Saturday night in Norman, something unexpected happened. As the NCAA men’s gymnastics meet between Stanford, Oklahoma, and Greenville kicked off, the Sooners’ performances outlasted the rest of the lot in the shade. With 329.100 on the board, they beat Stanford (328.850) narrowly but thwarted Greenville with a massive lead. But that’s not even the biggest story of the night. Something happened that bears a great promise for the sport’s future too.
Remember in 2024, when men’s gymnastics went through a rollercoaster? They had the most successful Olympics run for Team USA in 16 years, coming back with an Olympic bronze. After that, it was the first time they were asked to onboard the Gold Over America gymnastics tour. With this, the gymnasts and the men’s side of the sport garnered a lot of eyes. But soon, with the whole sponsorship cut-offs, the sport went through the wringer once again. But since then, now this is the first time in 2025 that good news comes in for men’s gymnastics.
You must be wondering what has happened. Well, as announced via an X post by Oklahoma Gymnastics, this NCAA meet between the three colleges recorded peak attendance. Yes, with 2149 fans seated in the arena, men’s NCAA gymnastics topped the previous record set on February 3 at the same venue. Interestingly, that was a Sooner’s meet too, when they won over Ohio State and Arizona State with 2111 fans in attendance at McCasland Field House. And now, they have added 38 more to that previous number!
This in itself is a big win for men’s gymnastics. Especially after all that happened towards the end of 2024. In 2024, despite the drastic drop in NCAA men’s gymnastics programs from 59 DI programs in 1981 to 12 in 2024—a 79.6% decrease—Ohio State announced that they would be cutting athletic scholarships for men’s gymnastics. This garnered a strong and first reaction from the Team USA’ pommel horse guy, Stephen Nedoroscik, who said, “Yet again, another step backwards for MGYM. With the success of current and former NCAA gymnasts at the Olympics you’d think NCAA programs would be excited for the upcoming season, not stripping away opportunities.”
Thank you, Sooner Nation!
Hands down the best fans in the country!#BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/e4gEDTdtXy
— Oklahoma Men’s Gym (@OU_MGymnastics) February 9, 2025
Nedoroscik’s disappointment was palpable. But he wasn’t alone. Fred Richard, who was among the pioneer’s who wished to revolutionize the sport, said, “Most males aren’t choosing gymnastics when they first choose a sport.” Of course, it’s fraught with so many issues; funding is one of the primary ones. And not just America; the tremors of this peril show up in Cuba too. The Cubans once used to have one of the most successful gymnastics programs. But it not just dipped; they nearly vanished from the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. And elite gymnasts traveling to Cuba for the sport? Well, yes, that declined too.
So even though this is a minuscule win, it is significant in men’s gymnastics and is a flicker of hope for the sport’s future. If men’s gymnastics wishes to get anywhere close to the women’s version, 2025 is the year things should blow up. As they have been for women’s NCAA gymnastics, despite the rocky season they are having this time.
How is women’s gymnastics 2025 progressing?
Honestly, this year, the situation in the women’s gyms has been dicey. With the whole SCOREBOARD system of judging and dip in the number of perfect 10s, its taken a while for teams to find that winning momentum. Of course, we have had things spiraling further with gymnastics like Olivia Dunne taking a stand. Despite the turbulence, viewership has held pretty steady. Just two weeks ago, the quad meet featuring LSU, Cal, Oklahoma, and Utah pulled in 618,000 viewers on ABC—although this was down just 3% from last year’s equivalent matchup. Still, Dunne said, “I am sitting here watching NCAA gymnastics, and the empty seats are concerning.”
Not just this; even FOX network’s big telecast announcement was a major win for women’s gymnastics this season. Also, the recent Oregon State meet against BYU gymnastics on January 11, 2025, recorded some 6551 fans in attendance, which was the 11th-highest record for the college’s history and the highest since 2023. In fact, the anticipation had started in November 2024 itself. No wonder LSU Gymnastics, the reigning champions, shattered the season ticket sales record with 8680 season tickets sold ahead of the 2025 season. Clearly, women’s gymnastics is on the rise lately, even if things are going unplanned this time. But what about men’s gymnastics? Their attendance numbers are creeping up, and with this, could they close the gap soon? Let us know what you think!
The post Magic in the Air for Men’s Gymnastics While Women’s Events Continue To See Record-Breaking Performances appeared first on EssentiallySports.