Scott CasberRevWrestling.com recently went one-on-one with Casber to talk about his upcoming tour to the Persian Gulf, what's on tap for Takedown Radio this season, Ben Askren's future, Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar, and much more.
You're one of the greatest promoters and supporters of the sport of wrestling. Your voice resonates with passion when you talk about the sport of wrestling. What is it about covering wrestling that you enjoy so much?
Casber: Thank you very much for the compliment, Andrew, but it's truly the sport of wrestling that deserves the credit. It brings the excitement out of me. It is about that one-on-one competition. Largely, our athletes are the unsung heroes of the world of sport. And they are the best prepared athletes in the world for any kind of competition. That's really what charges me up. That's what keeps me going 365.
You will be traveling to the Persian Gulf at the end of October to take part in a tour with the USO. Explain what you are doing with the USO tour.
Casber: Well, the USO reached out to me and several other guys … Kevin Randleman, Hermes Franca. We all have the same agent, coincidentally. But they reached out to the world of wrestling and MMA … and I announce both wrestling and MMA. They asked if we would be interested in going over and meeting the troops, visiting the hospitals and announcing events. Whether you know it or not, the Armed Forces are getting into grappling in a big way. They will be having some competitions over there. Toward the end of our tour of the Persian Gulf, we will actually be involved in the judging of some intramural events with the Armed Forces. It's not only endorsing what they do, but bringing some celebrity to their efforts … and being involved in what they do. We truly embrace our Armed Forces in such a way that we care and support our troops in every way we possibly can.
Takedown Radio has evolved greatly since the program started several years ago. You have expanded your coverage significantly in recent years. You now have road shows all throughout the country and cover many of the nation's most prestigious wrestling events. What can Takedown Radio listeners look forward to this coming season?
Casber: Well, lots of new things are making themselves available, including the new TDR Roundtable, which will involve you and many other great wrestling Web sites from around the country. Kind of a big tent theory, where we put together some of the greatest minds in the sport, some of the greatest journalists who cover the sport and bring their opinions to the airwaves. That will be on Wednesdays and Thursday nights starting on Wednesday, October 15. That gives our listeners an opportunity to hear a lot of different opinions. Something that we don't necessarily have an opportunity to do on our regular program. I think it will also shed some light on some areas of the country that aren't getting a lot of attention for whatever reason. But we're hoping to be able to open some doors, open some windows, and throw some light where it deserves to be thrown.
The other things that we'll be doing again … some of our long road trips out east. We'll be covering the Northeast Duals, Binghamton Sprawl and Brawl, All-Star Classic, National Duals, Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Midlands, Reno Tournament of Champions, Kaufman-Brand Open, USA Wrestling Preseason High School Nationals. There are so many really positive events. We've expanded not just our coverage, but also our reach. Last year when we broadcast the NCAA Championships, we were pleasantly surprised at the total listenership that we enjoyed, but at the same time, it was expensive. So we knew we were being effective. But we just have to be a little bit more prepared to pay for it.
A new Web site is in design right now. I can't wait to unveil this thing. We're looking at unveiling it sometime over the next week or week and a half. We're looking at this to be very special. Again, it will be the big tent theory where we have the logo for RevWrestling.com, the logo for TheWrestlingMall.com, the logo for InterMat, so people can constantly be going to Web sites of their choice to check out the news and interviews. We'll have a nice video element, video library to draw down from. Our idea, with this big tent theory, is that we are a family, so we should be talking to each other and treating each other as a family.
In addition to your involvement in covering wrestling, you are also involved in covering mixed martial arts (MMA). Describe your current involvement covering MMA.
Quinton Jackson and Scott CasberHere's the greatest part about it … our athletes are able to continue on: Johny Hendricks, Jake Rosholt, Eric Bradley, Paul Bradley, Phil Davis … just to name a few. Take a look at the massive number of people who went to Arizona State who have competed and made a living in mixed martial arts. Kevin Randleman is another great one. Mark Coleman. The names go on and on and on. Frankie Edgar is still coaching and still competing at a very high level. Urijah Faber. All of these guys who have done so well in MMA are still giving back to wrestling. So if we endorse this, embrace this, make this part of our family as opposed to being afraid that it's going to take something away from us, I think we'll be much stronger for it.
So what is my involvement in MMA? I'm an MMA producer. I'm a co-owner of three different companies, two here in Iowa, one in South Florida, where we produce a total of 28 events a year. I also announce live events for other promoters around the country, including Randy and Kim Couture in Las Vegas.
But the important thing is that I'm able to throw some additional emphasis on our wrestlers. I know them now and would like to continue knowing them as they grow into fine young men and competitors in the world of MMA. Mixed martial arts has grown so much and we've been proud to be a part of it. Two of our companies are identified as two of the fastest growing companies in the country. We're just very fortunate to be able to be a part of such a fast growing sport. One that is largely endorsed by not just the Tiffany Network, CBS, but now NBC is jumping on. ESPN will soon be making a rather startling announcement. It's a mainstream sport for mainstream athletes. Sadly, it has been pigeonholed otherwise for other reasons, but the numbers are proving it out. CBS's recent presentation had just shy of five million viewers. That's not too bad for a Saturday night.
