Kayla Miracle, Helen Maroulis, Jacarra Winchester and Sarah Hildebrandt (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Even by the lofty standards of the wrestling community, last weekend was one of the most controversial and dramatic in recent memory.
In short, FloWrestling refused to add women to their upcoming Dake vs. Chamizo card, claiming there was no economic benefit, thus roiling many female wrestlers and their advocates. In the fallout, Pat Downey backed Flo's positions with some pretty aggressive tweeting, but was ultimately pulled from the card when it was rumored/revealed he'd sent inappropriate text messages. Since then a number of other smaller fires have popped up but have been so far been less dramatic than the original discussion.
At its core though the weekend's discussion revolved around women's wrestling and the fight for representation and the role "for-profit" business models should play in supporting larger community aspirations.
First, while FloSports airs niche content -- largely of Olympic style sports -- the industry they covered is almost entirely funded through taxation, donation, and non-profit means. It's hard to think of wrestling and not get confused, so imagine you sell livestreaming for a church service. You run a for-profit business, but that business is entirely dependent on the health and success of the non-profit.
For example, USA Wrestling pays prize money to its athletes, which in part comes from the funds provided by the USOPC. The USOPC monies come from a combination of sponsorship deals derived from an agreement with the IOC, other Games revenue, and governmental support. Therefore, the events and athletes that are being elevated and promoted by Flo aren't themselves working inside a free market -- like they would be in MMA or jiu-jitsu -- they are supported by the IOC and the Olympic structure.
A large part of the Olympic movement is about equality of opportunity and representation. Not having enough women on the mat was part of the reason FILA was shown the guillotine in 2013. When wrestling chose to increase the number of women and improve governance the IOC saw the change and welcomed wrestling back into the Olympics (which provides $15-20 million in direct funding of wrestling per cycle).
Therefore, when women are excluded from participating in events based on their gender there is ample reason to be upset. The "we don't make money" off women's wrestling is circular logic insomuch as nobody can make money off something they don't promote. At the moment, I have 200-plus film cameras and vintage lenses I'd like to sell, but I can't because nobody has shown interest in them. No, I haven't posted them on eBay or taken the time to explain their value, but why would I take the time to do that if they haven't already sold?
See the fallacy of the argument?
I know that women's wrestling sells because United World Wrestling has contracts in two massive media markets (Japan and India) where the value is largely driven by the access to women's wrestling competition. India's program only found success starting in 2016, but with investment from partners in India and a culture who actively welcomes their participation, the sport is blossoming. In Japan the women wrestlers have huge marketing deals and are often so popular as to be subject to tabloid press.
In short, women's wrestling is marketable in Japan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Brazil, and Canada. However, it's not in the United States?
One of the ways United World Wrestling became better at identifying women's stories and delivering them to our audience was by -- wait for it -- hiring women! Of our full-time staff for the Olympic Games just about half will be women. They were hired because they are capable, talented and driven to deliver good work. They didn't need to have wrestled, and having them on staff has been wildly beneficial (and yes profitable).
Take for example an ad-hoc hire of Russian translator Karina. Any interview you've seen with a Russian speaking wrestler from Europeans to Worlds has been done by Karina. I've tried to get these interviews. Other wrestlers have tried. But for whatever reason -- maybe because athletes don't tend to be rude to a female reporter -- Karina gets the interview, has it translated immediately, and delivered. Same with Nazerke, who runs on Russian social media accounts. Need insight on Russian memes -- ask Nazerke..
When it comes to understanding emotional moments or being in the right place at the right time the media team tends to select Helena as the lead videographer. She can feel a moment, gets the best shot, and is respectful of distance and the need to have space. Sometimes male shooters (myself included) can leave too quickly or take a shooting posture that could impact the wrestler and the moment. Certainly, that's not always the case, but having a diversity of experience means we can choose from different individuals to meet a variety of moments and expectations.
USA Wrestling also enjoys the benefit of diversity, which we access, too. Taylor Gregorio brings a fresh perspective to the view of wrestling in North America. She also speaks fluent Spanish and has helped the United World Wrestling team reach into new markets with well-asked questions and even helping produce documentaries with Spanish-speaking athletes. Yes, we could have had a male who spoke Spanish do the same, but we didn't. We had Taylor and she's a bad ass.
