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Wrestling Blogs - Martin Floreani

The Real Worst Call In Wrestling

January 30, 2009

If you have ever flown Jet Blue they do a pretty good job, and have a sick terminal at JFK, (an airport that usually is a nightmare.) Furthermore they have satellite TV free for every passenger. Pretty cool, except that plane trips are my most effecient way to get work done without any phone calls interrupting me.

So Im ready to get to work on a real productive flight when I see someone flip through their tv out of the corner of my eye and I see two wrestlers. It was lightning quick and I dont think a normal person could have even registered them, but Im keen to seeing anything wrestling.

Problem is we are on the runway and I cant get my head phones!!!! I turn my tv to the channel and Im watching Escobedo get upset at home vs Pataky and I cant control myself. Man that was exciting!! I start announcing the next match (in my head) as if Im doing the announcing..."And Penn State gets another takedown!....they go out of bounds" Im getting pumped. Im really edgy now and want my headphones but Im caught, cant get up until we are in the air! Damn!!!

Finally we are in the air, we arent suppose to get up YET but I get up and scramble for my head phones before the stuartess sees me, (she does see me but couldnt care less) ...Got em, go back into my seat and hurry to put my headphones in the jack.

When I plug them in I hear Tim Johnson and Ken Chertow commentating and the first thing I hear is "why the wrestler with his head in the mat is not in a good position" DUH, any youth wrestler knows that. They went on announcing this dual like it was the first time I was watching wrestling. They went on dumbing down wrestling for the next 3 matches. Furthermore they are talking about everything but the details of the match. They talk about this or that and are talking about the mat in generalities and dont hesitate to talk about random stuff like how Ken Chertow got taught something from Doug Blubaugh?!! What? we got a sweet match going on. I can understand a little color commentating, but 95% is NOT about the things actually happening on the mat. They were there trying to show everybody how much they know. No play by play.

I then go and do an experiment and walk to the back of the plane and slowly move towards the front. I look at every TV along the way and see if anybody else is watching this dual...no..no...no...about 100 tvs till I get to my seat without seeing another passenger watching the dual. Whats the point? The only person watching wrestling was a wrestling fan- ME. So I was being succombed to listening to two people diluting the dual and BSing with eachother for 30 minutes before I even start to channel surf.

Please Ken Chertow and Tim Johnson I dont want to hear how wrestling numbers are growing on the youth level in the middle of a freaking big ten match. I dont want to see TV graphics on how many points a takedown is. Are you kidding me?! You think someone is going to sit down and really want to learn how wrestling works by just happening to click over to it on TV? Do you know how short people's attention span is these days? You must live in 1952.

Im the only person watching out of a 100 people on this plane and as I write this you cant even keep me interested! Stop trying to convince mainstream how cool our sport is because guess what? They are watching Family Guy! If you dont like wrestling too bad!!

This is the most exciting sport in the world. . Im probably the biggest wreslting fan of all time and you are turning me off! If you cant keep your core audience interested than you have nothing. STOP diluting our sport, you are only boring the real fans and turning us off. Ken and Tim, if you cant change then Big Ten please hire someone new,

