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November 25 at 8:36pm by Replica Watches
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November 25 at 8:35pm by Replica Watches
6
I like your style, Devil Dog.

Let results speak for our training, and for why our sport is awesome. But that imparts the responsibility on all of us to carry ourselves as positive role models of the sport, and too many of us don't hold up our ends of the bargain on this both during and after our wrestling careers are over. If wrestling is superior because it makes us superior, we need more wrestlers Acting and Living superior, or your point will forever be lost and the sport will continue to be marginalized.
We need to also be "choke slamming" people at life as well, by virtue of our actions, decisions, and behaviors, if we want our point to get across. There are many who do this, but also many who fall short and do the rest of us a great disservice.
as you say, Let The Best Man Win.
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November 22 at 11:48pm by Rick Addante
31
Who cares if wrestling isn't popular in the public eye. We don't wrestle for public approval. We wrestle because we like combat. We wrestle because we believe that violence solves EVERYTHING. We wrestle because we believe the best man will win and its always a wrestler. So if you get offended when someone tells you wrestling is a gay sport. I challange you to choke slam them and get their new opinion when they awake from their induced slumber.
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November 20 at 5:20pm by Devil Dog
31
Wrestling is a great sport -- my favorite sport -- but let's face it, it's a sport of "aficionados". Either you get it or you don't. But there's plenty of kids to whom it should appeal -- all the kids who aren't supersized genetic freaks, but who possess otherwise extraordinary atheletic ability or work ethic, and have a chip on their shoulder: maybe they can't dunk a basketball, but you still wouldn't want to mess with them in your worst nightmare.

But wrestling is its own worst enemy, truly. I remember in the 90's when Iowa Public TV, which was the only medium recording this extraordinary sport, to which I subscribed religiously, year after year, suddently stopped selling their video-tapes nationwide, without explanation.
My point is, if the attitude is that your sport is the best-kept secret there is, you're gonna' get exactly what you asked for, obscurity. But I don't believe it has to be that way.
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November 20 at 3:42pm by MCW NYC
31
im in high school, and really the main reason wrestling isnt as liked as football and other sports is b/c its a "gay" sport. i cant tell you how many times ive heard "its just 6 minutes of guys rubbing up againstm each other and grabbing each other. i have lost my temper more than once. however, for some reason, many of the "popular" kids wrestle, while the other ones badmouth it every chance they get. in my school at least, wrestling is an enigma.
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November 20 at 3:18pm by chris c
31
I like a lot of this, but the reality is that the wrestling community, by and large, is its own worst enemy.

