Interesting article from Andy Hamilton:
http://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/Po...&twSessionId=tyekmddhzmngpef&postId=600555009
http://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/Po...&twSessionId=tyekmddhzmngpef&postId=600555009
You think the new way works better?NCAA should just ask Iowa high school association how having dual championships worked after the individual tournament
My initial thought is I prefer the one semester season. But I'd want this to result in Nationals moving to April, away from basketball.
I also like the idea of trying to add meaning to dual meets. I know die-hard fans only care about the individual tournament, which is a great event, but this mindset has rendered dual meets meaningless, which I believe is the biggest thing killing the sport -- you can't expect a sport to thrive when it's a few months of practice culminating with a single profitable tournament. You need casual fans attending dual meets. Currently dual meets are just depressing to watch, with coaches more interested in protecting their top wrestlers, and teams competing in empty gyms.
In addition, I hate hate hate that the national champion "team" is determined primarily by who has a few studs that can score big points, as opposed to a balanced team with good wrestlers at every weight class. IMO the team that wins in a dual meet is the superior team -- not the one who wins in an individual tournament.
That said, having a dual team tournament a month after individuals seems like a losing idea.
Dual meets aren't any more meaningless than regular season baseball, basketball, or football games. These games set the stage for their respective championships. It's the prelude. If Tom Ryan and Rob Koll can't get their fans to the dual meets, that's their problem. These morons are going to ruin the sport.
Dual meets aren't any more meaningless than regular season baseball, basketball, or football games. These games set the stage for their respective championships. It's the prelude. If Tom Ryan and Rob Koll can't get their fans to the dual meets, that's their problem. These morons are going to ruin the sport.
Basketball and football games are huge -- particularly football games. They go a long way towards deciding the team's standings in playoffs, and in football's case they decide whether or not you're even in a playoff. A wrestling dual meet means zero for the team. The individual wrestlers need to establish their NCAA seed, but for the team dual meets are completely meaningless. If you have five potential national champions you could forfeit the other weight classes, lose every single dual meet, and be the national champion.
Basketball and football games are huge -- particularly football games. They go a long way towards deciding the team's standings in playoffs, and in football's case they decide whether or not you're even in a playoff. A wrestling dual meet means zero for the team. The individual wrestlers need to establish their NCAA seed, but for the team dual meets are completely meaningless. If you have five potential national champions you could forfeit the other weight classes, lose every single dual meet, and be the national champion.
Not being argumentative but isn't football a one semester sport to all but 4 teams?Just addressing a 1 semester sport:
Dropping to a 1 semester sport would be and most likely considered "intramural" status by NCAA.
The individuals are the team - your distinction is meaningless . Your argument make sense only if your proposing a team championship - and the NCAA won't sponsor a dual championship. However, if we go to a strictly dual format, than only 5 or 6 D1 programs will be relevant. That will destroy the sport. As things stand now fans from South Dakota State, Campbell, North Carolina State, Edinboro, and Rider have something to cheer about at the national tournament. Taking that away is flat stupid and will kill the sport.
The only sensible moves to grow the sport are promoting high school (particularly Texas)and women's wrestling and fighting for greater wrestling prominence at the Olympics. Trying to grow the sport with models that work for football and basketball is crazy because our sport has a limited fan base - it's a niche sport [casual sports fans find it boring]. Traditionally niche sports are best marketed through the Olympics or through women.
Not being argumentative but isn't football a one semester sport to all but 4 teams?
Most of those teams (SDSU, Rider, Edinboro, etc.) will never see the dual event. Conference champs and wild cards based on some ranking.It's not meaningless, at all. It's the primary difference between wrestling and team sports -- and despite platitudes to the contrary wrestling is not a team sport, especially not in its current format. So long as the team's record has zero bearing on individual seeding at the NCAA tournament you can't call it a team sport.
Yes, I love the fact that lots of schools have somebody to cheer for at the individual tournament. It's a great event. Which is why I've never argued against it. What I argue is that we should try to find a way to make dual meets meaningful, so that the fans from SDSU, Rider, etc have something to cheer about outside of one weekend in March. And so fans from Iowa, PSU, etc have something to cheer about outside of one weekend in March.
Most of those teams (SDSU, Rider, Edinboro, etc.) will never see the dual event. Conference champs and wild cards based on some ranking.
So the casual fan "damn, we didn't even make it to the nationals" so why support the team the rest of the season?
Middle of the season format for dual championship, maybe-end of season, NO
. . .
Finally, how many people do you think go to the NCAA Tournament soley to cheer for SDSU due to their team chances? Of those, how many are related to the wrestler that qualified or are former alumni? Honestly, those that attend the Individual Tournament are nearly all going to attend it regardless of whether or not their team still has a chance to finish 8th if they get one more win in the consolation bracket..........
WOB alert - former alum is impossible!
former (wrestler) alum is what was meant. I will edit for sake of my inadequacies.
WOB alert - former alum is impossible!
Not being argumentative but isn't football a one semester sport to all but 4 teams?
Yeah, that whole post was confusing to me.
Dual meets aren't any more meaningless than regular season baseball, basketball, or football games. These games set the stage for their respective championships. It's the prelude. If Tom Ryan and Rob Koll can't get their fans to the dual meets, that's their problem. These morons are going to ruin the sport.
This is complete nonsense. The regular season basketball, baseball and football games (especially football, are you serious?) have direct effects on the championships of their seasons.
Try reading my post - it might help