Beerball Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Wrestling will now join seven other sports in applying for inclusion in 2020. The others are a combined bid from baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu. They will be vying for a single opening in 2020. Seems like a strange choice, but, the fact that wrestling dates back to the ancient olympics pales in comparison to ratings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Wrestling will now join seven other sports in applying for inclusion in 2020. The others are a combined bid from baseball and softball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu. They will be vying for a single opening in 2020. Seems like a strange choice, but, the fact that wrestling dates back to the ancient olympics pales in comparison to ratings. Well, among those sports, I'd guess wrestling stays on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 This is asinine. Yet they're going to hang on the Equestrian Dressage and Kayak Slalom events. Give me a break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Iron Sheik is pretty pissed about it on twitter...but again...he's always pissed off on twitter...but he's entertaining Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodbuster Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 This is asinine. Yet they're going to hang on the Equestrian Dressage and Kayak Slalom events. Give me a break. Don't forget racewalking, ping pong, and seventy two different types of swimming. The most pure form of athletic competition has to prove itself worthy to be on the program of an event that it has been good enough to be a part of since the dawn of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helpmenow Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Iron Sheik is pretty pissed about it on twitter...but again...he's always pissed off on twitter...but he's entertaining . He is a blast on stern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 This is a sad day in sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodbuster Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 This is a sad day in sports. i don't know what youre talking about. it isnt like they killed the world's oldest sport in the name of politics or anything... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Maybe if they did it in the nude like the old days ... And it was a women only event... That would improve the ratings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 As long as they didn't remove a true sport like rythmic Gymnastics (the one with the pretty twirling ribbon) or Equistrian events where the Horse is the true athlete.......... Do people really care that much about the olympics anymore? It just keeps becoming more and more commercial, for an event for "amateur" athletes (In certain sports that aren't huge ratings boost that sponsors will put more and more money into) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sodbuster Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Do people really care that much about the olympics anymore? It just keeps becoming more and more commercial, for an event for "amateur" athletes (In certain sports that aren't huge ratings boost that sponsors will put more and more money into) Yes. Because in a sport like wrestling, this is the pinnacle. This is our "NFL." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 This is a sad day in sports. Agreed. IOC is missing the forest for the tree. Perhaps golf will pull more ratings than wrestling, but they're inrementally changing the whole core of what the Olympics represents. To me, replacing the highlight events with a glorified scrimmage in a sport where the atheletes don't too much care about the Olympics cheapens the overall allure of the games. Dan Wetzel has a good take on it: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--ioc-s-poor-decision-to-add-golf-costs-wrestling-its-spot-in-olympics-201325406.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopsGuy Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 This story made me start thinking of the Olympics and how the US had performed in a truly American sport that has gone world-wide: basketball. I learned that basketball was a demonstration sport in the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. This provided the stage for the 1906 AAU championship which was won by the Buffalo German YMCA over Missouri AC, 97-8. (How many points were they laying?) I can't believe I had never heard that! I'm going to count that as a championship. I don't care. Wiki page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPR4444 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Maybe they should allow chairshots, flashy robes, mouthy, arrogant managers, and the occasional "loser leaves town" match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Do people really care that much about the olympics anymore? It just keeps becoming more and more commercial, for an event for "amateur" athletes (In certain sports that aren't huge ratings boost that sponsors will put more and more money into) In 1997, and 1998 I spent a lot of time in Iowa City at the Univ of Iowa wrestling. I met several Olympians, guys that drove beat up pick up trucks to come practice with us, guys that were legends then and now. When you are driving in to Iowa City the first time, look over and see Dan Gable next to you driving a 8 year old truck you remember it. When you have Tom Brands slap you upside the head (not all that playfully) for being a "putz" you remember it. For the training camps we would break down to groups. These folks do not get in front of the camera and have an audience of millions around the world. They do not get sponsorship deals and do not get their names plastered in papers and magazines. They are like many other Olympic athletes, folks that have normal lives, live next door to us, and yet compete with the best in the world. Removing Wrestling from the Olympics is wrong, but the Olympics themselves are a bit pretentious now a days anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 In 1997, and 1998 I spent a lot of time in Iowa City at the Univ of Iowa wrestling. I met several Olympians, guys that drove beat up pick up trucks to come practice with us, guys that were legends then and now. When you are driving in to Iowa City the first time, look over and see Dan Gable next to you driving a 8 year old truck you remember it. When you have Tom Brands slap you upside the head (not all that playfully) for being a "putz" you remember it. For the training camps we would break down to groups. These folks do not get in front of the camera and have an audience of millions around the world. They do not get sponsorship deals and do not get their names plastered in papers and magazines. They are like many other Olympic athletes, folks that have normal lives, live next door to us, and yet compete with the best in the world. Removing Wrestling from the Olympics is wrong, but the Olympics themselves are a bit pretentious now a days anyway. Great post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted February 14, 2013 Author Share Posted February 14, 2013 Maybe if they did it in the nude like the old days ... And it was a women only event... That would improve the ratings. There's a website for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve O Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Why not just move it to the winter Olympics. I know the guidelines for winter Olympic sports is that they have to be played on snow or ice but seriously, having Curling as an Olympic sport but not Wrestling is just asinine. Also, those of us who wrestled in high school and college already view it as a winter sport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 This story made me start thinking of the Olympics and how the US had performed in a truly American sport that has gone world-wide: basketball. I learned that basketball was a demonstration sport in the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis. This provided the stage for the 1906 AAU championship which was won by the Buffalo German YMCA over Missouri AC, 97-8. (How many points were they laying?) I can't believe I had never heard that! I'm going to count that as a championship. I don't care. Wiki page Amazing. That 97 point score must have been right after they started cutting the bottom off of the peach basket! No way a guy has to climb a ladder and get the ball out 50 times or so! :-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 fixed it for you In 1997, and 1998 I spent a lot of time in Iowa City at the Univ of Iowa wrestling locker & shower room. I met several Olympians, guys that drove beat up pick up trucks to come practice with us, guys that were legends then and now. When you are driving in to Iowa City the first time, look over and see Dan Gable next to you driving a 8 year old truck you remember it. When you have Tom Brands slap you upside the head (not all that playfully) for being a "putz" you remember it. For the training camps we would break down to groups. These folks do not get in front of the camera and have an audience of millions around the world. They do not get sponsorship deals and do not get their names plastered in papers and magazines. They are like many other Olympic athletes, folks that have normal lives, live next door to us, and yet compete with the best in the world. Removing Wrestling from the Olympics is wrong, but the Olympics themselves are a bit pretentious now a days anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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