Men’s gymnastics is changing, and the icons of the sport are leading the way. While women’s gymnastics witnessed a remarkable rise in popularity, men’s gymnastics lacked quite significantly. With the likes of Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, and Suni Lee claiming medals on the biggest stage, the men’s team was deprived of an Olympic medal for 16 years. Fortunately, things started to change with Brody Malone and Co. winning the Olympic bronze in Paris. 

With news coming in about a rising trend in young male gymnasts opting for lessons, the dynamics have begun to shift. And thankfully, taking the biggest initiatives are Fred Richard and Brody Malone. Apart from performing inside the gymnasium, Richard had always been enthusiastic about spreading awareness among younger generations about taking up gymnastics as a sport. 

Fred Richard wants to revolutionize male gymnastics 

Fred Richard started posting videos on his TikTok account during the lockdown period in COVID. His videos soon became viral, and people began to take notice of Richard. Such popularity made Richard realize that he could use his popularity to spread discipline to the greater masses. A glance at Richard’s Instagram and TikTok will reveal that he has a whopping 900,000 followers.

Speaking about using his fame to encourage the younger generations to take up gymnastics, Fred Richard stated, “Social media really provides a big opportunity for a sport like mine, to let more people know me, my story, and my sport… I really wanted to show the athleticism gymnasts have.” Richard is also expected to join Simone Biles on her ‘Gold Over America’ tour. This will further provide the opportunity for Richard to go ahead with his quest. 

However, it is not only Fred Richard who is concerned with the expansion of men’s gymnastics. American gymnast Yul Moldauer has also questioned whether men’s gymnastics get an equal share of attention as their female counterparts. 

Yul Moldauer wants to popularize men’s gymnastics 

After achieving significant success in gymnastics, Yul Moldauer is looking beyond. He wants more and more young males to sign up for the sport and increase the exposure that the men’s discipline is currently lacking. Speaking about the huge disparity between men’s and women’s gymnastics, Moldauer stated, “It’s big if you’re a girl, but if you’re a guy, you get zero attention. It’s always been in my mind throughout the years: ‘Why isn’t men’s gymnastics as popular?’”

He further stated that men’s gymnastics has a higher amount of apparatus than women’s. Yet, a large chunk of the female fans are ignorant of the terms and names of men’s apparatuses. Moldauer also pointed out the impeccable success of female gymnasts on the world stage compared to that of men. Trying to find a solution, Moldauer said, “It is really important that we bring hardware back so people start to look at men’s gymnastics as a sport that you can be successful in.”

Thus, with incentives being taken by the icons, it can be hoped that the men’s discipline will now witness a major change in attention. Adding to the glory, the Olympics witnessed male gymnasts win a medal after a long time. With hopes being ignited, the future is definitely looking promising for USA men’s gymnastics.