through 2025, USA Gymnastics and FloGymnastics will broadcast “more than 35 events” to audiences in North America and internationally, including state, regional, and national events spanning all five competitive disciplines – acrobatic, men’s artistic, women’s artistic, rhythmic, and trampoline and tumbling – as well as National Team Camps.
The partnership with the sports streaming network will kick off with podium training and other elements that have historically not been broadcast at the 2021 Winter Cup, set for Feb. 26-28 in Indianapolis. The meet marks the return of elite gymnastics in the U.S. following the cancellation of the 2020 premier event season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
You can see a full list of major USA Gymnastics events to be streamed on FloGymnastics here.
“FloSports has been a strong advocate for Olympic sports since our founding and these have been at the core of our product and content offerings. We live and breathe these sports daily and understand how to engage athletes and enthusiasts to build a strong community around them,” Mark Floreani, CEO and Co-Founder of FloSports said. “We are proud to partner with the team at USAG to expand access to gymnastics to a wider audience, build a global community around this sport and support the health and wellness of their athletes.”
Both Leung and Floreani’s mention of focusing on the “health and wellness” of athletes refers to the partnership’s commitment to making a “significant annual investment directly toward supporting athlete health and wellness initiatives.”
The organizations’ joint press release states “FloSports believes in building a supportive infrastructure for young athletes and is committed to assisting with their development by providing additional funds to augment existing USAG programs.”
The wellness initiative did not do anything to quell immediate widespread backlash to the partnership, with fans quick to point out FloGymnastics’ history of having notoriously poor quality streams, high subscription costs (currently $29.99/mo or $150/yr) and unprofessional behavior, specifically a 2014 incident in which the outlet linked to nude photos of then-minor McKayla Maroney. In that situation, Floreani himself issued this apology more than a week after the initial story was published.
In addition, fans have expressed concern over how this partnership will impact accessibility, and furthermore, promotion of a sport that, with the exception of women’s artistic, has struggled to grow its audience and popularity beyond fans who tune in to watch the Olympics every four years.
While women’s gymnastics on the elite and, for the most part, college level is alive and well, men’s NCAA – of which there are currently only 13 teams that will exist after this season – is struggling to stay alive. Previously, men’s sessions that were not broadcast on NBCSN would be streamed live on YouTube. Now, those men’s sessions will be behind Flo’s paywall, making an already-struggling discipline even harder to support.
Soon after the partnership was announced, a petition was started by members of the gymnastics community imploring the organization to revoke the contract.
“Putting this kind of content behind a paywall will serve no purpose other than to make money,” the petition reads. “This will further alienate fans from the sport because they will have no way to follow it. Certain gymnastics disciplines already don’t have big followings, and this will only make things worse. This also goes against what Morinari Watanabe (President of the International Gymnastics Federation) wants. His goal is to make gymnastics more accessible. This does the opposite.”
It goes on to mention the aforementioned 2014 McKayla Maroney incident, saying, “After the article was reported to USA Gymnastics, FloGymnastics had their journalistic credentials revoked. But only temporarily, only for a year. And now, USA Gymnastics has decided that they are the best people to have access to their content.”
It goes on to say, “Given USA Gymnastics’ current rebuilding in the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal, this partnership is completely inappropriate. Current President and CEO Li Li Leung’s constant reassurance that they are “committed to change” means absolutely nothing here. This partnership basically proves that USA Gymnastics – STILL – does not care about the safety and well-being of their athletes.”
All of these red flags considered, the question is: why would USA Gymnastics enter into such a comprehensive, restrictive deal with an all-around poorly regarded streaming platform while already struggling to rebuild its reputation? The answer could be as simple as it seems obvious: money.
In the aftermath of Larry Nassar’s high-profile trial and sentencing, USA Gymnastics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, so it could continue to operate while trying to resolve claims made by the survivors of Nassar’s sexual abuse.
Two years removed from the filing, the organization is still struggling with the financial fallout of the Nassar case and the ensuing loss of multiple high dollar sponsors. Per their 2019 tax return, USAG has been operating at a loss of over $4 million per year for the last two years. No audited financial statements have been uploaded since 2017. The terms of this deal have not been released.
While the long-term repercussions of the deal remain to be seen, the short-term drawbacks are rapidly developing, and the consensus seems to be USA Gymnastics just took a mighty large step back in its pursuit of redemption in the eyes of fans and the world while once again putting men’s artistic on the back burner in an effort to shore up its finances.