Post a Comment

#54	Yep February 23 at 3:57pm Flo I love it. Hit the nail on the head. reply
#53	Watched As Well February 3 at 11:58am Martin...Did you ever think maybe a producer is telling them they need to reach out to the casual fan or the person who knows nothing about wrestling. The wrestling fan is going to pretty much watch anyways. I am sure they have to keep a balance throughout. reply
#52	Fan February 3 at 10:34am Martin...You might have the biggest ego in wrestling right now. reply
#51	Wrestling Fan February 1 at 7:26pm I think Ken Chertow does a great job but needs a better partner. If you want to hear what 2 good anouncers sound like calling a dual, listen to Kyle Klingman and Jason Bryant on the call for Friday night’s epic #1 vs. #2 with Augsburg vs.Wartburg on wrestling411or KSPI-FM radio Stillwater with Rex Holt and Roger Moore calling the action for Oklahoma State wrestling reply
#50	Captive Audience February 1 at 4:14pm Say Martin, I know a great flight attendant on Jet Blue, and I bet that if you asked her to give a plug for the wrestling site, then you could get the whole plane to watch and then follow up with a quick survey as all are getting off the plane. Then you'd have responses.....maybe somewhat uneducated about wrestling....but responses that would be valuable feedback. Just a thought. I know you are not always so harsh and can be rather charming at times.....so use that charm the next time you are on Jet Blue.....if you want the Flight Attendant's name, I'll email you later. reply
#49	Watcher February 1 at 1:49pm I agree that the explaining that goes on at nationals and other broadcasts is lame. What brings people back to the sport is highlights and execution under pressure. We need more of that and less explaining. People don't fail to watch wrestling because they don't understand it. They fail to watch it because they don't like it and don't find it engaging. Having said that, I usually like Chertow. He's miles ahead of Blatnick. reply
#48	"WHAT WHAT WHAT" February 1 at 11:31am yea martin you're up there as the worst announcer of all time reply
#47	Glass Houses February 1 at 9:02am There's an old sayaing....people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.....Martin may have broken a few rules of professional etiquette; Martin may have stepped on a few toes; Martin may have backed himself into a corner; Martin also may have sparked a little more interest in "rigorous honesty"; Martin may also have engaged some otherwise humdrum thinkers into activating more cognitive brain cells; Martin may also have caught some known names in the sports commenting world on one of their bad days; Martin may also have found more insight into what Flowrestling viewers want from him, from Joe, from Louie, from MMA shirt-tail relatives; Martin may also have opened some contract doors for Bob Borelli; Martin may also have created more interviewing options for Jason Bryant; Martin may also have learned that a more calculated delivery of "rigorous honesty" may have prevented the boomerang effect on Flowrestling's glass house..... reply
#46	Ender79 February 1 at 8:50am Ken Chertow does an outstanding job of commentary. TDR on the other hand are atrocious. In my opinion, Dan Gable and Ken Chertow are the two premier announcers in our sport. When you hear "you cant score with your head on the mat", or "he has got to get off of the railroad tracks and get an angle" it will be mr Johnson saying it, that is the mantra he repeats constantly for the duration of the match. Despite being an obvious Penn State fan, Chertow does an excellent job of calling the match down the middle. As far as him having coached most of the best collegiate wrestlers in the country, how could you possibly have better insite than that? reply
#45	I Got Your Back Ken February 1 at 2:09am i couldnt agree more about mr. chertow and mr. johnson. BUT YOU SUCK TOO! you stutter like a 1st grader who's parents can't afford speech classes and you pause for about five seconds in the middle of sentences. if you're going to critisize fix your own flaws first. don't get me wrong, flo is great but you should really find someone else to speak during the matches other than yourself reply
#44	Ma Ma Ma Martin January 31 at 7:39pm stutter much? reply
#43	Doperssuck January 31 at 3:45pm Tom said: “Hilarious! After all of the whining and moaning about "we don't receive any respect as a sport," etc., now the same people are claiming that explaining the sport in order to attract non-wrestling enthusiasts (and hopefully revenue from them) is a bad thing? This is why wrestlers and their fans are the worst enemies of the sport. None of you guys can make up your minds if you want to remain a fringe sport or develop a true following like MMA has. How about this? Tell the NCAAs to forget ESPN when it comes to wrestling. Ask/beg/whatever them to sign a contract with Spike or VS. to go the more specialized route. Once there, lean heavily on UFC to promote the #ell out of their upcoming bouts. You want specialized attention? There you have it; combat sports being grouped together in one place with viewers that are interested in such things. You won't have to fight for television coverage with March Madness. You can have some of the UFC's best talking about their days on the college scene and how