The NCAA gymnastics season is here. With Team USA getting back their crown in Paris 2024, this year is expected to be a big one. There’s a buzz around the young gymnast to go above and beyond their limits to prove themselves worthy. After all, the preparations for the LA2028 Olympics are already underway. Unfortunately for the athletes, despite going all in, their efforts might not have been rewarded in an apt manner. Thanks to the somewhat complicated scoring from the NCAA judges. And this is not a surprise at all. 

The growing discontent regarding the scoring method of the NCAA judges has been under fire for a long time now. Looking at the standards of judging, former Florida star Kennedy Baker lashed out at the entire system. The SEC specialist spoke to ESPN in March 2024, delving into the issues. Voicing her displeasure, Baker mentioned that she would rate the judges a 6 for their scoring. Baker even vouched for the review of the entire judgment program to ensure uniformity. 

And while these were some harsh words, the actual scenario has pretty much remained the same. The NCAA season began a couple of days ago. And that has proved to be enough for the critics to come out yet again. In a video uploaded on X by an account named ‘@allthingsnastix,’ the NCAA scoring was put under the radar once again. Reposting a vault routine, the user seems frustrated at how the judges awarded her 9.95 points. Next up, there were claims for disparity in the judging system too. 

In a January 5, 2025 update on X, an account named ‘D.C. UTE’ criticized the judges for overscoring the SEC athletes. “Seems pretty clear @NCAA @InsideGym changes in NCAA Gymnastics scoring is still only affecting West Coast teams while these judges are still over scoring the @SEC,” wrote the user. And this has been a serious concern that has also attracted the eyes of the iconic coach, Cecile Landi. While she has made her transition to NCAA coaching, Landi has given a strong take on the controversial matter. 

Landi opined in a May 13, 2024, episode of the ‘All Things Gymnastics’ podcast that the awarding of perfect 10s is quite baffling. On one hand, gymnasts, who risk their bodies to perform one-and-a-half twists, seldom get a 10. On the contrary, relatively simple routines on apparatuses such as the balance beam often find athletes getting perfect 10s easily. Surely, it is quite common for the fans to become agitated and call out the confusing scoring system in the NCAA. 

NCAA scoring gets a stick from the fans

As soon as the video of the gymnast getting 9.95 went viral, the fans could not help but flock to the comment section. They expressed their disappointment and hit back at the NCAA scoring system. 

A comment from a disappointed fan reflected frustration with the perceived unfairness and inconsistency in NCAA gymnastics judging. The controversies surrounding the scoring system forced the user to write, “i’ve seen enough abolish ncaa gymnastics TODAY.” 

Another commenter shared their personal opinion and accused the NCAA judges of bias. They even suggested that scoring changes disproportionately affect West Coast teams while favoring SEC athletes. Their X post read, “Seems pretty clear @NCAA @InsideGym changes in NCAA Gymnastics scoring is still only affecting West Coast teams while these judges are still over scoring the @SEC”.  Fans are pretty dissatisfied with scoring disparities, over-scoring for some teams, and under-scoring for complex routines. Such a sentiment also echoes broader discontent voiced by athletes, critics, and coaches, who have criticized the system’s lack of uniformity and transparency.

One X user criticized the NCAA gymnastics system, emphasizing poor marketing, lack of accessible scoring updates, and inadequate broadcasting options, which force teams to stream meets themselves. They mentioned, “Sorry to my oomfs who don’t follow along with ncaa gymnastics but the american gold classic should never be around after this year. poor marketing, poor score updates and no where to watch the damn meets so now the teams have to livestream themselves…”.

“I’ve decided to try embracing negativity by rooting against every NCAA gymnastics team,” read another comment. It highlights the frustration of netizens with the perceived unfairness and inconsistency in NCAA gymnastics scoring. By mentioning that they want to root against every team, it throws light on their disillusionment with the system, rather than targeting specific athletes or schools. Furthermore, it highlights the growing dissatisfaction among fans, who feel the scoring lacks transparency and uniformity, as evidenced by viral debates over overscored routines and accusations of bias toward SEC teams.

Another fan’s words highlighted inconsistencies in NCAA gymnastics scoring. They acknowledge that some judging is fair but criticize its inconsistency across teams and events. “accurate for the most part but some seem overly strict, and my issue is that I don’t trust it will be consistent across ncaa (even just looking at Utah home scoring last night),” read the comment. Specifically, they refer to Utah’s home meet, suggesting potential bias or leniency in scoring for home teams, further fueling concerns about uniformity and fairness in the NCAA judging system.

One gymnastics enthusiast appeared skeptical as they referred to the NCAA’s scoring system, suggesting any reasonable scoring seen now is temporary. Given past criticisms of inconsistency and bias, the fan implies that judges may revert to their usual practices of over-scoring or unfair evaluations within a few weeks, frustrating athletes and fans alike. The commenter’s words read, “Gonna give this reasonable scoring in NCAA gym max 3 weeks, then it’ll go back to normal.”

While another netizen took a sarcastic approach to question the fairness of the NCAA judges. The fan’s personal opinions suggested that they believed biases were dictating the scores. The netizen stated, “Was the strict scoring in the room with us during LSU’s floor?”. Referring to LSU’s floor routine, they suggest it might have been overscored compared to the stricter evaluations seen elsewhere.

Echoing a similar thought, another fan too hinted at how they feel the scoring for the NCAA athletes in the very first week this season doesn’t seem justified and satisfactory. Moreover, they feel that several athletes have been underscored. The fan mentioned, “seemingly being a bit harsher in this first week let’s keep that energy throughout the whole season judges!!”

Well, it seems things are going a bit rough in the NCAA gymnastics realm at the moment. Thus, it will be interesting to see how the higher-ups cope with the rising wave of discontent in the future.