How often do we hear these old curmudgeons say things like, "they never cared about us before, so we don't need them now"? Or "wrestling isn't about image."
The hell it's not.
Wrestling, in large part, has its issues because the community tends to be very conservative in respect to our outward appearance. Conservative in that we'd be just as happy working out and competing in some damp corner of a half-lit basement away from everyone else or that it is a sport for loners and no one can possibly understand us. Those mentalities are not conduscive to attracting student-athletes and supporters to our sport.
Also, current and former wrestlers need to do a far better job of supporting the sport. We are some cheap bastards, that is for sure. I just went to the Russia vs. USA meet at Wright College in Chicago this past Sunday. With a capacity of 2,500, the meet barely broke 1,000 in attendance on a nice Sunday afternoon less than one week into the season. Two years prior, the same meet took place on a Tuesday night, the week of sectionals during blizzard-like conditions and more than 7,000 people attended that meet. The difference? The first meet two years ago was free. This one was $10 for adults and $5 for kids 18 years and younger. Northwestern is lucky to draw 400 people for a home meet on a Sunday against some of the best teams in the country. I think they charge $5 a head to get in. How do we expect anyone else to support us if we're not willing to do it ourselves first?
One other aspect is that marketing is not the strong suit of most coaches in the wrestling community. I've seen many times where coaches give one effort to promote their programs and when the responses are lack luster they use those situations as the reasons to not put themselves out there again. Marketing yourself is just like anything else in your life, wrestling included; if you're not willing to put in the work to make yourself (or your team) successful, then you will not reap the rewards you want to receive, plain and simple. I cannot think of a single company or institution that has marketed themselves so effectively from their very beginnings that they've almost never had to worry about their image again. Building a successful brand with a consistent following takes time and repeated effort.
This is the perfect opportunity to use the kids on your team as junior marketing personnel within the school. Instead of it all coming from the top down, allow the kids to invite friends, teachers and administrators to the meets and not just spending 30 seconds on the PA once a week during home room. Have those guys, especially your team leaders, make up some sort of invitation to the next home meet so that they can hand them out in the hallways or during lunch time. Teach them to be approachable and to not be afraid to show their passion for the sport. have them go table to table at lunch time to let everyone in the school know that they're welcome to come and that you want them there. This type of social networking could bring in more student-athletes and those athletes have parents who spend money and some may want to be part of your booster. When parents are investing in the school's programs (academic and/or athletic) administrators tend to pay attention to this and want to support such endeavors.
Another point of view is that we need to drop the self-righteous act that wrestling is the toughest sport out there. I'm not saying it isn't top two or three, but to think that other sports like water polo or gymnastics don't require as much out of you is insane. Not that that people in other sports don't have this same attitude, but the pervasive ideology of "you'd never be able to hack it" when sizing up someone who hasn't done the sport certainly does us zero favors.
Finally, we need to give everyone (friends, family, neighbors, school personnel, local elected officials, etc.) every reason to be there in support of wrestling. Again, be open and continue to invite people to these events. Make them fun and interesting. Give the people in the crowd a show. If you do it right, people should begin to feel guilty for NOT wanting to see what it's all about if they've never been there before. You'll certainly not attract everyone when going to find them, but you'll never attract anyone by sitting there expecting them to find you.
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November 20 at 1:09pm by Tom M.
31
Rick, I see where you're coming from. If you're asking what is MY goal- it is to grow the sport- to get more people experiencing it- to get those who are competing to get the recognition and funding that they deserve.
Regarding making money off of the sport, this is a problematic stigma in our sport. We shouldn't villainize anyone making money off of our sport. We are a market based society. Floreani, Hipps, Abbott, Moyer, Brands, Pape and maybe someday again me will make a living off of wrestling. The more people making a living off of the sport the more the market (business) have an interest in making the sport thrive. Of course there are inherent problems with commercialization but we've got a ways to go for that.
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November 20 at 6:39am by Jim Harshaw
31
Thanks for the post! This suggests that we, if possible may focus in sports to avoid boredomness.. Sports is important because it keeps kids off the streets.Sports play a pivotal role in the makeup of a young athlete, especially in the middle school to high school years where student athletes are much more mature and mentally developed. Where else can a young, impressionable youth learn values like discipline, responsibility, self confidence, sacrifice, and accountability? Television, which may be the most influential tool in the lives of young adults, does not show enough of these qualities, nor is it on the Internet, or radio.Trying to be sports-addict? Worth getting short term loans.
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November 20 at 2:59am by Davida Gfg
31
What is the GOAL? Is it to be like Football, NASCAR and UFC? Does that mean that the Goal is commercialization; that the goal is simply to make money off of it?
What is GREAT about this sport, perhaps uniquely so, is that for thousands of year it has Thrived as the everyman's sport that discriminated purely on work ethic, practice, heart, and toughness. It selects against the people who simply want to make money, and instead Selects FOR the people who train/compete for the purity, the honor, discipline, self respect, and are not doing it for a financial motivation; it does not select for those whose desires are for materialism, it does not select for those who want fame, fortune, and self glory, for it is rarely found in wrestling despite being an individual sport at times.

