So sad....

P

pumpdog20

Well-Known Member
That a crappy basketball team can get a near sell out against another horrible team, while the 3 time defending national champion wrestling team gets excited when the arena is half full. I know I'm sounding like that guy, but it's confusing. This is Iowa and almost every kid is exposed to wrestling at some point.

We as fans of the university need to do a better job of supporting wrestling. What's not to like? You get a competitive team, intense moments, a lot of home grown talent, and everything is family friendly in regards to environment and price. I don't want people to choose basketball over wrestling or any other sport. I want the same passion that the basketball/football fans have and bring it to wrestling.

What is it that folks don't like about wrestling that makes them not come? Maybe some seasoned fans can explain why they love wrestling so much, and why others should come enjoy it as well.

Again, if this was another place, I could see the disconnect. However, when folks outside the state think about sports in Iowa, the first thing they mention is wrestling. Our HS state tournament has been sold out for 22 years in a row.

Fans of schools like ISU, Ok State, Ok, Minnesota, Penn St, etc should also be ashamed. Look at Penn State, they can easily fill an 100,000 football stadium for a mediocre team but need Iowa to come in order to "sell out" 5,000 seats. That's another hotbed of HS talent, where wrestling should be thriving. I realize the hierarchy of sports lists football and basketball well above wrestling, but it doesn't have to be an either-or situation. Come support the wrestlers.
 
Iowa leads the nation in attendance every year. Many of those years its been by a 2 to 1 advantage. I think we should be very happy with the support the fans show this program, both in CHA and at nationals.
 
Being excited because Iowa leads the nation in attendance; is the same as claiming to be the skinniest person on the Biggest Loser. The average attendance the last few years was at or below 8,000. All I'm saying is that it's sad that the basketball team can near sell out against Michigan and the wrestling team gets half that. Again, this is Iowa where almost everyone is introduced to the sport. Heck the students even get in free for wrestling. I doubt they get in free for basketball.
 
I am from western ia, manning to be exact. We did not have wrestling in high school. Maybe that has something to do with me not getting into wrestling, but I have a hard time watching it.... just does not trip my trigger.
 
I believe the big difference is the casual fan. To me, you are either a huge wrestling fan and very into it, or you don't get it and could care less. Lots of people are exposed to basketball much much more than wrestling, whether it be college or NBA. I am a big Hawkeye Wrestling fan, I became a wrestling fan my senior year of high school because I had friends wrestling, 1 winning a state championship. It was exciting, plus the fact that I learned from friends while they were not wrestling. For some people it is hard to get past tight clothed men being on top of each other, however once you understand the sport it's very exciting.
 
FYI basically no one cares about wrestling. I understand Iowa is really good at it but nationally it gets no play. Comparing it to basketball as a spectator sport is making me lol....
 
My father is a huge wrestling fan, but growing up I was not really exposed to it. For me, it is a difficult sport to understand but it seems interesting. I feel if more people understood wrestling, more people would support it. Myself included.
 
fufred said:
FYI basically no one cares about wrestling. I understand Iowa is really good at it but nationally it gets no play. Comparing it to basketball as a spectator sport is making me lol....
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I actually have to agree with Fuf. I'm a huge wrestling fan, and I love it a lot more than Bball, but you have to realize that it just does not garner much interest from many sports fans.
 
I don't mind watching wrestling. I make it to meets when I can, but I don't really know what's going on. I know most of the rules, but I can never tell when a guy is close to make a big move or something. I just don't know much about how to wrestle.

Honestly though, the past couple years, I went mainly to see what it was like when Carver was actually full of electricity (since the basketball team never provided that kind of environment).

I just don't know enough about wrestling to really get into it. I don't know what an potentially dangerous hold might be. I don't know anything like that. I just yell when everyone else yells. If I knew more about the sport than just the scoring, I'd be able to get into it. I wish I could now, but I just don't know enough to get truly excited.
 
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It's not sad, it's an accurate reflection on the fact that basketball is more exciting than wrestling. Here, there, everywhere. As Jon pointed out, Iowa leads the nation in attendance for wrestling. Yet more people come to CHA to see a "crappy" basketball team. Welcome to reality.
 
Not trying to pick a fight at all, but generally speaking, people don't like wrestling very much. It's just the way it is, it would be like me crying about the fact that the baseball team doesn't get good support, the fact it, people don't care for college baseball much- same can be said about wrestling.

Wrestling is a dying sport, yes the state tournament is a big draw, but many high school meets feature a lot of forfeits and open weights.

