Wrestling and the Academy Awards

The objective of the Academy Awards is to recognize every aspect of the film industry. As movie goers, we only see a small percentage of the work required for two hours of suspended belief and entertainment. The Academy presents Oscars in categories that seem obscure to those outside the industry like visual effects, sound editing, etc. These are essential to the completion of the movie and the Academy wants to honor the behind the scenes work, too.

Most movies take well over a year to complete. Hundreds of people and thousands of hours are a part of the pain staking process to release a film. The winner of Best Picture always wins a few awards in the other less known categories like musical score and art direction, as was the case with “The Artist” this year (it also nabbed best actor and best director).

At the high school state wrestling tournament, we see only the finished product. We’re privileged to see on display great athletes for a few precious minutes while many hours and years have gone into making them a reality. What happens behind the scenes is what makes that moment possible for these athletes. The quality of the finished product is a result of years of preparation and an abundance of support long before the end is even in sight. Behind the finished product of most of the best athletes are categories like best work ethic, best coach, best original or adapted plan. Often times, those that win the prestigious award of state champion also take home awards in other categories like best work ethic, best original or adapted plan or even best coach. Similar to the film that wins best picture, winning the top award is almost always accompanied by other awards.

Unfortunately, the finished product also reveals holes in the preparation process. We’ve all seen movies that are less than desirable in a number of areas. The DaVinci Code, for example, was one of the best books written in the past decade, but the movie was average. It had a terrific cast and financial support, but the “adapted screen play” lacked the creativity to win any Academy Awards. We’ve also seen movies win awards in those obscure categories and miss out on the bigger, more recognizable awards. Such is the case with athletes and the state tournament. An athlete might win best work ethic and fall short of the biggest award. You don’t get to win best picture if you lack quality directing or editing just like you don’t win a state title if you lack work ethic and basic skills. A movie can make a lot of money and generate popularity and not be a good movie. When it comes to winning those prestigious awards, however, the quality of work behind the scenes is revealed and nearly 100% of the time the awards go to those who deserve them. The same is true on Saturday night in the Kohl Center. Those who win the state championship deserve it and have earned it with their behind the scenes work.

Fans might be surprised by outcomes on several occasions, however, it’s never a surprise to those associated with these winning athletes because they witness the behind the scenes work. Metaphorically, these young men had already earned other more obscure awards that led to the climax of the awards presentation.

When I finish watching a movie, I sit through the credits. I don’t do it because I’m looking for anyone or anything specific. In fact, I usually don’t know what I’m looking at. I do it out of respect for those who put in the years of work so I could suspend reality for two hours. I do it on principle. I sit for the extra six minutes because it reminds me that the finished product doesn’t happen by accident.