The Speedo LZR Racer Might Make the Olympics Less Interesting

The big news in swimming is about Speedo’s LZR Racer suit. The suit was introduced in February and its technological superiority is allowing swimmers to break world swimming records. In just two months, almost 20 long-course world marks have been set from swimmers using this suit.

What’s the big difference? Here’s what I gather from the Associated Press. The suit combines a polyurethane layer with normal fabric to improve swimmer buoyancy. Less resistance means faster a swimmer. Speedo calls this “efficiency” while critics call it “technological doping,” as they interpret that only normal fabrics should be allowed.

The legality debate is somewhat moot, as FINA, the international body governing swimming, has approved use of the Speedo LZR Racer. This means that swimmers will be allowed to use it in the Olympics.

Faster times should make for more interesting Olympics, right?

Well, I’m not so sure. Here are a few reasons I’m skeptical.

Winners are Relative, Not Absolute

If the Speedo LZR Racer makes everyone faster, then game theory tells us everyone is likely to get it.

All else equal, this means the suit would only affect the swimming times, but not finishing order. If you were faster than me before, and we both get the suit, you would still be faster than me.

This means the Speedo suit won’t change who gets what medal.

Records are Relative, Not Absolute

Now, you might counter that faster swimming times will be fun to watch. Wouldn’t it be fun to watch all those world records being broken?

Not for me. If everyone gains an advantage, it will cheapen the joy. We’ll all recognize the records are primarily due to technology and not better trained swimmers. It will be harder to compare athletes across generations.

If this story sounds familiar, it’s because it is. This is essentially what happened in baseball with steroids. At first, the “doping” was fun to watch as there were players chasing home run records and higher home run numbers across the board. But we soon became accustomed to the power numbers, and it has put the steroid era in another context.

While the Speedo suit is not technically “doping,” its effect on records will be of a similar flavor.

Due to Sponsorships, Competition Will Be Less Intense!

And there’s the final controversy about the suit: what about the people being sponsored by other brands like TYR, Nike, or Adidas?

These swimmers face a tough choice: uphold the sponsorship and lose speed or adopt Speedo and face penalties.

Faster swimmers are likely to adopt to go for gold. But slower swimmers might not. After weighing the risks, they might think the costs of switching are not worth it. These swimmers will be at a competitive disadvantage.

This means the slower swimmers will seem even worse than before. Thus, the field will be more dispersed and competition will be less intense. I can’t see how that will help the Olympics.

What are your thoughts?

If you enjoyed this story, please Digg it.