it prepared them for future success and it plays right into the UFC's hands. Endearing themselves to wrestling fans. The downsides are that the same folks who drop tons of dough on advertising on ESPN aren't necessarily the same folks you'll find on Spike or VS. Also, instead of casting a wide net to attract new people to the sport by having it air on ESPN, now you're so specialized that even fewer people will give it a shot because it airs on a station that people understand doesn't show much else as In as far as Martin being "the biggest fan" and the wrestling world needing "more people like him," I would strongly disagree with those two statements. He provides a great service to a very specialized group of people who already love and understand the sport. This site isn't attracting new advertisers (read: revenue) or new fans to wrestling. It's a great tool for those who are already devout followers of this sport, but not new fans. Martin is the Flava Flav of wrestling at this point: the Hype Man. He says "crazy" things about people and things, much of which is way off base and idiotic. He's often loud and very obnoxious (see his "WHAT?!?! WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!" statement during the Hofstra match--he doesn't know NCAA officiating and is looking at it ONLY through the eyes of a fan) and extremely abrasive to those who don't play by his rules, as if he is setting wrestling's agenda. Wrestling will always be a fringe sport because that is what people want. On all levels we're too busy tearing down other sports that receive more coverage than this one does, but when the time comes to that we do receive coverage, we complain that it it's not right and it's not enough. We are our own worst enemies.” Not so fast about not bringing in new fans... I hardly knew the sport existed before I found flowresting (coming over from flotrack) and now follow it day in and out. Martin is doing this sport a great service! reply
#42	Cnn January 31 at 11:51am if martin is good enough to make it to sports illustrated its good enough for me.. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/extramustard/01/30/laura-leigh-siani-is-a-hit/index.html scroll down to the bottom for the sports video of the day reply
#41	WHAT January 31 at 11:10am Come on Martin said: “The real worst call in wrestling is whoever encourages you to do any comedy skit. You have the stage presence and the comic timing of a cactus. No offense - but if you are going to outright bash a wrestling legend - you gotta expect to take some punishment in return. I've went to many a wrestling camp where Chertow would stay hours past the session to help kids out - and not just share moves - but motivational stories and life philosophies - you should some him more respect. You can disagree with his broadcast style- but there's no need to be an outright d!ck about it. Oh, and you've obviously wrestled before - so when you interview someone - act like you know the friggin' sport. Man - everytime you ask a question you start stutterin' and stammerin' like a 12 year old who just saw t!ts for the first time.” Yeah I agree Martin "WHAT, WHAT, WHAT" cannot talk about anyone else. He does stumble while he talks in each and every video. He does not know the rules as well as he thinks. IT WAS AN ILLEGAL THROW not matter how nice it was. He gives us the play by play, "Wow that was a great double leg" We are wrestlers we know what a double is!!! Not to mention I dont believe I have seen your name on any national team list or Olympic team. You take a camera around and get coverage and we all thank you for that. You all do a great job getting matches and brining us some really cool wrestling stuff. But when you attack guys who have done more for the sport while taking a crap than you ever will you start to push some buttons. Sometimes its better to smile and say nothing at all then to say something stupid that hurts you and the site. Talking crap about not only Ken Chertow but GABLE!!! Are you crazy. Dont be surprised if people from Iowa dont let you in the room or allow interviews again. You sir may have just made a big mistake and closed some doors instead of opening them. Again we are all here to make OUR sport grow. Everyone has something to offer just make it positive. Martin if you truly feel you can do so much better get a degree in communications/broadcast and take over. But from what I have heard on your videos you need alot more work. WHAT, WHAT, WHAT!!! LOL Sorry could not resist. reply
#40	AHHHHHH January 31 at 10:42am Martin you speak the truth no matter the political ramifications. Refreshing...ahhhhhhhhhh reply
#39	Clove January 31 at 10:39am AMEN reply
#38	Right On! January 31 at 9:35am Martin couldnt agree more. Wrestling up until you has been like the kid in High School that is just begging you to come to his party. "Plllleeeeaaaseee come, pleeaaaseee...it will be really fun I promise, plus we will have music for everyone!" How unappealing. The wrestling leadership just doesnt get it. Furthermore if you think that ESPN or CBS wants to make wrestling exciting you are wrong. They want to keep the status quo where they have a huge share of the market in the major sports. They know the game (the sport and the business aspect) and are good at it. They reap a ton off the NCAA so why add a whole other element with smaller sports. They only do NCAAs live because the NCAA pays them to do it. If ESPN had it there way they would shut down wrestling. reply
