If Iowa starts another Dynasty (heaven forbid) ...

[CycloneWanderer]

would that be good for the sport of wrestling? Especially now with what looks like wrestling trying to break into the television market doing the ESPN thing. People like to see competition and no one likes a blowout. There are some nice stories but after a while will people just stop watching if there is no more competition for the team title?

 

[scottie33]

You can get between 2nd-5th place without being in consolation round therefore you were on either ESPNu today or ESPN tonight.

 

[scottie33]

Weren't the consolation matches and other matches on ESPNu all weekend long?

 

[CycloneWanderer]

I'm talking about team placements. Without the team scores, everything on ESPN I watched the last day has been about personal stories about a few wrestlers. If Iowa keeps winning and all the personal stories become "this kid's dream was to wrestle for Iowa and now he is going for a national championship," will that hurt the advancement of the sport? From a team standpoint - battles to be second-best aren't as cared about.

 

[jbhtexas]

No one likes watching people battle for 2-5 place (ex.- very few/none of the consolations were televised nationally on ESPNything).

That would pretty much make it like what pro golf has become anytime Tiger is playing...

 

[Cyclone62]

ESPN is doing the best job of keeping the sport alive out of any media outlet for two reasons. One, they are explaining the sport (which is huge) to people that don't follow it. Two, they are putting it on on National TV. If the viewers on ESPNU continue, and even rise, the entire tourney will be on ESPN or ESPN2 soon enough.

 

[CycloneWanderer]

Ok, new question since no one understood my first one: If Iowa becomes a continuously dominant force (check 75-00?) how will it affect the sport as a whole?

 

[scottie33]

Ok, new question since no one understood my first one: If Iowa becomes a continuously dominant force (check 75-00?) how will it affect the sport as a whole?

I really didn't follow college wrestling until I got to ISU in 2004 so I wouldn't really know...I think with ESPN and ESPNU broadcasting it, it's only going to bring more recognition to the sport and it can't only go up I believe.

 

[CycloneWanderer]

I hadn't followed wrestling much before these last few years, either. I just would like to hear from some of the people who may have been around to see wrestling before and during the last hawk dynasty. All speculation is welcome though : )

 

[Jer]

I honestly don't think any one team's success, or lack thereof, has any bearing on the overall success or popularity of the sports. That's like asking if college basketball should be less popular now because Duke isn't dominating. Wrestling is one of the rare sports that most people don't completely understand and where any team can be competitive despite their conference (i.e. Central Michigan).

 

[Cyclone62]

I hadn't followed wrestling much before these last few years, either. I just would like to hear from some of the people who may have been around to see wrestling before and during the last hawk dynasty. All speculation is welcome though : )

Wrestling is believed to be dominated by Iowa, Okie Lite, ISU, Oklahoma, and Minny. Switching from Okie Lite to Minny to Iowa to ISU isn't going to change it's popularity at all.

 

[CycloneErik]

They could have something to talk about besides who got arrested.

Maybe we could have threads or CyBookie events: Higher #, football arrests or wrestling titlists?

 

[MontyBurns]

If Iowa starts another dynasty it won't really matter. It's just wrestling. Nobody cares about it outside of the state of Iowa...and not many care about it inside the state.

But I wouldn't worry about it. This year's Iowa wrestling team is a combination of Iowa's recruits and Virginia Tech's recruits that Tom Brands stole when he gutted his employer's program in order to come to Iowa. Of course they're going to be good when they combine the best wrestlers from two programs on one squad. It's a one-time-only deal. Let's see how good they are long term when they're limited to one recruiting class per year.

 

[CrossCyed]

So, how much of this is Gable and how much of this is Brands?

 

[Cypwr]

So, how much of this is Gable and how much of this is Brands?

They're really one and the same.

 

[Cypwr]

If Iowa starts another dynasty it won't really matter. It's just wrestling. Nobody cares about it outside of the state of Iowa...and not many care about it inside the state.

