Why is wrestling popular in the midwest?

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isubeatle

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Aug 9, 2006
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Des Moines
I'm not a wrestling fan at all and so i'm totally clueless when it comes to the subject. It seems that it's really only popular in the Midwest and no where else. Did it organized wrestling originate in the Midwest somewhere?
 

isukendall

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Nov 30, 2006
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Fort Collins, CO
I'm not a wrestling fan at all and so i'm totally clueless when it comes to the subject. It seems that it's really only popular in the Midwest and no where else. Did it organized wrestling originate in the Midwest somewhere?

First of all, organized wrestling originated in Greece.

Collegiate, a.k.a. "folkstyle" wrestling like U.S. high schools and colleges do, is different than international versions of Greco-Roman and Freestyle, but have a lot of similarities.

Personally, I think the reason(s) wrestling has remained more popular in the Midwest is because it is a cheap sport that requires little (or no) equipment to practice in its basic form, and it's a blue-collar sport. A lot of tough farm kids end up wrestling, logical because they probably fought with older brothers.
 

Senolcyc

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Apr 20, 2010
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I'm not a wrestling fan at all and so i'm totally clueless when it comes to the subject. It seems that it's really only popular in the Midwest and no where else. Did it organized wrestling originate in the Midwest somewhere?


History and tradition. But it can't be said it's only popular in the midwest and nowhere else. It's as huge in Pennsylvania as anywhere. It's an indoor sport so it's going to have deeper roots in cold weather states.
 

isukendall

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Nov 30, 2006
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Fort Collins, CO
I have no idea why it is popular, all I know is I will be steering my kids in other directions.

People who dislike wrestling do so because they do not understand it. Those who take the time to understand the sport usually end up loving it. Not to tell you how to raise your kids, but it can't hurt to be exposed to it in case they do like it.
 

SpokaneCY

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Apr 11, 2006
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Spokane, WA
People who dislike wrestling do so because they do not understand it. Those who take the time to understand the sport usually end up loving it. Not to tell you how to raise your kids, but it can't hurt to be exposed to it in case they do like it.

Same could be said for rhythmic gymnastics. In which case it COULD hurt to be exposed to it if you have a son --- and he likes it.
 

intrepid27

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Oct 9, 2006
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Marion, IA
I think the success that Iowa and Iowa State have had on a national level the past 30 or so years plays a huge part of it. I lived in OK for 5 years in the 80s. High school wrestling is huge there as well. And again the in state colleges both have had strong programs.
 

Judoka

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Jun 16, 2010
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Timbuktu
History and tradition. But it can't be said it's only popular in the midwest and nowhere else. It's as huge in Pennsylvania as anywhere. It's an indoor sport so it's going to have deeper roots in cold weather states.

And New Jersey, fairly big in California. It's growing a lot at the high school level. Which makes all the slashes at the college level even more heartbreaking.
 

Go2Guy

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Mar 18, 2006
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Houston, TX
Another random question from a quasi-fan;
Is there anyway to avoid the "Cauliflower" ear syndrome? I see a lot of players are using headsets nowadays, but still get the issue.
 

brianhos

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People who dislike wrestling do so because they do not understand it. Those who take the time to understand the sport usually end up loving it. Not to tell you how to raise your kids, but it can't hurt to be exposed to it in case they do like it.

I wrestled as a kid. I will be encouraging other sports.
 

Judoka

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Jun 16, 2010
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Another random question from a quasi-fan;
Is there anyway to avoid the "Cauliflower" ear syndrome? I see a lot of players are using headsets nowadays, but still get the issue.

Yes, you can get it drained. I've gotten it at least 5 times but you can't tell because I drain it. Some guys just consider it a "mark of pride" type thing so choose not to.
 

crooksie_26

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Mar 24, 2006
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The only bad thing about the sport has largely been cleared up in recent years and that is weight cutting issues, as back in the day for example my brother his freshman year probably weighed about 185-190, he cut down to 145, which was very unhealthy. Now days there are body fat tests that must be taken and there are limits on how much a kid can lose (weight wise). Other than that issue wrestling is a very tough sport because its just you out there and not a lot of people can hack that as you see a lot of kids quitting the sport early when things don't go there way. I personally will steer my kids boys and girls to this sport, i just love what the sport teaches you, discipline and mental toughness, and i love the one on one aspect, because in the end if you lose there is no blame as it is all in your hands. You see a lot of this in Iowa, like said above you see a lot of really tough farm kids who in general don't have a lot of athletic skill when it comes to the ball sports, but seem to excel in wrestling.
 
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Mr Janny

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2forISU

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Waterloo, IA was huge on wrestling. East and West used to be ranked 1 and 2 every year in the nation...a long time ago.