The condition of sportsmanship in wrestling

This is a hot-button topic right now and I needed a push from another coach to post my point-of-view.  I don't mind sticking my neck out on the line and sharing my opinions.  Actually, I enjoy it quite a bit.  However, I'm cautious with controversial topics because they're so personal.

The sport of wrestling is in the news.  It's all over social media and it's getting likes and views; people are tweeting and commenting.  People are finally paying attention to our sport.  At least, that's what we're telling ourselves.  That's how the wrestling community is trying to justify new and outlandish behaviors that are becoming popular in our sport.

We are accepting things that are unacceptable.

Athletes calling out opponents, showing others up, trash talking opposing coaches, tantrums, and taunting, among other things.  Drawing attention to these antics is all the rage right now, like a cheap and less exciting version of the UFC or WWE.  Unsportsmanlike behavior is now called excitement.  Disrespect is simply passion.  We're encouraging The Showboat and condoning his actions by saying these kids work really hard and should be allowed to celebrate.  After all, the professionals are doing it.

Well, working hard and/or winning doesn't give you a license to do whatever you want.

Wrestling shows up in our newsfeeds so we think it's progress, but make no mistake, it's NOT because of the wrestling.  Our sport isn't becoming more relevant.  The antics and side shows are.  The media vultures love the low hanging fruit because it gets them the hits they need to operate a business.  I understand it from their point-of-view, however, what is being projected to the masses is not the good stuff that wrestling has to offer.  It's not helping our sport.  It's hurting it.  We're being used because we're creating heels and letting them create the narrative.  Parents fighting mat side or doing something crazy goes viral almost weekly.  Athletes avoiding responsibility for poor decisions is common place and the news outlets eat it up.  We're choosing to be identified this way.

We're selling out and wrestlers aren't supposed to do that.

We pride ourselves on being unique.  Wrestling isn't popular and we collectively revel in that.  Now, suddenly we want to do away with important core values in our sport to appeal to some gawkers who have no stake in the game?  To those who haven't dared to endure what we've endured?  Do we really believe this is making wrestling better and more desirable?

I'll grant you this: my core values might not be your core values.  And I respect that.  I really do.  Even within our sport, I respect our differences.  How we approach success doesn't need to be the same.  Yet, I was always taught that wrestling was special and had some non-negotiable standards.  I believed that as a kid.  I still do as an adult.  If there ever was a Wrestler's Code, I imagine things like honor and respect, humility and dignity, and personal accountability and responsibility would be in bold letters.  Those traits have always been essential to the health of our sport, but they're just not exciting enough anymore.  We used to hang our hat on them, but now we're sweeping them under the rug in order to get a few "likes" or "retweets."

Going into the most exciting time of the high school and college wrestling seasons, I'm fearful that bad press and negative reporting concerning wrestling will steal the headlines and flood social media and forums.  More than ever before, I've had droves of people eager to discuss wrestling topics with me over the last few weeks, but only because they're outsiders and want to know what an insider thinks of the lunacy taking place.  They're testing us.

We're at a tipping point and the wrestling community needs to do something about it.  We need to take back our sport and value those things that make wrestling special.  Or we can sell out and kill our sport.  Viewership is up, but participation is down.  Humility and gratitude is out while arrogance and entitlement is in.

The wrestling community must remember the ongoing fight with administrations and organizations all over the country.  The non-wrestling person thinks we're circus act.  We were already an easy target for administrators without these negative story lines.  We are on the chopping block because we're unhinged, unstable, and unpredictable.  That's not a sustainable recipe.  And it's definitely not the sport that won me over as a child.