But I wouldn't worry about it. This year's Iowa wrestling team is a combination of Iowa's recruits and Virginia Tech's recruits that Tom Brands stole when he gutted his employer's program in order to come to Iowa. Of course they're going to be good when they combine the best wrestlers from two programs on one squad. It's a one-time-only deal. Let's see how good they are long term when they're limited to one recruiting class per year.

Even if you are correct doesn't winning this year help future recruiting when VT guys are gone.

 

[JonDMiller]

Like some have said, getting wrestling into the mainstream is going to be tough no matter what. Having a dominant program that is the face...well, I don't know that that will help or hurt it.

Sports television is much different than it was even 8 years ago when Iowa came to the end of its decades long dominance of the sport...so who knows how it might affect things.

Tennessee and UConn dominate women's college hoops...more people understand that sport because most everyone has played basketball at some level; how is that sport doing nationally? I don't know, but has it made inroads in TV ratings?

As for Iowa being able to put together another dynasty, ISU will have something to say about that. Minnesota and Okie State are also stronger now than they were during Iowa's run. Ohio State is a sleeping giant that appears to have woken up.

It's going to be Iowa and ISU's world the next two or three years

And I think it's harder to put together a dynasty like Iowa had, now. There are fewer wrestling programs at the college level, though the sport in high schools is strong and getting stronger. That means beter wrestlers get to more college teams...raising the level of parity.

Then, it all comes down to conditioning, coaching and style.

 

[JonDMiller]

If Iowa starts another dynasty it won't really matter. It's just wrestling. Nobody cares about it outside of the state of Iowa...and not many care about it inside the state.

But I wouldn't worry about it. This year's Iowa wrestling team is a combination of Iowa's recruits and Virginia Tech's recruits that Tom Brands stole when he gutted his employer's program in order to come to Iowa. Of course they're going to be good when they combine the best wrestlers from two programs on one squad. It's a one-time-only deal. Let's see how good they are long term when they're limited to one recruiting class per year.

I have forgotten how much I love the hate when it comes to Iowa wrestling. It's good to have that back.

Had Brands been at Iowa, those 'VT kids' would have been Iowa kids from the get go. These guys would be in their third year in the program right now, along with Charlie Falck and Alex Tsirtsis.

All of the VT transfers were from the state of Iowa, save Metcalf, who was born to wrestle for Tom Brands.

So say they wouldnt have had Tsirtsis, because they would have gone with the instate four time champ Leclere over him for the scholarship.

When you talk about combining two recruiting classes, be sure to go back in time to look at just what you are talking about here and who is contributing and who is not.

Say Falck wouldn't have been around this year. Iowa won the team title by nearly 40 points, and Falck got 6th. Tsirtsis didn't wrestle this year. And Nate Moore would be on campus next year at 125, the #1 wrestler at his weight in the nation and one of the best in any class.

But keep raining down the hate...it feels good to be hated again in this sport.

 

[Cypwr]

would that be good for the sport of wrestling? Especially now with what looks like wrestling trying to break into the television market doing the ESPN thing. People like to see competition and no one likes a blowout. There are some nice stories but after a while will people just stop watching if there is no more competition for the team title?

As far as TV ratings go wrestling is a niche sport, how many people view if they do not have a horse in the race? How many of us watch college Hockey when it is on? UI has the most fans so if they are winning their fans are not going anywhere and prob will increase. Brand recgonization may help too, casual viewer may not know anything about wrestling but they may know thats the school that always wins. Some view to watch the individuals instead of the teams also. So is it bad for the sport TV rating wise prob not. Is it bad for the sport? maybe, it might make it easier to cut the sport at your school if you do not make $ or break even (which is basically every school except UI) and also know you have no chance to win. Why bother attitude more money for the football team.

 

[MontyBurns]

When you talk about combining two recruiting classes, be sure to go back in time to look at just what you are talking about here and who is contributing and who is not.

Errrr no. I don't know who is contributing and or even who is on the mat for Iowa. Or ISU for that matter. And I don't care to spend 3 seconds to find out. Why bother? It's just wrestling.