Lately, there has been a trend for accomplished U.S. wrestlers to pursue MMA careers, rather than continuing to compete internationally in freestyle or Greco-Roman. Do you think this trend could have a negative effect on future U.S. World and Olympic teams?
Casber: It depends on how we pose this to our athletes. In other words, is it an either/or? Or is it … you're going to do this, well, see ya. Take a look at pro basketball. Pro basketball players are out there after college playing pro basketball … and they still compete on behalf of the United States of America. Why should our athletes be any different? They shouldn't be. I understand that people need to make a living wage. Are we financially able to provide that to our athletes right now? No, but a lot of times there are other reasons to compete. I think others will rise above that.
Andy Hrovat is an excellent example of the athlete ready to accept the challenge, live within his means, and be able to excel where others might not be able to take that challenge. Not everybody has the dream of continuing on past college. I will be the first one to endorse a young man's dream if he so chooses to be an Olympic athlete, to be a world level athlete … and will do whatever I can to assist him in that goal. I fully believe in support in the United States associations. I believe in USA Wrestling. I believe in the AAU. I believe in every one of our organizations that helps our athletes be the best they can possibly be … should they desire to be a wrestler at the international wrestler, I'm going to do whatever I can to help them … because that's why I'm here.
You have known Ben Askren on a personal level for several years. Do you expect him to continue competing in freestyle wrestling with his sights set on winning an Olympic gold medal or pursue an MMA career?
Ben Askren (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)Wherever he lands, he will be successful. Certainly he was disappointed at the Olympics in Beijing, but several of our athletes were disappointed at the Olympics this year. I think America was disappointed. But that doesn't mean our athletes are going to stop trying. I believe our athletes will. We've readjusted our coaching. We've reloaded. I believe eventually we will put forth another championship-level team. Will it be made up of the guys who competed this go round? Yeah, it will have some semblance of the same team, but I think they will be differently prepared and ready to compete. The world stage doesn't stand still because we make changes or because of the individuals we put forth. The world stage is constantly changing as well. I don't care if you're from Russia, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Cuba, or America … it doesn't matter. Everybody ages, everybody changes, everybody qualifies differently at different times in their lives. We are very fortunate to have some of the finest athletes in the world right here in America. We need to look at our preparation and how we prepare them for international competition.
Marty Morgan made the decision to leave the University of Minnesota as the head assistant coach to train Brock Lesnar in MMA on full-time basis. Did his decision surprise you?
Casber: No, it didn't. Marty is largely one of America's unsung heroes at the collegiate level. I will always say that. I believe in Marty Morgan. He is one of the great coaches in our sport. We are grateful for having had him a part of this sport. He deserves a top spot after 16 years coaching … 20 years in the Minnesota program. I believe he has given more to coaching and the kids of America than most. Marty Morgan deserves a shot at some big checks. I believe Marty has made the right decision, maybe not for the University of Minnesota. But if there was a successor to the current head coach at Minnesota, I believe that man will be Marty Morgan. If Minnesota would not or does not look at Marty Morgan as that successor, I would be shocked. I think they would sadly be underselling themselves should they not make that decision when that time comes. Marty Morgan is a top drawer coach and a top drawer individual. I tell you what, if I had a pile of money in front of me, I would give it all to Marty right now just because of the kind of guy he is. He deserves success in life. He's enjoyed so much so as a coach, but can you imagine what he will do when he is a head coach.
On November 15, Randy Couture will make his return to the UFC to fight Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight title in a highly-anticipated fight in Las Vegas. What are your thoughts on that fight?
Randy Couture will face Brock Lesnar on November 15 in Las Vegas (Photo/Sherdog.com)Here's the difference. Whether Brock will be able to go in and call the first round his own. If he's able to go in and call the first round his own and dominate because of his physical size and strength, that will be the difference maker in this fight. If it goes beyond the first round, and Randy doesn't end up there, it will be Randy's fight for sure. Anytime you take somebody with the kind of experience that Couture has … with the wealth of knowledge.
You have to remember, Couture was a freestyle wrestler when he arrived in Germany as a member of the United States Armed Forces. When he got there, on base, in competition, he said that he was going to wrestle freestyle. The guy said, 'No, you're not. You're going to wrestle Greco.' Randy had never wrestled a match in Greco. But he was told that day that he was going to. So he buckled down, set foot on the mat … and did not lose a match that day, winning the championship. Randy is the kind of guy, if you put a challenge in front of him, he won't figure out a way to lose, he'll figure out a way to win. And if staying away from Brock Lesnar is the way to do it, he's going to do it. He'll outlast Brock.
When you go into that cage, and that door slams shut, your adrenaline starts pumping double time. And that is an exhausting feeling. As an announcer, my adrenalin is pumping double time. At the end of the fight, I'm exhausted … and I haven't lifted a finger to defend myself. But I will tell you this, both men are good at what they do. I think Randy Couture will use his longevity in this sport to his advantage and as many tools in his toolbox. It's going to be an incredible fight for sure.
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