Paris 2024 was historic for the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics in more ways than one. Team USA won their first team and individual Olympic bronze medal thanks to Stephen Nedoroscik, Frederick Ricard, Brody Malone, and others. Yet, despite the revival of USA gymnastics on the Olympic stage, Ohio State University announced the end of its athletic scholarships for men’s gymnastics.

The news devastated advocates of the sport such as Nedoroscik and his teammates. “Yet again, another step backwards for MGYM.” Nedoroscik wrote on X. However, after the gradual decline of the sport, ESPN has answered the gymnasts’ calls. The broadcast giant has announced massive changes for next year’s NCAA gymnastics season.

“New to ESPN platforms this year is the 2025 NCAA National Collegiate Men’s Gymnastics Championship live from the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.” ESPN announced in their press release. With the addition of NCAA Men’s Gymnastics coverage and increased overall broadcast hours, 2025 promises to be a landmark year for gymnastics on national television.

Besides the regular season coverage, ESPN will broadcast and stream “60 meets featuring teams from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC,” across the network’s platforms. What’s more? Women’s gymnastics, which already receives extensive coverage, will get “nearly 100 hours,” from the NCAA Championships alone.

The positive announcement comes after Stephen Nedoroscik has repeatedly voiced his opinion on the decline of men’s gymnastics in the U.S. “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,” he added on the Ohio State situation.

However, his biggest gesture for gymnastics was on the Dancing with the Stars stage. The Olympic double bronze medalist used ‘Dedication Night’ on Season 33, to dedicate his performance to the sport. “I wanted to make that a point because the sport itself has been slowly dying… to make sure this sport not only is surviving but thriving,” said Nedoroscik. Thankfully, the Massachusetts native isn’t alone in his crusade.

Stephen Nedoroscik is one of many fighting for Men’s Gymnastics

“Since like the 1980s NCAA programs have been dropping,” said Team USA’s Pommel Horse Guy after his DWTS performance. If you’re wondering just how much men’s gymnastics programs have declined, here are the numbers. In 1981, the NCAA had 59 programs across Division 1 colleges. Today, that number has decreased to just 12, which means a 79.6% decrease.

GymTernet blog founder Lauren Hopkins has a similarly grim story to tell when she spoke to TODAY. “There are so few opportunities outside of the Olympics and NCAA scholarships that it’s hard to keep kids in the spot,” said Hopkins. However, today’s gymnastics stars are doing everything they can for the sport. Stephen Nedoroscik’s teammate Frederick Richard continues to promote men’s gymnastics on social media.

What started as the gymnast sharing a few clips during the COVID-19 pandemic has turned into a movement to draw eyes to his sport. In an interview with NPR, the Olympic medalist explained how his goal is to help men’s gymnastics become a should sport in the USA. With over 1.5 million followers across social media, the Olympian has done well so far.

However, there are signs that men’s gymnastics can make a strong comeback. The recently concluded second edition of the Gold Over America Tour included Team USA’s men for the first time. During the grand tour of over 30 cities, stars such as Brody Malone, Fred Richard, Yul Moldauer, and others inspired fans across the nation.

Now ESPN is ready to provide a huge boost moving forward. “I’d love to see this sport do a 180 and start growing popularity in the United States,” Stephen Nedoroscik said while appearing on the Mythical Kitchen. Maybe ESPN helping the sport reach more American households will get the ball rolling.