I'm not sure what to make of the criticism of the team from Gaines, Lochte and Phelps. Clearly, there are leadership issues at USA Swimming - regardless of who is the acting CEO, who thought it was a good idea to book the training camp in a country known for contaminated food, communicable illness and general disorder? - but they also questioned members' training habits and sense of entitlement in a way that I'm not sure is fair.
The reality is, for probably the first time in my lifetime, the best male and female swimmers in the world are not from the US. Plus, men's swimming is much more competitive than it ever has been. (Women's swimming remains, for the most part, a US-Australia dual meet.) And, the US swimming community seemed to understand in their heads but not their hearts at the Olympics and going in to this year's Worlds that the men's team is between generations.
Ultimately, I'm very optimistic for the men's team at the next worlds and the LA games. (The resulys from the World University Games were outstanding.) The women's team will keep on keeping on as long as Walsh, Douglass, Ledecky, Smith, et al keep swimming and so long that China doesn't find any more 12 year old superheroes.