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50 Most-Read and Most-Commented SwimSwam Articles of 2020

It’s time for the annual ritual of sharing the most-read and most-commented-on SwimSwam articles of 2020.

Normally, these lists are dominated by ‘live meet coverage,’ from European Championships or World Championships, or Olympic Games, or Pan Pac Championships. And, usually, it’s not even close.

There wasn’t those same highlight moments in 2020 as there have been in previous years. Yes, the ISL did provide some big moments, but no live event in 2020 was able to match the tenor of previous years.

But that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t moments that captured the attention of the swimming community. Many of them revolved around the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – cancellations, coronavirus, how to stay safe for coronavirus, and how to stay in shape when you couldn’t swim because of coronavirus.

It was mostly bad news that led the way in 2020 – a fitting motif for a year that was hard for most people. But there were moments of hope. Excitement over reopening pools, and an unprecedented opportunity to learn from some of the best, like American swimmer Caeleb Dressel, who were willing to share insights into their routines during the shutdown.

SwimSwam history was also made in 2020: one of our top 50 most-read articles was from one of our foreign-language sites, SwimSwam Italia, by Giusy Cisale.

Here’s to hoping we can capture more of those highs in 2021, but maybe without quite as low-of-lows.

Below, find 2 tables – the most-read articles of 2020, and the most-commented-on articles of 2020.

SwimSwam’s Most-Read Articles of 2020

# Article
1 What’s Known About Chlorine’s Impact On Coronavirus
2 April Fools: FINA Votes for Dramatic Post-Olympic Changes to Breaststroke
3 In Retirement, Olympian Missy Franklin Can Now Barely Swim
4 Editorial: Coronavirus Can’t Take Your Season Away
5 Free Online Yoga Classes for Swimmers
6 University of Michigan Swimmer Ian Miskelley Dies
7 Indiana Club Swimmer Dies in Triple Homicide-Suicide
8 2003 Worlds Silver Medalist Kevin Clements Diagnosed with Rare Form of Leukemia
9 East Carolina Athletics Director Issues Tearful Apology Over Cutting Programs
10 William & Mary Plagiarized Stanford’s Release When Announcing Cut of Swimming
11 YMCA Short Course Nationals Canceled For First Time Since 1947
12 Coley Stickels Leaves Alabama after 18 Months; Will be Replaced by Margo Geer
13 Iowa To Cut Women’s & Men’s Swimming & Diving After 2020-2021 Season
14 In Memory of Fran Crippen
15 2020 ISL Final – Day 1 Live Recap
16 Olympic Champion Sun Yang Handed 8-Year Ban Over Vial-Smashing Incident
17 State-By-State Coronavirus Pool Reopening Index
18 2020 ISL Match 1 – Day 1 Live Recap (Updated With Times)
19 Dartmouth Cutting Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving Teams
20 Arizona St. Will Redshirt Entire Swimming Roster for 2020-2021 NCAA Season
21 USA Swimming “Strongly Recommends” Cancelling All Meets Due to Coronavirus
22 Sun Yang Posts Unfiltered Response in The Wake of His 8-Year Doping Ban
23 USA Swimming Releases Guidelines On Reopening Facilities
24 2020 ISL Match 1 – Day 2 Live Recap
25 US National Team Member Erica Sullivan Decommits from USC
26 Iowa Football Coaches Receive Raises After School Cuts Swimming Programs
27 What the Guidelines for Nationwide Reopening Mean for Swimming
28 Swimmers React to 2020 NCAA Championships Cancellation
29 Criteria Nazionali Giovanili 2020: I Tempi Limite Di Tutte Le Categorie
30 Daily Dryland Swimming Workouts #1
31 Caeleb Dressel Shares “Quarantine Core Circuit” (Video)
32 2019-2020 NCAA Cuts Released; 50 Free ‘A’ Cut Ventures Into The 18s
33 2020 ISL Grand Final – Day 2 Live Recap
34 (UPDATED) 3 of the United States’ Largest Swim Clubs Suspend Training
35 Michael Phelps: “I Would Have Straight Punted” Had The 2012 OLY Been Postponed
36 2020 International Swimming League Match 1: All the Links You Need
37 Top 20 NCAA Swimming Recruits In the Boys High School Class of 2021
38 CDC Releases New Guidelines for Pools to Follow as they Re-open
39 USA Swimming Releases Age Group Motivational Times for 2021-2024
40 11-Year Old Ohio Swimmer Fighting for Her Life After Collapsing on Pool Deck
41 Way Too Early Recruit Ranks: Girls High School Class of 2022
42 NCAA Alleges “Lack of Head Coach Control” against Arizona’s Augie Busch
43 Police Called As Scottish Swimming Video Workout ‘Zoom Bombed’
44 13-Year Old Erika Pelaez Becomes Youngest Qualifier for 2020 US Olympic Trials
45 USA Swimming Announces Last Chance Trials Qualifier; Pending COVID-19 Status
46 2020 ISL Match 5 – Day 1 Live Recap
47 2020 ISL Match 4 – Day 1 Live Recap
48 Caeleb Dressel Smashes 100 IM World Record To Become First Man Sub-50
49 Daily Dryland Swimming Workouts #4
50 China Re-Closes Gyms and Pools in Beijing Due to Second Wave of Coronavirus

