Bill May will not be the first man to compete at the Olympics in his sport, as Team USA leaves him home
Bill May was hoping to be the first man, gay or straight, selected to the USA synchronized swimming team. Team USA said no. The post Bill May will not be the first man to compete at the Olympics in his sport, as Team USA leaves him home appeared first on Outsports.
Bill May very well may be a gay trailblazer in his sport of synchronized swimming, but that will not continue at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
May was considered one of the favorites to be selected by Team USA to compete in synchronized swimming at the Olympics this summer. But the selection committee went another direction, choosing instead nine women.
The team was expected announced this weekend.
While men may traditionally not be considered a part of synchronized swimming, May told the Associated Press he embraces it.
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“It’s a challenge for any one athlete to come into a sport that they’re not traditionally gender-specific in and, usually, in most American conversations, that’s a female entering a male sport,” Andrasko told the AP. “We just have the reverse scenario here.”
May has some challenges ahead. Namely, many fans will cling to the idea that synchro swimming is a “woman’s sport.” People like Clay Travis at OutKick will claim May takes a spot from a woman, regardless of what team he’s named to.
Yet there are non-gendered sports at the Olympics. Most notably, equestrian events have featured Olympic competitions that transcend gender.
Others raised the fact that may, in his 40s, was well over the age of the women on the team. Though taking his age into account shouldn’t be an issue. Either he can compete or he can’t.
May has been on the international synchronized swim scene for at least a decade.
The post Bill May will not be the first man to compete at the Olympics in his sport, as Team USA leaves him home appeared first on Outsports.
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