Ask yourself what the goal is? The comparative sports you mentioned are all at the professional level, commercial level. Do you want our sport that commercialized? Do you want people running around, pounding their chests, and jumping on top of cage fences to celebrate themselves when they win, as in the UFC? I would rather see Brock lesnar win an NCAA championship match and walk off the mat, than to see Brock Lesnar win a UFC fight and lose his self respect, dignity, and tarnish the sport by talking about how great he is and making a mockery of the entire sport. This is data that we have seen in the historical record.
What is your goal? Increase participation? This is booming at high school levels. Fight title IX issues? television contracts, and big commercial deals will likely not accomplish this.
I agree with any effort to spread the experence and value of our great sport to everyone, but ask if that is the goal, or if it is just to make wreslting more famous or make us more money, because that will come with a large risk. IF the motivation is in the right place, it will happen; but if the reasons are wrong, I Would predict that it will be taken in the wrong direction.
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November 20 at 1:57am by Rick Addante
31
wrestling is a spectator sport! people who understand wrestling love it! people who don't understand wrestling love it, I brought my friend to a D1 dual one time and he loved it, it was a close dual with a lot of overtime matches, I don't think he got it but he could feel how intense the matches were and got excited by the overtime matches even if some people might think they're "boring" the more you watch the more you'll understand even people who have never wrestled could appreciate a good match just watch flo and you'll see that their is a lot of entertainment. Even in jv or youth wrestling where the wrestlers have little or no experience or even what is going on, those matches can be exciting to watch
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November 19 at 10:03pm by chuck l-p
31
Wrestling411 was trying this.
I'll get Joe Baranik to unleash some of his promo ideas on us. In the meantime you can checkout/subscribe to his magazine. Won national publication of the year last year.
http://www.gobanana.com/pwn/
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November 19 at 9:30pm by Jim Harshaw
31
well if u think about it...wrestling is the most common sport...brothers around the same age wrestle each other n tackle eachother...if ur w friends like me, u also wresle each other to blow off steam n stress sometimes....n dnt talk bad about wrestling either..."its gay guy on guy" no its not/...wrestle a state champ then ull c y this is the hardest college n high school"olympic sport"
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November 19 at 9:26pm by Anonymous Coward
31
Has anyone asked Gable?
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November 19 at 8:39pm by dfranks
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i definitely agree.... i would watch that show every week!
showing highlights of exciting takedowns and scrambles will also help get spectator attention to the sport.
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November 19 at 8:31pm by Anonymous Coward
31
#14 CV, I think your on the right track. If it's on regularly with clips and explinations I can see alot of people getting excited. Some one talk to ESPN, Who knows someone??
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November 19 at 8:26pm by kway
31
I LIKE IT COACH
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November 19 at 5:43pm by RUBEN
31
any links to these..."Joe Baranik of St. Andrews Wrestling and PA Wrestling Newsletter has some AMAZING promotional ideas."
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November 19 at 4:18pm by Anonymous Coward
31
Overall Great article. Well Put.
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November 19 at 3:50pm by Cy Wainwright
31
This is a very serious suggestion: can we get some different announcers for wrestling events? Whoever ESPN has is not cutting it. Martin Floreani, Mark Bader, and Joe Williamson need to produce a weekly show for ESPN. Even if it is a half-hour long "weekend update" that had a match of the week, some interviews, dual recaps, maybe a countdown of top ten dirty takedowns...it would be the best 30 minutes on tv, even if it was on ESPN 2 or ESPN U
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November 19 at 11:23am by CV
31
Good points Tony. I personally like the battle of shape (will) but great technique is a thing of beauty.
I think we can do more with the rules to make it more exciting too. So can other sports so we can't let it hold us back in the meantime.
Joe Baranik of St. Andrews Wrestling and PA Wrestling Newsletter has some AMAZING promotional ideas.
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November 19 at 10:39am by Jim Harshaw
31
Wrestling is not a spectator sport . I think if we changed our main style to freestyle that would help. College wrestling can be really boring. Not the NCAA tourney, but your average meet can be. Taking off the riding time point would help, who wants to watch someone try to ride a guy a whole period. I also think it would help if it was less of a battle of shape and more of a battle of skill.
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November 19 at 10:24am by Tony
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im a wrestler and i think wrestling should be everywhere i play football and its by far way more intense and exciting than catching a ball and running
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November 19 at 8:17am by Alonzo Grant
31
I DEF AGREE WITH TOMMY ROWLANDS!!!

We have to promote the sport. This is my 3rd season as an high school head coach. I promote wrestling soooo much. This school didnt know what wrestling was. I have signs up all around in my county. We have even started a mini program. Our fan base is insane. There are people who come out of town to just watch.
SOOOOO PEOPLE.....ITS POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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November 19 at 7:21am by Carmine Davis
31
I haven't heard 5, and to some extent, people can keep wrestling (competitively or otherwise) for as long as their body will allow.
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November 19 at 5:43am by Anonymous Coward
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You're missing about 10 more excuses
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November 19 at 4:32am by Journeymen
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vegas and the power of the dollar plays a bigger role than you think.
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November 19 at 3:03am by tiny perspective
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Amen, Jim. The old guard only saw the limitations of wrestling. They never truly appreciated or believed that wrestling is the most exciting sport in the world. Instead they put wrestling on its knees by asking for charity saying "our society NEEDS wrestling" without understanding the basic American principle: Americans only need what they want.

Get off your knees and make Your community WANT wrestling. There isnt a better product out there.
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November 18 at 9:38pm by Martin Floreani
31
If Tommy Rowlands says it, I agree...
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November 18 at 7:44pm by Stalker
31
very true in all aspects, lets try and use the media to get fans involed, look at iowa and okie state huge wrestling towns because they involve the average people that dont follow it. Thats how you build a tradition,
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November 18 at 7:33pm by co wrestler
31