Swimming has no bench sitters.
There are no bench sitters because all meets are by age-group and are arranged by entry times.  All swimmers can compete in a USA meet.

Swimming is healthy.
It has been shown that it is the best sport for overall conditioning of the body.  Swimming provides cardiovascular fitness, muscular fitness, and increased flexibility.

Swimming provides self-discipline.
All swimmers must develop an inner sense of discipline to devote themselves to practice and to race.

Swimming is a direct reward system.
The harder you work, the greater your reward—improved times in practice and time drops at meet.  It can be addictive to push yourself to see how fast you can go.  The time clock is an objective judge of the result. 

Swimming teaches the relationship between team and individual.
Swimming teaches people to work with others at practice during the sets and for motivation/encouragement during the rest.

Swimming teaches organization.
Swimmers have to organize their day to fit in all the life activities they want. Swimmers are almost always better students when they are training and competing.

Swimming teaches people how to win, to lose with grace, and to develop a personal philosophy that will make them long-term successes in life.  Swimmers learn to evaluate their efforts, set goals, and the value of achievements from hard work.