#37	Come On Martin January 31 at 9:32am The real worst call in wrestling is whoever encourages you to do any comedy skit. You have the stage presence and the comic timing of a cactus. No offense - but if you are going to outright bash a wrestling legend - you gotta expect to take some punishment in return. I've went to many a wrestling camp where Chertow would stay hours past the session to help kids out - and not just share moves - but motivational stories and life philosophies - you should some him more respect. You can disagree with his broadcast style- but there's no need to be an outright d!ck about it. Oh, and you've obviously wrestled before - so when you interview someone - act like you know the friggin' sport. Man - everytime you ask a question you start stutterin' and stammerin' like a 12 year old who just saw t!ts for the first time. reply
#36	Tony G January 31 at 9:24am There goes the Ken Chertow sponsorship $$$........................... OUCH! reply
#35	140 Lbs January 31 at 9:14am Hmm. said: “I'm not a big ken chertow fan, though he has done a lot for the sport (not to be cliche). But listening to Dave Armstrong and Tim Johnson while watching the 2007 NCAAs was what actually got me into watching wrestling. I was fortunate in that my first ever wrestling match I've watched at the college level was the 140 lb final in 2007, and it was excellent. The commentary, while not exactly a play-by-play, gave me a great background on the sport and entertained me. The goal of the commentators is to make you feel like you are sitting around a table with them and chatting, and even though a hardcore wrestling fan like yourself might get tired of that, I really think it helps draw people to tthe sport. Some announcers I've listened to have bored me, but that's just life. I remember how annoying it was watching water polo during the olympics and having no idea what was going on because the announcers knew the game so well. Same thing with golf. Maybe we do need announcers to appeal to the general population, because it helped me.” I don't exist on the college level. reply
#34	This Tom January 31 at 6:10am You Must Have Missed It: Ask yourself this: would the throw itself have made it on there without Martin's antics? My guess is yes because of how great it was, how the coaces and crowd reacted. I doubt that I am wrong, but I don't think that his ape $#!^ call was the reason SI picked it up. As far as me being a "hater," didn't I applaud him twice in the post about how great this site is? I come on this site once every few weeks because I just don't normally have the time. This is a rare exception to the rule. So, long story short, YMHMI, you're wrong. One other thing: it's not a commentators job to pick sides of the battle. They are SUPPOSED to remain neutral when announcing games/matches/whatever. Martin's assertion that commentating is "diluting the sport" is ed at best. If he didn't like the commentating that much, all he needed to do was unplug his headphones and he could have gone back to the voices in his head. For the rest of you, if wrestling is on, do you seriously change the channel if the commentary is boring or do you just turn down the volume and continue to watch? To Tom Who????: If Martin can call it like he sees it, so can any of us. Again, on Martin's site there is only one acceptable opinion and it's whatever he's thinking at any given moment of the day. Ask Jason Bryant. If you don't follow that singular opinion, then you're bad for the sport. That also makes him the George Bush of wrestling too ("if you're not with us, you're against us"). reply
#33	Bret Stamper January 31 at 1:32am I was wondering if anyone else was thinking about how bad wrestling commentating is. Totally agree. Yes, Ken Chertow has done and continues to do a lot for our sport. So does Dan Gable times ten, but their commentating, and everyone that I've heard so far has the intensity of golf, rather than a fight. Wrestling needs an intense dude on the mic who does play by play. reply
#32	Come On Martin January 31 at 12:36am Ken Chertow has done tremendous things for our sport. You pbobably shouldn't write a blog after drinking your Shirley Temples while waiting in the airport bar. reply
#31	Sniper January 30 at 11:24pm Every year when I watch the NCAA finals on ESPN they are explaining the rules of wrestling during matches, it's ridiculous. Just give commentary on the matches, that's all wrestling fans want to hear anyway. reply
#30	Chris Farley January 30 at 11:15pm Martin, you are the last person who should criticize anyone's ability to call a match. reply
#29	Grasshoppa January 30 at 10:11pm Loved it... Right on... reply
#28	Tom Who???? January 30 at 6:47pm Seriously, no need to take any shots at Martin. I think everyone from Flo (Joe, Zeb, Screwy Louie, Martin, etc.) announce the matches very well. reply
