It starts with the wrestlers

[Mrfess]

How do we grow the sport of wrestling? For me, it starts with the wrestlers
http://www.missouriwrestling.com/it-starts-with-the-wrestlers/

[buck]

I'm continually amazed at how little support wrestling programs receive from ex wrestlers.  Very few attend matches or express any interest in following the sport.  Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer or almost every other sport, ex players are rabid fans.

Why should anyone care about wrestling when past participants don't?

[Gantry]

I hesitate to make this post because the argument about national duals has been beat to death, but part of the problem is that nobody cares about dual/team results.  Makes it harder for an ex-wrestler to casually root for a team.  Duals are more fan friendly and without more impact being given to them casual fans aren't going to come. 

[buck]

I have no clue what you just said?

[Gantry]

Then we are at an impasse...

[buck]

So much apathy in this sport.  I'll never understand why?

[TobusRex]

I'm continually amazed at how little support wrestling programs receive from ex wrestlers.  Very few attend matches or express any interest in following the sport.  Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer or almost every other sport, ex players are rabid fans.

Why should anyone care about wrestling when past participants don't?

Count yourself lucky.  I'm banished to wrestling Hell. The local university doesn't even have intramural wrestling. If I want to watch live college wrestling I have to drive 300 miles to Phoenix.

[LILHOWDOG]

I'm continually amazed at how little support wrestling programs receive from ex wrestlers.  Very few attend matches or express any interest in following the sport.  Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer or almost every other sport, ex players are rabid fans.

Why should anyone care about wrestling when past participants don't?

Count yourself lucky.  I'm banished to wrestling Hell. The local university doesn't even have intramural wrestling. If I want to watch live college wrestling I have to drive 300 miles to Phoenix.

No high schools?

[fsgrecofolk]

I try to go see local high school matches, we don't have a close college program.  We have Northern Colorado which is about 60 miles away.  Weather is the deciding factor for making the drive.

[buck]

Well Lehigh still draws 1,500 - 2,000 fans for every dual and you can count the number of ex-wrestlers in attendance on one hand. 

[regulator130]

Well Lehigh still draws 1,500 - 2,000 fans for every dual and you can count the number of ex-wrestlers in attendance on one hand.

I agree.  Why do you think ex wrestlers don't attend? Is wrestling and "being a wrestler" so encompassing that when you are done, you are done?  I am a huge fan of wrestling. A lot of people go to NCAAs, but it appears a lot of ex wrestlers that go to Ncaas do so to drink and hangout with friends. The wrestling isn't too important to them. The first couple years going back I drank with everybody and had a good time.  Well after not focusing on the wrestling and missing a lot of the morning sessions I quickly realized I hated mixing the two. Now when I go to wrestling I lay off the festivities and focus on the wrestling. 

So I guess why is it ex wrestlers aren't fans and what can we do to fix that? I think that's the battle we need to address before we try and bring in the casual fan.

[TobusRex]

I'm continually amazed at how little support wrestling programs receive from ex wrestlers.  Very few attend matches or express any interest in following the sport.  Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer or almost every other sport, ex players are rabid fans.

Why should anyone care about wrestling when past participants don't?

Count yourself lucky.  I'm banished to wrestling Hell. The local university doesn't even have intramural wrestling. If I want to watch live college wrestling I have to drive 300 miles to Phoenix.

No high schools?

Yes the two big local High Schools have wrestling. Not very high quality though..the good wrestling schools in New Mexico (relatively speaking) are up in Albuquerque. Rio Rancho is good even by California or Pennsylvania standards.

[TobusRex]

Oh yeah...what makes it worse is  the Cejudo boys lived in Las Cruces BEFORE they started wrestling, hehe.

[brycemus]

I think some of it is that people move away from their alma mater and then maybe are unwilling to adopt a new program.  Or maybe there were part of a different division and the only choice they have at their locale is something different.  If you were a D1 guy, do you want to go watch the NAIA?  is there an inherent bias there?  I have a program across the river and I do not make it to any duals, but I occasionally drive 45 minutes to Iowa City to watch and or cover the Hawkeyes.  There is no reason I can't go watch an Augsburg dual and support the program with my money, I just don't.  I honestly do not have an excuse.  I love wrestling and often watch matches on the computer or when aired on television I have no rooting interest in.  Heck I watched a High School tourney last night for 45 minutes on MC22.  No idea about any of the teams or kids, but I watched.  And yet I don't drive 15 minutes to watch a program.  It's odd.

[TobusRex]

45 minutes from Hawkeye action? I'd be neglecting the lower divisions as well.

Lucky ass. I did live in Stoolwater for several years though, used to go watch the Cowboys wrestle alot. One time got to see Gable fling a chair across the floor, hehe. He wasn't the most popular fellow in Stillwater, believe me