Olympic Medalist Gymnastics Star Makes Bold Call Following Empty Stands for Stephen Nedoroscik & Co. Sparse crowds at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships spark a bold response from an Olympic medalist o

The 2025 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships promised a showcase of Olympic-level talent in New Orleans, yet the stands inside the Smoothie King Center told a different story. Despite the presence of four members from the historic medal-winning men’s team in Paris, swaths of empty seats stood out more than the routines on the floor. Even with the women’s field featuring Hezly Rivera aiming to rebound from a difficult U.S. Classic, large sections of the arena remained unoccupied. The atmosphere, captured in photographs posted by Inside Gymnastics Magazine, revealed a turnout far below expectations for a national event of this magnitude.

The Smoothie King Center holds nearly 18,000 spectators, but attendance appeared to hover around 20 to 30 percent of capacity. Fans were scattered in sma