Every Olympic swimming final has a moment, usually in the final fifteen meters, where the voice on your television is almost as important as the actual race. The world record’s screaming, cracking pitch half-breathless call. If you’ve watched any Olympic final in the last 20 years, you can probably identify that voice as belonging to a swimming commentator, such as Rowdy Gaines or Dan Hicks.
For the past eight Games, Hicks and Gaines have co-called Olympic swimming for NBC. Their collaboration is so long-standing that it almost feels natural. Hicks brings the play-by-play precision, the kind of voice that can shift from measured calm to absolute chaos in the space of a single lap.
The instinct of someone who has truly stood on those blocks, felt the sting of chlorine heard the starter’s beep reverberate off arena walls is something that Gaines, a three-time Olympic gold medalist himself, brings. It’s possible that no other commentary team in any sport has dominated an Olympic event as much as these two have dominated swimming.
The nature of swimming itself makes commentary on the sport especially challenging. Races are brief, frequently lasting less than two minutes. There are no commercial timeouts, halftime, or instant replay breaks. In addition to identifying stroke technique from a wide overhead camera angle and reading split times in real time.
The commentator must manage to create narrative tension while the action moves at a speed that virtually eliminates room for error. Gaines’ voice rises with a mixture of knowledge and sincere disbelief as he calls the last ten meters like someone watching a car accident in slow motion. It probably works because it never quite feels practiced.
More than 150 commentators participated in NBC’s wider Olympic coverage in Paris their combined medal total of 90 Olympic medals 59 of which were gold would have surpassed that of the majority of national delegations in Tokyo. That roster is astounding. Apart from the spectacle of primetime studio shows and celebrity guest spots, the swimming booth has always felt like its own ecosystem.
While Kelly Clarkson joined Mike Tirico on the primetime stage and Snoop Dogg explored Parisian landmarks, Hicks and Gaines were waiting for the finals session to start while sitting poolside with headsets on and watching warm-up laps. The swimming commentary crew seems to have a quiet seniority that is unmistakably necessary rather than ostentatious or attention-seeking.
For a few races in Paris, Michael Phelps joined Hicks and Gaines in the booth; his presence added a layer that is difficult to duplicate. Phelps, who has won 28 Olympic medals, including 23 gold, does more than simply analyze swimming; he tells the story from the perspective of the swimmer. You could practically feel the water’s temperature when he discussed race strategy or the pressure of a final.
It’s still unclear if Phelps will provide commentary in the long run, his appearances offered viewers a unique opportunity to witness the greatest swimmer in history describe, in real time, what it’s like to chase a wall while everyone is watching.
Two-time Olympic swimmer Elizabeth Beisel worked as a correspondent and analyst next to the main booth, offering a viewpoint that enhanced the Hicks-Gaines dynamic without overpowering it. Melissa Stark, a sideline reporter for Sunday Nite Football on NBC, made a comeback to the pool deck for her second Olympics, having previously covered swimming in Athens in 2004.
It’s difficult to ignore how NBC has put together a swimming team that, while not always flawlessly balancing traditional voices with new energy, has enough diversity to cover a sport that requires both technical expertise and emotional presence.
Seldom do swimming commentators receive the same level of recognition as primetime anchors or studio hosts. The person calling the 200-meter butterfly is not the focus of any marketing campaign. Pay attention the next time a swimmer comes into contact with the wall and the voice on your screen shifts from a shout to a prayer. That voice, which is most likely Rowdy Gaines, spent years learning how to be in that precise moment.