The Atlantic Coast Conference has evolved. Three new schools have joined, and a new sport was officially added to the conference last year —- gymnastics. To continue being an ACC powerhouse, Virginia should add gymnastics as well.
Aside from the legendary Caitlin Clark, if you asked someone who the second most popular American female athlete is, they would likely say seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles or Livvy Dunne, a national champion gymnast from Louisiana State who has accrued a massive following on social media. Looking at Dunne’s Tigers squad, they compete in a dominant SEC that has claimed 60 percent of all team national championships. Gymnastics presents a prime opportunity to compete in a smaller Division I sport, which — combined with Virginia’s success in Olympic sports — creates a compelling argument for Athletic Director Carla Williams adding gymnastics as a varsity sport.
The ACC just began sponsoring gymnastics in the 2023-24 season, but the Cavaliers do not have a program. With California and Stanford joining the conference, there are now six ACC schools with gymnastics programs — far less than a complete tally of all 18 member schools. This suggests that, if Virginia joins in, it will have abundant opportunities to contend for another conference championship.
Unlike football or basketball, there are less than 100 Division I gymnastics programs. Gymnastics is similar to lacrosse in that regard, as it is fairly common to see a program go from its inception to national contention in less than five years. Adding a competitive program could finally boost Williams and company onto the podium of the Director’s Cup.
The Cavaliers are also readily positioned to sponsor gymnastics, as both John Paul Jones Arena and Memorial Gymnasium are capable of hosting a meet because of flexible seating arrangements. Furthermore, a majority of the other ACC schools that compete — North Carolina, NC State, Clemson and Pittsburgh — are easy travel-wise, and the Cavaliers could also host other in-state schools and Washington D.C. area schools for competition.
It is also important to note that most gymnasts do not generate the exuberant Name, Image and Likeness profit that Dunne does. This means a high school senior will very rarely be able to cover the costs of college through gymnastics, so academics and facilities will be meaningful criteria as star recruits consider where to compete. The University is obviously an elite academic institution, and the impending opening of the Olympic Sports Center will cement Virginia’s facilities among the nation’s very best.
The same importance of academics and quality facilities has been a nice recruiting bonus for the swimming and diving program, which is consistently one of the best in the world. Virginia swimming and diving has found recent success and continues to dominate as one of the collegiate powerhouse programs. A Virginia gymnastics team would be well placed to replicate this success. Similarly to swimming and diving, gymnastics has seen very little competitive parity. Since gymnastics became a varsity sport in 1982, all 42 team championships have been claimed by just eight schools.
It is clear that Virginia would likely find great success in gymnastics, but the argument many schools make against adding gymnastics is that — unlike the moneymakers of football and basketball — travel and maintenance expenses of gymnastics greatly surpass any profit from admission or sponsorships.
However, look no further than the Olympics as a counterargument. Once every four years, Americans come together to celebrate absolute domination across a bevy of sporting events on the global stage. Viewership skyrockets for gymnastics, swimming, fencing and other sports that do not typically command the nation’s attention. The Olympics are a shining example of the idea that any sport can become profitable with proper investment.
12.7 million viewers tuned in to NBC and Peacock to watch as Team USA won the gold medal for team gymnastics. The leader of that team, Simone Biles, is one of the greatest gymnasts of all time and makes millions in annual sponsorship deals.
It is also undeniable that there is a market of dedicated fans who support the sport. Dunne’s LSU squad brought in over 60,000 fans across its five home meets in 2023, which is more than national championship games for a handful of other sports. Even for those who may not be diehard fans yet, gymnastics has taken the world by storm with the success story of pommel horse star Stephen Nedoroscik.
With superstars aplenty, this current era of gymnastics is the most booming chapter of the sport’s history since the 1980s, when it first became a varsity sport and international stars pioneered classic moves. The Global Impact Gymnastics Alliance was established just a few months ago, and will begin holding competitions in 2025 as the very first professional women’s gymnastics league. With Dunne and Biles as potential marquee names, gymnastics could very well be at the forefront of a new era of sports — one that Virginia should capitalize on.
Williams has already been at the helm of Virginia Athletics for multiple championships across a variety of programs, but gymnastics could be a highly beneficial new frontier for the Cavaliers. The ACC is entering an unprecedented era of an 18-team Power Four conference, one where newcomers Stanford and California will offer a great challenge to Virginia’s longstanding success in Olympic sports. Adding gymnastics as a varsity sport would allow Virginia to continue being one of the most successful ACC schools. Who wouldn’t love to see the Cavaliers hoist their first varsity gymnastics trophy in the near future?
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