Wrestling coaches struggle with numbers, just as much with resolution

It isn't sad, it is just the way it is. What about the baseball or softball teams, do those athletes work less, are you sad for their attendance?

Also, why is it sad that people are starting to support the basketball team? I think it is a good thing that people can look past the record and see a team that is playing hard and starting to improve.

I'm glad Iowa is dominant in wrestling, but don't pretend it is a popular spectator sport, I'd imagine it would rank lower than hockey, soccer and hot dog eating contests among the general population.
 
I appreciate the feedback. I'll respond to some of the main points that were brought up:

For those that weren't involved with it or just think it's boring. Thanks for your answer. I can respect your opinion. Wrestling is not for everyone, but I wonder how many of the fans that are in this group like to watch MMA. Wrestling is a big fundamental building block of MMA. For those that are disturbed by the lack of clothing, in MMA they wear even less. I enjoy both because it's the ultimate competition of beating the crap out of someone else.

For those that would like to enjoy wrestling but don't understand it (this is the demographic that the OP was trying to reach), maybe we can start a thread during a meet and when there's a questionable situation, pose a question and someone will explain it to you. There are a bunch of knowledgeable individuals that wrestled in HS and/or college and would enjoy explaining things in order to get more people interested in the sport. Another nice thing about the wrestling board is that for the most part, the obnoxious people usually stay away.

To the one who was wondering if I cared about baseball, softball, etc. Again, I don't want to take fans from other sports, but I don't care about those other sports either. Let someone who has passion for them start their own thread. The big main difference is that Iowa doesn't produce very many standout athletes in those sports.

Again, I just want to have a friendly dialog. You don't need to agree with me and vice versa.
 
Compared to other sports wrestling doesn't get much attention and could be difficult to watch/understand. But for those of us who have it in our blood it should be easy to recognize that Iowa dominates in attendance. If you watch any other meet on the big ten network there is absolutely no one there. If you think Iowa is struggling in attendance then you need a broader view of wrestling.
 
Yeah Pump, I also wish wrestling was followed and supported more, but the fact is that there are 2 sports in college that getting followings. Men's basketball and football. Think of all the other sports that are played in the NCAA? none of them get draws either. it's just the way it is. I for one am not sad about Iowa's attendance, I'm the opposite. I thank God i live in a state and near a program where i can go watch my favorite teams w/ 9000 other people. It's amazing. Imagine if you lived in Oregon and supported Oregon state for example. that would suck
 
For me, I don't like wrestling. I don't want to watch it. To me it is boring. This is just me. I love basketball and love the style Fran runs. I would watch Iowa lose at basketball 10 times before I would to go to a wrestling meet as I would be bored to tears and not care what was going on, other than Iowa winning. I'm very happy Iowa is great at wrestling, but the sport doesn't tickle my fancy.
 
Pump, a few other factors. Most wrestling fans have strong ties at the high school level as well. Most Saturdays are a full day for the fans and participants. A lot of these fans are probably looking for some time to relax on a Sunday.
 
hawkfarmer said:
For me, I don't like wrestling. I don't want to watch it. To me it is boring. This is just me. I love basketball and love the style Fran runs. I would watch Iowa lose at basketball 10 times before I would to go to a wrestling meet as I would be bored to tears and not care what was going on, other than Iowa winning. I'm very happy Iowa is great at wrestling, but the sport doesn't tickle my fancy.
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I can respect that opinion. it's fine w/ me, but it leaves me one big question, what the hell are you doing on a wrestling message board then? I'm just curious.
 
CRlightweight said:
I can respect that opinion. it's fine w/ me, but it leaves me one big question, what the hell are you doing on a wrestling message board then? I'm just curious.
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Saw it on the main Forums page and saw what it was about and thought I would share a bball fan's opinion. Also, I want to see Iowa do well on the mats, but just don't feel like going to watch, so I like to know if they win or not. That's all.

I think it was as much of a bball question as wrestling question.
 
I was hoping to get some back up from fellow wrestling fans, but the couple that have responded seem to be content with the status quo. With that said, I respect everyone's opinion. Some just don't care for wrestling, and it's hard to compare the athletic abilities of a basketball player and a wrestler. Basketball players are the most athletic out there. The things they can do are amazing.

I'm not wanting people to think that wrestling is better than basketball, just saying that you can support both as wrestling produces a good product.

I'll keep up the fight. My hope is to have those that are on the fence realize that watching wrestling can be just as exciting as the other sports. Especially if you're a hawkeye fan.
 
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