The unfortunate truth is that wrestling is largely remains a rural sport...and this is reflected both in the fanbase and the participants. And yes, many of those rural fans are racist whether they readily admit or overtly display it. It's sad and it definitely hinders the growth of the sport.
As a Penn State fan it makes me proud to see how Cael has embraced diverse athletes and how he's allowed them to thrive and propel Penn State to meteoric heights.
The current roster boasts 6 diverse starting wrestlers - 60% of the roster is a racial minority which is almost unheard of in top D-1 programs. There are another 10 non-starterson the roster who probably identify as URMs: (Dunbar, Evans, Facundo, Garcia, Gibson, Heard, McHenry, Shindledecker, Wang)
133 - Aaron Nagao
141 - Beau Bartlett
149 - SVN (injured)
174 - Starocci
197 - Brooks
HWT - Kerk
And it's no coincidence that these guys also happen to be the best wrestlers on the team!
Look at a program like Iowa...I think they would compete better against Penn State if they increased the diversity of their roster. Unfortunately, diverse wrestlers know that Iowa isn't exactly the most welcoming place to people of color. They can do better at a welcoming place like Happy Valley.