So it's always a nice surprise when the sport gets positive coverage from unexpected sources.
In the past week or so, this writer came across three news stories about women's wrestling from what I would consider to be highly unlikely places -- two from global mainstream media organizations, and the third from what I would classify as an up-and-coming source (look up Ozy and see how they describe themselves)
Wrestle Like a Girl on Megan Kelly TODAY
Last Thursday, the third hour of NBC's TODAY morning news show -- hosted by Megyn Kelly since last September and shown in most parts of the country at 9 a.m. -- devoted six-and-a-half minutes to Wrestle Like a Girl, the organization devoted to encouraging girls and young women to participate in the sport.
The segment -- part of Megyn Kelly TODAY's ongoing "Grit" series which focuses on people who have overcome adversity to do something extraordinary -- featured WLAG founder Sally Roberts who told Kelly that she "grew up in a really challenging home." (The Megyn Kelly TODAY website described Roberts as "a young woman who got in trouble in school until she channeled her energy into joining the wrestling team. After rising to the top of her field and serving in the U.S military, she's now teaching other young women through her Wrestle Like a Girl program.")
After showing a two-and-a-half-minute filmed segment that took viewers inside a Wrestle Like a Girl wrestling camp, Megyn Kelly TODAY returned to the studio for a live interview Roberts and two of her wrestlers, 14-year-old Chloe Ayres, and Hailey Chancelleri, 17.
Roberts, who was the only female on her wrestling team throughout junior and senior high school, then wrestled freestyle, earning two bronze medals in World competition, shared with the audience that the idea of launching Wrestle Like a Girl came from her time in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, saying, "I was so moved to see girls in Afghanistan who didn't have opportunities. I wanted to pay it forward back in the U.S."
When contacted by InterMat about the segment on Megyn Kelly TODAY, Roberts said, "It's the best, most inclusive sport on the planet and people are going to know about it. Our athletes, and our sport, deserve the recognition."
OZY: Is women's wrestling headed to the NCAA?
The news website OZY recently featured a nearly 1,000-word essay titled "Grappling with equality: Is women's wrestling headed to the NCAA?"
OZY, founded by former MSNBC news anchor and businessman Carlos Watson in September 2013, describes itself as delivering "only original content, focused not simply on where the world is but, more importantly, where the world is going. And every morning, we set out to profile the people, places, trends and technology that are ahead of their time and worthy of yours."
Here's how OZY's Matt Foley opened his look at women's wrestling:
"In late August, wrestling fans from all corners of the globe descended on Paris to witness greatness at the 2017 world championships. They weren't disappointed. In a sport of constant grappling, one American proved untouchable in the arena on Boulevard de Bercy. Helen Maroulis captured her third consecutive international title to go along with a world championship in 2015 and Olympic gold at Rio in 2016. In Paris the 25-year-old native of Rockville, Maryland, breezed through five competitors by a combined score of 53-0.
"So, why doesn't the NCAA let her wrestle?"
The OZY feature goes on to describe the state of women's wrestling in the U.S. right now -- mentioning efforts by individuals such as University of Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands to get the NCAA to add women's wrestling as an emerging collegiate sport -- then, ultimately, an official NCAA sport, like men's wrestling ... a movement led by none other than Wrestle Like a Girl's Sally Roberts.
Matt Foley goes on to provide details on this quest to expand opportunities for women to wrestle in college, and why these efforts are not only good for female athletes, but their male counterparts as well. It's a thoughtful, in-depth story worthy of the attention of those of us in the wrestling community who might not normally check out the OZY website.
The BBC: Neeto's journey from child bride to world-class wrestler
Mention the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.), and most Americans may immediately think of classy period dramas such as "Downton Abbey" and "Victoria" -- or wacky vintage comedies featuring Benny Hill or Rowan Atkinson. However, the BBC is also one of the largest and most respected global news organizations, covering events and people making news well beyond London and Liverpool.
Earlier this month, the BBC ran a human-interest video feature titled "The child bride who became a wrestling champion."
Here's how the BBC described the nearly three-minute video: "Neetu, 21, was illegally married to a much older man when she was just 12 years old. But she has defied all odds to win a medal for wrestling in India's National Games."
Neeto Sarkar won the bronze medal in wrestling at the National Games of India in 2015.
The fast-moving video includes easy-to-read subtitles.
"I am 21 but my story starts when I was 12," Neeto said at the beginning of the video. "I was illegally married to a mentally-ill 40-year-old man."
"The marriage only lasted two months. But I was married again and gave birth to twin boys at 14."
As the video states, Neeto Sarkar used wrestling to turn her life around. But it came at a price, as she lives away from her family in a small room ... able to see her sons and family only once in a while.
"I am making this sacrifice because wrestling is my life."
Neeto Sarkar's ultimate dream: to win a medal at the Olympics.
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