#27	You Must Have Missed It January 30 at 6:06pm Tom said: “Hilarious! After all of the whining and moaning about "we don't receive any respect as a sport," etc., now the same people are claiming that explaining the sport in order to attract non-wrestling enthusiasts (and hopefully revenue from them) is a bad thing? This is why wrestlers and their fans are the worst enemies of the sport. None of you guys can make up your minds if you want to remain a fringe sport or develop a true following like MMA has. How about this? Tell the NCAAs to forget ESPN when it comes to wrestling. Ask/beg/whatever them to sign a contract with Spike or VS. to go the more specialized route. Once there, lean heavily on UFC to promote the #ell out of their upcoming bouts. You want specialized attention? There you have it; combat sports being grouped together in one place with viewers that are interested in such things. You won't have to fight for television coverage with March Madness. You can have some of the UFC's best talking about their days on the college scene and how it prepared them for future success and it plays right into the UFC's hands. Endearing themselves to wrestling fans. The downsides are that the same folks who drop tons of dough on advertising on ESPN aren't necessarily the same folks you'll find on Spike or VS. Also, instead of casting a wide net to attract new people to the sport by having it air on ESPN, now you're so specialized that even fewer people will give it a shot because it airs on a station that people understand doesn't show much else as In as far as Martin being "the biggest fan" and the wrestling world needing "more people like him," I would strongly disagree with those two statements. He provides a great service to a very specialized group of people who already love and understand the sport. This site isn't attracting new advertisers (read: revenue) or new fans to wrestling. It's a great tool for those who are already devout followers of this sport, but not new fans. Martin is the Flava Flav of wrestling at this point: the Hype Man. He says "crazy" things about people and things, much of which is way off base and idiotic. He's often loud and very obnoxious (see his "WHAT?!?! WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!" statement during the Hofstra match--he doesn't know NCAA officiating and is looking at it ONLY through the eyes of a fan) and extremely abrasive to those who don't play by his rules, as if he is setting wrestling's agenda. Wrestling will always be a fringe sport because that is what people want. On all levels we're too busy tearing down other sports that receive more coverage than this one does, but when the time comes to that we do receive coverage, we complain that it it's not right and it's not enough. We are our own worst enemies.” The flo teams commentary is awesome. That obnoxious Whatttt commentary made it on to sports illustrated's website. I guess that does not expose the sport. You are obviously one of the flo haters that spends half your time on flo. reply
#26	Joe Delia January 30 at 5:11pm Harsh. I just shut up typically while I tape our stuff. Last thing I need is to piss someone off. I just hope people come and enjoy. Maybe this summer I'll hype it up a bit when it's Michigan vs Other states and I actually care who wins. reply
#25	Hmm. January 30 at 4:50pm I'm not a big ken chertow fan, though he has done a lot for the sport (not to be cliche). But listening to Dave Armstrong and Tim Johnson while watching the 2007 NCAAs was what actually got me into watching wrestling. I was fortunate in that my first ever wrestling match I've watched at the college level was the 140 lb final in 2007, and it was excellent. The commentary, while not exactly a play-by-play, gave me a great background on the sport and entertained me. The goal of the commentators is to make you feel like you are sitting around a table with them and chatting, and even though a hardcore wrestling fan like yourself might get tired of that, I really think it helps draw people to tthe sport. Some announcers I've listened to have bored me, but that's just life. I remember how annoying it was watching water polo during the olympics and having no idea what was going on because the announcers knew the game so well. Same thing with golf. Maybe we do need announcers to appeal to the general population, because it helped me. reply
#24	Rick January 30 at 4:46pm for the most part, the folks that watch h.s / college wrestling, are, or were at one time wrestlers themselves. we understand the game. we don't need to be taught the game. the audience #'s will always be diminutive -vs- basketball, football etc. lets accept that fact and get some REAL play-by-play announcers to make it an even better experience. reply
#23	ID -Boise January 30 at 4:24pm u r right on. reply
#22	Ck January 30 at 4:24pm agree. great blog. great visual writing. felt like i was on the plane. and i can def imagine their voices and horrible commentating. like we watch a big match and r so excited. and the commentators are bored/boring as hell!!!!!!!!! like we need any more to make the sport less exciting. reply
#21	Cliff Fretwell January 30 at 3:53pm Their commentary rivals that of Larry Merchant on HBO Boxing. You watch your mouth. reply