Sachiko's photography, Ana's video editing, and Rita's marketing. The teams we create have women because it would be incredibly short-sighted to have five people in one room who've all had the same experiences. If I hired five American men aged 30-45 with wrestling experience and Big Ten degrees I'd have one arrow in my quiver. With a diverse group of five individuals it often feels like I have 10.
As for the wrestlers affected, the American women's wrestlers I know are intelligent, hardworking, tough and marketable. These women are superstars who deserve 100 times the coverage they are currently provided in the United States.
I agree that the men might be more popular or cost-effective right now, but it's foolish to ignore a growing segment of the wrestling world. If Toyota sells 100,000 Camry's it doesn't mean they can't also sell some Tacomas. The two aren't related. If anything you grow your audience by tapping into the new networks and exposure that comes with women's wrestling.
The COVID era is difficult. Spending is limited, but that's not an excuse for a lack of creativity. Quite the opposite, the times require more inclusive-minded solutions and community creativity. Growing wrestling means growing the size and diversity of our community.
Failing to invest in something marketable might seem like the prevention of a short-term cash drain, but in fact it has devastating downstream consequences. We are the stories that we tell and the relationships we create. Ignoring the existence of a gender, or reducing them to an equation of profitability, is not something I believe this community should value.
I hope that we can all work together over the coming months and create space for our female athletes that allows them the same opportunity for success as we provide the men.
To your questions …
Q: What are your thoughts on Jordan Burroughs' decision to leave Lincoln next year? What do you think was the main draw? I always assumed this Olympic cycle would be his last, but I guess not.
-- Mike C.
Foley: I hadn't given much thought to if he'd continue, but a majority of athletes tend to base their long-term plans on their last performance, say the Olympic Games or worst case, the Olympic Team Trials. Even so, Burroughs has plenty left to keep competing, its more just a matter of priority and what goals he has left to accomplish.
The timing of the decision is a little odd. Why not go now? You want to be with Coach Manning, which I think is a good idea, but then why announce a change in July 2020 that won't take effect for 14 months? Seems like a lot of anticipation and could very well distract from training in the short term. I'm not a psychologist, and Burroughs is mentally tough, but I wonder if it splits focus. Who knows, maybe it makes him energized to finish off his time in Nebraska with maximum effort.
Also, the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center is snatching up a lot of top talent. Could be an excellent place for wrestlers to train for the 2021 World Championships and beyond. Congrats to Coach Slay for creating a positive atmosphere that welcomes so many top-level athletes.
Q: Did the NJRTC make the right decision to drop Pat Downey?
-- Mike C.
Foley: Yes. Downey hasn't shown to be a person of high character. Starting in college he has been given multiple opportunities to correct his behavior and has chosen each time to revert to bad habits.
Downey's playing the bad boy because he feels he can monetize the wrestling audience who he believes wants that type of personal drama. Add on the accusations of illegal behavior, constant disrespect for opponents, coaches, teammates, and a variety of other people invested in his success and you can conclusively say he should not have been receiving the time, money, and coaching investment of the NJRTC.
Q: Conferences like the Ivy League and PSAC announced they will not be competing in any sports in the fall season. What does this mean for wrestling programs in those conferences if there is competition? Does it exclude them from competing in events like the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and open tournaments?
-- Mike C.
Foley: The college wrestling season won't begin in the fall semester, save the introduction of a vaccine or a treatment that can immediately combat the deadliness of the disease. The best solution would be for 100-percent of the nation to wear a mask every time they were in public, wash hands, socially distance, and comply with a nationwide contact tracing protocol that could immediately reduce the number of infections.
If, for the sake of college athletics (or human lives, whichever is more important to you) the country could get on board then we would likely see football in the fall, wrestling in the spring, and something resembling normalcy come the 2021-2022 school year. Right now, we are a country without a plan and thousands of people are dying for no reason.
MULTIMEDIA SHOWCASE OF WOMEN'S WRESTLING
The Rise of Indian women's wrestling
Signature Move: Grace Bullen
Battsetseg documentary
Most watched match in UWW history
Belarus vs. Ukraine 76-kilogram quarterfinal (27K views)
Signature Move: Vicky Anthony
Dope comeback by Adeline
Domination by Helen
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