The NCAA kickoff weekend has become quite the event. Recently the matchups have been between high octane, generational talents like Kyle Dake and David Taylor, and while those horses won't be running, the NWCA has done a great job of finding watchable, likable talent. The Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN) has also been instrumental in insuring the event goes off every year with great production value and high ratings as a result.
While the NWCA All-Star Classic is on solid footing the dual meet season seems under duress. I've long been a proponent of the dual meet season as a way to build the sport, but in hearing a close friend discuss mini-tournaments I'm not longer as certain.
Essentially the argument is that you might reserve dual meets for the top-drawing events of each team's season like Ohio State vs. Michigan or Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma, but that you'd replace the rest of the dual meets with min-tournaments. The wrestlers would get more action in shorter season, teams would save costs, and you could market more stars per event. Rather than have 28 dual meets a weekend you could have five mini-tournaments with wrestlers receiving more reps.
I'm not sure I see all the angles here, and this seems pretty similar to the idea of a dual meet tournament, but I like the notion that we could save budget on travel and shorten the season to something more manageable. Just a thought to share with the community for us to ponder together and possibly mature it into a workable solution.
To your questions …
Nathan Tomasello at the Big Ten Championships (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Q: Nathan Tomasello is reportedly moving up to 133 pounds. Do you see him as a title contender there? Or do you think his height could be a hindrance against taller, longer 133-pounders?
-- Mike C.
Foley: But Tomasello has always been that tall.
The issue of height is, for me, not an issue. Having never wrestled him I wouldn't know, but it seems like he could pick up a forklift and throw it across a warehouse. With that type of Herculean strength I think he can more than make up for a lack of comparable leverage.
NATO is a force and with one of the best coaches in the NCAA I think that he has a chance to win it at 133, 125 and hell, maybe even 141!
Q: Does USA Wrestling have anything set up to hire people to make our sport better? Are there any organizations other than USA Wrestling that do that? The NCAA has their committee of coaches, but they can only do so much as the NCAA trumps the coaches. How would one help our sport the most, outside of being a competitor or coach? What would be the best avenue to take?
-- Ben H.
Foley: One of the most influential bodies in the sport is the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), which provides resources and insights to coaches around the country.
Unlike the NCAA, the NWCA has more autonomy to make recommendations on the future of the sport and tends to be former wrestlers, rather than a mixture of professional collegiate administrators and coaches.
Also, we have to define what we mean to make the sport "better." When you look at the totality of wrestling's place in the United States things are looking pretty good. The sport is growing rapidly among women, there is increased participation in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and the NCWA. High school numbers are less stable, with some overall participation figures pointing towards a downward trend.
As for video content, there is FloWrestling, Trackwrestling and the individual governing bodies like United World Wrestling and USA Wrestling who are all providing video to those who'd like to watch. Jason Bryant's podcast network is hooking thousands of listeners a week up with an inside track on their favorite program or discussion topics. And we have a robust social media culture (even if it gets a little hot at times).
Things could always be "better" but for the most part we are seeing some good results. Yes, you could cut this the other way and see a different story, but I'm choosing the positive angle … this time.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Helen and Simone!
Didn't realize it was possible to fit so much power into one photo! #TeamUSA #Gold #WomenInSport 👻: @helen_maroulis pic.twitter.com/tZDPB2I9np
��" USA Wrestling (@USAWrestling) September 29, 2016
Q: With Jordan Burroughs not winning in Rio, how much does that affect his marketability? Can you give a ballpark figure on how much money it might have cost him?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Off-the-whistle he's losing $500,000 for not repeating as Olympic champion. I think that after that number the rest is sort of inconsequential.
I don't know if there is any real way to gauge how much market value he lost. There are contracts that I'm sure were signed before the Olympics to ensure that he still could capitalize on his fame. Also, I don't know that I think he lost that much value form his previous popularity, as much as he has lost income opportunity. That number could be enormous when you start factoring in book deals, attire and other items.
Crazy to think about what happened at the Olympic Games and not feel some empathy for his position. How many other wrestlers were being paid by Hershey's, Asics, Ralph Lauren and Chobani? How many could deal with that level of expectation? Tough to say, but I think that he has served the sport well, and while I wish to see him on the mat soon, I wish more to see that he is healthy and happy.
Q: Any word that Isaiah White will or will not be enrolling at Ohio State this fall? He is not listed on their roster. I've heard that grades may be a problem.
-- J.M.
Foley: Update: Twitter is telling me he is at Notre Dame College.
Q: Who are your top five pound-for-pound NCAA wrestlers?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Kyle Snyder has to be at the top of the heap, given his dramatic win last season and, oh yeah, the Olympic title. After that I'm choosing J'den Cox, Isaiah Martinez, Zain Retherford and Gabe Dean.
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