SwimSwam’s Most-Commented Articles of 2020

# Article Comments
1 2020 ISL Grand Final – Day 2 Live Recap 456
2 Coley Stickels Leaves Alabama after 18 Months; Will be Replaced by Margo Geer 436
3 19.6/44.3 Sprinter Jack Blake Retires from Swimming, Will Stay at Alabama 340
4 2020 ISL Final – Day 1 Live Recap 284
5 2020 ISL Match 1 – Day 2 Live Recap 227
6 Arizona St. Will Redshirt Entire Swimming Roster for 2020-2021 NCAA Season 220
7 2020 ISL Match 1 – Day 1 Live Recap (Updated With Times) 213
8 2020 ISL Match 5 – Day 1 Live Recap 192
9 20 Swimmer Stereotypes We Love and Hate 189
10 SwimSwam’s Top 20 Swimmers of the 2010s 188
11 Top 10 Men’s Swimmers Who Never Won an Olympic Gold Medal 186
12 2020 ISL Semifinal #2 – Day 2 Live Recap 183
13 Iowa To Cut Women’s & Men’s Swimming & Diving After 2020-2021 Season 181
14 2020 Pro Swim Series – Des Moines: Day 2 Finals Live Recap 176
15 USA Swimming to Follow IOC’s Transgender Policies for Summer Junior Nationals 170
16 NCAA Cancels Remaining Winter and Spring Champs; DII Swim & Dive Ends Midway 169
17 Former HS Coach Says He Was Fired After Comparing Black Lives Matter to the KKK 163
18 2020 Pro Swim Series – Des Moines: Day 3 Finals Live Recap 163
19 April Fools: FINA Votes for Dramatic Post-Olympic Changes to Breaststroke 161
20 New Ryan Lochte Doc Paints Sympathetic Picture, But Raises Deeper Questions 161
21 2020 ISL Match 4 – Day 1 Live Recap 160
22 Olympic Champion Sun Yang Handed 8-Year Ban Over Vial-Smashing Incident 154
23 The Olympics That Would Have Been: Dressel, Chalmers Have Epic Day 5 Showdown 153
24 Olympic Odds: Each Swimmer’s Probability Of Winning Gold In Tokyo 152
25 2020 Pro Swim Series – Des Moines: Day 4 Finals Live Recap 151
26 The Time Has Come For The US To Join The Rest Of The World And Race Meters 147
27 YMCA Short Course Nationals Canceled For First Time Since 1947 147
28 Sources: Texas A&M Swimmers Among Positive COVID-19 Cases 145
29 Notre Dame Associate Head Coach April Jensen Won’t Return Next Season 142
30 The Olympics That Would Have Been: Smith, Murphy & King Lead U.S. Gold Rush 139
31 NCAA Won’t Allow Fans To Attend Upcoming Championship Events 131
32 The Olympics That Would Have Been: Milak Soars, Hosszu Defends On Day 4 131
33 2020 ISL Semifinal #2 – Day 1 Live Recap 131
34 Energy Standard GM Resigns, Puts Grigorishin On Blast In Open Letter 130
35 Report: Ivy League Expected to Push All Fall Sports to Spring 2021 125
36 William & Mary To Cut 7 Sports, Including Swimming, After 2020-2021 124
37 2020 SEC Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap 121
38 Jason Memont Out as Head Coach at UNCW after 6 Seasons 121
39 Ranking the 2020 Men’s NCAA Recruiting Classes: #1-4 120
40 Swimmers Sent Home as US Olympic Training Center Shut Down by State Order 120
41 Dartmouth Cutting Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving Teams 119
42 Stanford to Cut 11 Varsity Olympic Sports, Including Synchronized Swimming 119
43 East Carolina Cuts Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving, Effective Immediately 118
44 Top 20 NCAA Swimming Recruits In the Boys High School Class of 2021 117
45 2020 ISL Match 4 – Day 2 Live Recap 117
46 2020 ISL Semifinal #1 – Day 1 Live Recap 117
47 YMCA of the USA Cancels 2021 Short Course and Long Course Nationals 116
48 D3 Powerhouse Kenyon Among the Latest Wave to Cancel Fall College Athletics 116
49 Top NCAA Men’s Swimming Recruits Of The Past Decade 114
50 2020 SEC Championships: Day 5 Finals Live Recap 113

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PsychoDad
3 years ago

Now Braden, do top 20 articles about Longhorns with largest number of downvotes on PsychoDad posts. I am proud of those.

Col. Trautman
3 years ago

Can we see data on which commentator garnered the most up/down votes on SwimSwam? I can guess the two commentators who received the most down votes in the last year…

Last edited 3 years ago by Col. Trautman
Guerra
3 years ago

My question is… Has Coley done what I once thought was impossible and supplanted “The GOAT”, Ray Looze as the #1 villain on SwimSwam?

HueD
Reply to  Guerra
3 years ago

Nah, but Margo has.

PsychoDad
Reply to  HueD
3 years ago

I wonder if it was a Mark instead of Margo, would it cause a similar uproar? Would people still be upset or support “young coach that got a chance to be a head coach early in his life?” Women are always better and I will give Margo a chance. Plus she is very tall.

Ghost
Reply to  HueD
3 years ago

Not sure the villain is Margo but more so AD Byrne!!

GottaluvColey’smess
3 years ago

The Coley effect…

Swim fan
3 years ago

Coley = GOAT

Khachaturian
3 years ago

Any more analysis done on the chlorine effect on the Coronavirus?

sggs
3 years ago

coley stickles article already second most comments in a couple days, not bad…

MX4x50relay
Reply to  sggs
3 years ago

My thoughts exactly

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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