#20	Tom January 30 at 3:27pm Hilarious! After all of the whining and moaning about "we don't receive any respect as a sport," etc., now the same people are claiming that explaining the sport in order to attract non-wrestling enthusiasts (and hopefully revenue from them) is a bad thing? This is why wrestlers and their fans are the worst enemies of the sport. None of you guys can make up your minds if you want to remain a fringe sport or develop a true following like MMA has. How about this? Tell the NCAAs to forget ESPN when it comes to wrestling. Ask/beg/whatever them to sign a contract with Spike or VS. to go the more specialized route. Once there, lean heavily on UFC to promote the #ell out of their upcoming bouts. You want specialized attention? There you have it; combat sports being grouped together in one place with viewers that are interested in such things. You won't have to fight for television coverage with March Madness. You can have some of the UFC's best talking about their days on the college scene and how it prepared them for future success and it plays right into the UFC's hands. Endearing themselves to wrestling fans. The downsides are that the same folks who drop tons of dough on advertising on ESPN aren't necessarily the same folks you'll find on Spike or VS. Also, instead of casting a wide net to attract new people to the sport by having it air on ESPN, now you're so specialized that even fewer people will give it a shot because it airs on a station that people understand doesn't show much else as In as far as Martin being "the biggest fan" and the wrestling world needing "more people like him," I would strongly disagree with those two statements. He provides a great service to a very specialized group of people who already love and understand the sport. This site isn't attracting new advertisers (read: revenue) or new fans to wrestling. It's a great tool for those who are already devout followers of this sport, but not new fans. Martin is the Flava Flav of wrestling at this point: the Hype Man. He says "crazy" things about people and things, much of which is way off base and idiotic. He's often loud and very obnoxious (see his "WHAT?!?! WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!" statement during the Hofstra match--he doesn't know NCAA officiating and is looking at it ONLY through the eyes of a fan) and extremely abrasive to those who don't play by his rules, as if he is setting wrestling's agenda. Wrestling will always be a fringe sport because that is what people want. On all levels we're too busy tearing down other sports that receive more coverage than this one does, but when the time comes to that we do receive coverage, we complain that it it's not right and it's not enough. We are our own worst enemies. reply
#19	125wrestler January 30 at 2:39pm Martin I couldn't agree more. I've said it a million times. Wrestling is just too complicated and intricate to gain run of the mill fans. It is the best sport in the world ever no doubt. But Ive have never met one person that is not a wrestling fan say, "Hey did you catch that great wrestling dual on BTN last night, Im going to start watching some more of that". Give me a break its never going to happen. Then the heads of our sport let our All Star dual get tape delayed a week so it will be shown on ESPNU so that no one will watch that wasn't going to watch anyway. Its absolute BS. Flo is the best thing to ever happen to a real wrestling fan. You guys rule. I could care less if there is ever another wrestling match on tv if I can watch it online. reply
#18	Average Joe January 30 at 2:24pm I see your point, but if you look at the big picture, wrestling is getting more youth involvement, but not in the rural community. It was not so long ago when small towns had wrestling teams of 20 to 30 members at the high school level with twice that at the kids level. Now you will be lucky to fill a full team. I would like to see the sport grow across the aboard, not just in the city. Wrestling traditions, I believe was started in the small towns. Getting new people interesting in the sport should be the goal for everyone involved in the sport. If you take the stance that only good or great wrestling start at the age of 5 or 6. Then those AA"s or Olympic Medalists who started in middle school or high school should not be honored, because they are not true wrestler like I for example who did start at the age of 5. To many, wrestling is a new sport, we are not main stream, plus the score and understanding of sport takes much more time to learn than bb or ft. My father to this day still does not know all the rules and scoring in wrestling. He watch me wrestling for over 12 years. Promote the sport not demote the sport. reply
#17	Ray Blake January 30 at 1:26pm Agreed 100 percent. Market the sport for the real fans. Let the rest of the world catch up if they're interested. I also agree about Bob Borrelli. I watched the CMU-Nebraska dual last weekend and he did a fantastic job. reply
#16	buffett January 30 at 12:55pm AGREE, AGREE, AGREE! Also, please tell Division I officials to call STALLING and we have an exciting sport again! reply
