So sad....

I wrestled and played basketball throught 8th grade and played basketball in high school. The school I attended and a highly competitive team and I went to a lot matches and the state tournament to support my classmates.

Wrestling is a different culture, but if you take the time to understand nuances of wrestling it is a very enjoyable sport to watch. College wrestling is harder to understand because generally both wrestlers are so good that there is less action to follow (to an unexperienced fan) than high school. If you can't watch a good offensive line vs a good defensive line compete against each other, you won't like wrestling. However if you enjoy the one on one battles wrestling is very entertaining.

As I mentioned I had been to Vets many times for state wrestling and the place would be packed with fans, my senior year of high school we made it to state in basketball and in my mind I expected the place to be packed like I saw for state wrestling, could not have been more wrong the place was like a tomb.

I attended state wrestling for the first time since the 1980s and was again impressed with the huge crowds and I believe the finals sold out once again. If you don't get wrestled don't be a basketball *****, take the time to learn about the sport or don't be suprised that people think you are a jerk.
 
MMA, to me, is completely different than wrestling. Yeah, they go to the ground but basically they are trying to knock the dude out when they do that. It's just not the same.

I don't live in Iowa, so I can't go to the meets. They are never on TV (very few exceptions and most on tape delay). They get no exposure nationally and that is the bottom line. CSU's best sport was probably lacrosse (club) when I was in college, and they played right across the street from the dorms. They had about 150 ppl watching. It just didn't have the interest.

I like wrestling. Some of my good friends in HS were state qualifiers and it was fun to watch. It's just hard to have a "sport talk" with some of my buddies when they don't even know what an escape is. Pointless. For me, it just doesn't have the appeal the other sports do.
 
I thought this was a wrestling forum. Jon, where did these roundball boys come from? Did you mix up the forums, or are these *******s just trolling here?

I haven't lived in Iowa for a long time, but I grew up there, and lived there in the Lute Olson years. I also have lived in some real basketball towns in other states, too. Even though I'm a big wrestling fan, I still like to watch good college basketball. Its a "fun" game. I enter the NCAA pool at work every year, and I've won more than anyone else. Basketball will always be the third most popular sport in the country, after baseball and football. I must add that all the bad behavior, money, and egos in the pros have sort of ruined it for me, though. Thank you Kobe and Lebron.

Wrestling is what we do in Iowa. If you want to see top-notch basketball, go to Kansas, Indiana, or North Carolina. You won't find it in Iowa. It doesn't exist. Iowa will never be able to recruit top talent in basketball, like they can in wrestling, or even football. And when they produce the occasional blue-chipper (e.g. Lafrenz), they leave the state for a better program with better possibilities. That's reality. Hasn't Iowa gone through a couple of coaches since Alford ruined the program? This one will leave if he's successful, and he'll be asked to leave if he isn't. Losing teams are bad for business.

Wrestling is not a dying sport, its growing on the high school level nationally, and the facts support this. I do think that Pump is over-reacting to the rebuilding year. The bad winter weather, easy early-season schedule, and our poor Midlands performance did not help either.

Ask someone in LA, DC, or New York about Iowa, and they'll mention farming, corn, and wrestling. Maybe Hawkeye football. Maybe the Writers Workshop. That is all. There's a reason that college wrestling preempted Masterpiece Theater on IPTV. It's part of the culture, like basketball in Indiana. Maybe it will never be as popular as bball, but who cares as long as the faithful come out and fill Hawkeye Carver for wrestling meets. If you love excellence, you'll love Iowa wrestling.
 
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I love the sport of wrestling but wrestling is not for everyone. You either like it or you don't. I grew up in a die-hard Hawkeye family. We all enjoy wrestling but we were never a family to get in the car and come see a meet.

I was just watching the Ohio State/Northwestern wrestling meet on the Big 10 Network and I think I saw more fans in the grocery store the other night than in the stands at OSU.

Iowa is always toward or at the top of attendance rankings when it comes to wrestling. Should the field hockey fans be upset? Or women's basketball? Or the baseball team?

Wrestling is not that popular across the United States. Yes, in Iowa, we enjoy it more than most but I don't think we can call out fans for not taking in a wrestling meet.
 
RocketHawk said:
I attended state wrestling for the first time since the 1980s and was again impressed with the huge crowds and I believe the finals sold out once again.
Click to expand...

The finals for the State Wrestling tournament sold out for the 24th straight year.
 
I want to make clear that I am not pitting wrestling as an alternative to basketball. I was just wondering why fans spend time supporting a bad basketball team, and not wrestling when it's obviouse the history the wrestling team has and it's still very good this year.

Also you can stop with the sport not being popular in the country. I don't care. I'm talking about this particular state and even a couple others like MN, PA, and OK. These are hotbeds of wrestling from the pee wees up to college.

For those that keep bring up field hockey, baseball, etc. How good are these teams? Since 1975, can they claim 34 Big Ten titles and 23 national titles? Is Iowa synonymous with these sports? I don't follow these sports; if you do and you want attendance to grow, start your own thread and state your case.

If you don't like wrestling, that's fine. Carry on with what you do like. If you're on the fence and what to know more, we can answer your questions. Dan Gable, John Smith, and J Robinson are called heros for their efforts to gain popularity for wrestling. I don't have the money or the clout they do, so I do my part anonymously thru a message board.
 
I also want to mention the guy that sits in section GG (sorry don't remember the name) as another one who does alot for wrestling. His Tickets for Kids program is what this sport needs.
 
I was born and raised in IOWA. I love the State and love the people. I was going to Iowa Football games when I was in elementry school when they could not BUY a win. I have lived here in North Carolina since 1995. I love Iowa Wrestling and Football. You ask anyone out here about Iowa and they mention corn, agriculture, IOWA WRESTLING and IOWA FOOTBALL. As you know NC is known for Basketball. I live pretty close to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. The Dean Dome in Chapel Hill sells out EVERY game. It's a very hard ticket to get. Going to a DUKE basketball game is nearly impossible to get a ticket to. My point is IOWA is to Wrestling like basketball is to North Carolina. When I was a kid it seemed people wanted Iowa to be good or great at Basketball, it's just not going to happen no matter how bad you want it too. IOWA is a wrestling state always has been....alway will be. I fly back once or twice a year into DM and rent a car and drive to football game or wrestling meet. When it comes to Wrestling you all are sitting on a GOLD mine and many of you don't even know it. Get out and Support the Hawkeyes in every sport!

BTW Iowa Football brings in the Green but IOWA WRESTLING brings home the GOLD!
 
pumpdog20 said:
I also want to mention the guy that sits in section GG (sorry don't remember the name) as another one who does alot for wrestling. His Tickets for Kids program is what this sport needs.
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Indeed. GG121&122 (Jim's seats at Hawkeye Carver) has been a tireless award-winning promoter of our sport.
Wrestling isn't about the money you can make. It's about the person you can become. It's just you trying to impose your will against someone else out there on the mat. I can think of few other sports which require the same sacrifice, or which can build the same character.
 
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