When you’re in the water that much, I think you just end up getting desensitized to it.

I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Teammates going to a corner and openly declaring “don’t come over here I’m peeing.” Coaches literally encouraging it, saying it’s not worth it to get out and miss a set when you can stay in the water: “your urine is just a tiny, minuscule fraction of the total volume anyways”

When you spend that much time in the water with your teammates, it’s no longer an “open secret” that eveyone is doing it. It’s simply open.

"Everyone does it" does not mean "it's harmless".

If you want to see other examples of ubiquitous practices that were treated as harmless and necessary to be competitive and ultimately shown to be incredibly harmful, I would just refer you to {the entire history of competitive and professional sports}.

I did swim team and high school and never peed in the pool. Getting out and dashing to the restroom was not a big deal in any way.

Were you swimming in the pool, or are you a swimmer?

I think that what OP means is "every person who swims competitively pees in the pool during workouts", not "every person who ever goes in a pool pees in the pool".

Yup. It's pretty crazy (and gross) that people think this. People don't have any trouble urinating in the proper place in other contexts.

I don't do it, but I also don't really care if other people do.