Wrestling Blogs - Jim Brown

Dan Gable did not invent wrestling…

neither did John Smith, nor did Cael Sanderson nor did J Robinson.

Socrates said approximately 2,500 years ago, “I swear it upon Zeus, the outstanding runner cannot be the equal of the average wrestler.”

“Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the world’s oldest and greatest sport.” With those words, Ed Aliverti kicked off countless wrestling tournaments.

Ask any ten baseball fans between the ages of 18 and 29 who ranks 3rd in career home runs and I’ll wager that at least seven can answer, “Babe Ruth”. (A Japanese baseball fan would give you a different answer, but that’s another blog).

Ask any ten wrestling fans in the same age group who the first American was to win 3 NCAA championships and 3 World championships and perhaps one or two could tell you, “Lee Kemp”.

Communicating a sport’s heritage is a necessary component in expanding that sport’s appeal. I picked 18 – 29 year-olds because I suspect that the majority of the online audience reading and posting about amateur wrestling falls into that category. I also suspect that many of them are online primarily to engage in “My dad can lick your dad” posting. However, the growth of amateur wrestling websites, forums and message boards means more traffic and more traffic can lead to a more informed – and, therefore, better engaged – fan base.

The good news – there are already several websites that do a great job of educating wrestling fans. Here are a few – in no particular order.

www.wrestlinghalloffame.org

The official website of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, it is a valuable resource for those who wish to learn more about the history of American wrestling. Of course, visiting the Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK is a must for any fan. In honor of Black History month the HOF has launched a new exhibit commemorating the contributions made by African-Americans to the sport. Visit the website for more information.

www.intermatwrestle.com

Owned and operated by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, intermat is an in-depth resource for news, rankings and editorials. The site has free content available, but also offers a paid “Premium Service” option that is well worth the investment. Personally, I love the technique clinic videos.

www.wrestlingmuseum.org

This is the website of the Dan Gable international Wrestling Institute and Museum. The brainchild of wrestling historian and author, Mike Chapman, the DGIWIM is located in Waterloo, IA. The George Tragos/Lew Thesz Professional Hall of Fame is one of the museum’s unique features. I’m not aware of another location that so successfully intertwines the histories of both amateur and professional wrestling.

http://revwrestling.com

A general wrestling fan site, the Rev Rewind articles are a solid source of wrestling history. The fan forum section of the site may offer some of the most intelligent online discussion of the sport available.

www.themat.com

The official site of USA Wrestling, themat.com is full of content, including a section on American Olympic history.

www.flowrestling.com

This is probably the largest storehouse of amateur wrestling video online. It is certainly the most “searchable”. The collection of matches from the 1972 Olympics is a “must view” for all fans.

www.youtube.com

As more people become familiar with how to use this site more and more “older” video appears. It can be a challenge to search, however. Its’ major strength is the plethora of international videos available.

(Actually I only included youtube so that I could post this video.)





This is in no way meant to be a comprehensive list. Please share your other links.