#15	Ptik January 30 at 12:23pm Nice post. I've never understood why our commentators are like this. You watch any other sport, even somewhat obscure ones like bowling, poker, the great outdoor games, or the x games, and the announcers act as if everyone not only knows the rules, but is savvy about the sport. And in the most popular television sports, football and basketball, the analysts and commentators can sound like they are speaking a foreign language with all the jargon they use. They act like every casual fan has years of playing experience. And if you listen to a few games, you start to catch on and you actually do gain some knowledge. I never played basketball, but I know a fair amount about the sport from watching games on tv. No one ever had to tell me that a basket is worth two points or that a shot from behind that curved line is worth three points. I figured it out for myself. Wrestling is not so impossible to figure out that fans couldn't do it on their own. And if we stopped talking down to them, they might gain some knowledge and interest in our sport. reply
#14	ME January 30 at 12:08pm Agreed. Hate the dumbing down in announcing, as it's pointless because only wrestling fans are watching anyways. And I understand what you are saying by the attention should be on the match at hand. But when Blubaugh is mentioned that is interesting color commentating. It speaks to a base of wrestlers that actually know some history. That was kind of a bad example by you. reply
#13	Jim Harshaw January 30 at 12:06pm What about creating a win-win... growing the sport (increasing the number of people interested, attending, and participating- people like you and me) while not dumbing it down. We can be an underground sport like MMA was for years. Now MMA can be considered mainstream. There is more interest and better competition because of increased money and popularity. It still has an underground feel, it's not dumbed down and it's awesome entertainment! I think we all agree that wrestling is too. reply
#12	Mark DiSalvo January 30 at 12:03pm Bob Borrelli does a great job calling matches for Central Michigan University. The Big Ten Network should give him a call! reply
#11	Albert Alexander January 30 at 11:58am I couldnt agree with you more! I hate watching matches and the announcers talking about the basics and lower levels of wrestling. I want a play by play so that I know exactly what happened if I turn my head for a second. But I guess its good too, because wrestling is a growing sport and not everybody knows whats going on. And it would be hard to get into a sport that you dont understand. reply
#10	Concerned Fan January 30 at 11:45am Right on Martin!!! What we DO NOT need to do is try and make this sport main stream. Give me a break! Every time we do it makes it super lame for all of us who actually are fans. Do they think by explaining how people score people are actually going to decide to watch...That is ridiculous. We would do more with this sport if we figured out what NOT to do. If you dont like wrestling than fine, we dont care! There are plenty of us who do so stop trying to ruin it for the rest of us by bending over for a crowd of people who dont give a rats ass. It is insulting and degrading for us actually love the sport. Once these people realize that this is an underground sport that will be better off not being in mainstream that will be the day that Wrestling grows. In the mean time shut up Ken Chertow get me off your spam list. reply
#9	Lol January 30 at 11:35am i actually fell asleep during one of the matches reply
#8	Mikey January 30 at 10:51am I would agree that many of these guys (def chertow included) can be a bit boring to listen to during big matches such as big 10 or ncaa finals. I dont want to hear when this kid was potty trained, give me real stats about his career and common opponents and such. I also do agree with the point that we do need to still somehow get the rules across to those fringe fans. Getting people to understand what is happening in a wrestling match is the first step to getting them to watch it and increase the fan base. Perhaps the rules and point system could pop up on the bottom of the screen or scroll across to be read by anyone who needed it and the commentators could turn to entertaining the existing fans. reply
#7	JW January 30 at 10:49am I could not agree more. Add the commentators at takedown radio to the list as well. The sport is in need of some professionals at the mic. reply
#6	Bryan Medlin January 30 at 10:40am You forgot to mention how Chertow mentions every five seconds that he coached one of the kids wrestling some summer 15 years ago... reply
#5	NJ January 30 at 10:36am ".... they go out of bounds!!" I couldn't agree more. You and Screwy Louie should be announcing everything. reply
#4	Il Wrestling January 30 at 10:35am well we need more Martin Floreani's is what we need to grow this sport.... reply
#3	Jason Russell January 30 at 10:33am The guys who do the NCAA Finals are pretty boring too. And they always sit there and explain the rules. who honestly would be watching the ncaa finals if there not a wrestling fan? Martin i like play by play lol. WHAT?!!?!?! WHAT!?!?!?! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!? seriously though :) reply
#2	Jim Harshaw January 30 at 10:29am So how do we get more tv's watching wrestling on that flight? Or are you suggesting that's not the point? What about the "fringe" fans? I think we need to bring them into the loop more. You're interested in wrestling, as I am, since we were participants. Is the key to the survival of the sport getting more participants? Strengthening our current base? Both? I don't have the answer but I think it's a great discussion that needs to be had. reply
#1	Stephen Joseph January 30 at 10:22am Amen! reply