Jason Bryant

Wasn't full, but wasn't empty. I don't think they're primarily concerned with the fan turnout, but the required acceptance to compete is problematic for federations because of the potential fines for not competing. Serbia got COVID just before leaving for Baku, so they bailed there without penalty (Greco). This would be just over a month after the 2023 Worlds and in the run-up to continental and world Olympic qualifiers. International athletes don't compete as regularly as American college athletes do, so their training cycles differ as well as the funding some of these federations have - getting to the U.S. is NOT cheap and dealing with visas and passports, etc. has also been problematic for several countries over the years. I thought they were moderately well-attended. I was at both Baku for Greco and Coralville for freestyle and felt the attendance was fine. Was it full in Coralville? No. Was it full in Baku? Yes, although the size of the venues differ. I think it's more logistics and cost playing a factor. There's no perfect place on the calendar to get the world's best to compete in something that doesn't directly correlate to Olympic qualifying in 2023-24.

Released the numbers this morning. For some reason, social shares are pulling in an old graphic, but I assure you, it's 16. https://www.nationalwrestlingmedia.com/2023/04/hawkeyes-lead-division-i-in-wrestling-attendance-for-16th-straight-season/

I have no issue with the use of the word, I’m just highlighting that it may not be 100% perfect to use for this type of scenario.

Defections are usually permanent. These moves are only for sports. A lot of the Russians end up back there once their career ends as a competitor.

Getting dual citizenship and defecting aren’t the same thing. I typically use “defect” when I know it’s someone like the recent Cuban who bailed at Pan Ams and defected. Transfers through Europe I don’t see as defections. Transfer may be the just bland enough term for it.

I don’t hate an MOV style (we discussed on Mat Stats), but just no no no on decimals. That isn’t something I can ever come around on.

Wade champions this format but I don’t believe he came up with it. I’m behind most of what he suggests with some simplistic twists. Kyle and Andy broke down the results-based outcomes a few years ago on their On The Mat podcast. If “duals don’t matter” then what’s the harm in simply changing how the team score is totaled?

I really don’t know who has consumed it. I sent it to every coach last year and only 3 responded - those three were from mid-majors and agreed with the concept. I do believe there is some movement for at least one conference to emerge out of this kind of plan but the rest remains to be seen.

He’s not even in the top 10 …

Maybe an age-group ban. Wrestling can save a lot of kids who need it. Kid still has a lot of years ahead of him. Sounds like he could use some real lessons. Agree with pretty much all of jchapman’s assessment here. He’s what, 14-15? Lotta time to right the ship, but under close, very close watch

I hate to sound like a Debbie Downer here, but you guys know this is my life … I will watch every level, every style and it’s to the point where if there’s a college hockey game on, I’ll watch that over most duals except the big ones. As a consumer on my own time, I want to also be entertained. I’m not actively reporting on things as they happen anymore so what am I watching in my free time? It’s becoming increasingly hard to just have wrestling on and be engaged in a lot of the product. Most of it now is just scanning results and going back to watch specific bouts that were eye-catching … when given a more exciting sports option, wrestling is going to have to do more things. And I love wrestling.

https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/mat-stats/mat-stats-10-jason-bryants-plan-to-renovate-division-i-wrestling-conferences-sow22/ Campbell has since moved to the CAA, which would tweak this a bit, but it still bears repeating that this probably should happen (or some semblance of it). I explain why regionals would be a potential death sentence for some programs if we remove the chance for the conferences to sponsor wrestling. Division I's model is messed up forcing square pegs (Olympic sports) into round holes (MBB/FB conference structures)

Fact. Kemp didn’t win his last 110 bouts. Fact. Kemp wasn’t unbeaten in his last 110 bouts. That what I commented on and that’s what I clarified based on your posting of an inaccurate stat. Argue it all you want. I’m done repeating myself. All Star didn’t become an exhibition until 2004.

The reason is because it’s incorrectly coming from the same source. Lee. Cael is 159-0 based on the rules at the time. Lee is what he is based on the rules at time, even the HOF corrected the inaccuracy. The standard to be used is the rules at the time and of the era. It’s why Gable’s win streak is what it is and doesn’t count his freshman year. Lee can’t change the rules. He’s one of the GOATS but facts are what they are. That IS the establishment’s opinion on it. A tie doesn’t exist today, so you can’t apply records in that era in the same manner. That’s the fact.

His tie was against a collegian, in a bout where results counted at the time. Can't scrub those from the record books. If you're using an incorrect stat to compare, it's still an incorrect stat and isn't being compared accurately. Kemp was amazing, one of the best and I totally agree he's undervalued by wrestling fans in terms of how good he was, his credentials, etc., but in his era, those matches counted and were countable - and one of them was to a collegian. He was 39-0 as a sophomore, 40-1 as a junior and 31-0-1 as a senior. That's still one of the top three-year runs the sport has ever seen, but he didn't win 110 in a row.

This is incorrect. Lee lost a match his junior year and tied a match his senior year. His best win streak was 55. Those two matches wouldn’t count today, but they can’t be retroactively removed from his record.

CSU Bakersfield is an active program. They’ve been announced as cut twice but to my knowledge, never had an interruption in competition.

Only Bob Dole Fans had some trademark infringement issues …

Sadly, there are wrestling people who actually do this type of content - sexualizing boys and girls. Couple youtube accounts and photographers should be on your list of people not to let into your tournaments. Be aware - their intent is malicious.

Wow … that description of the condition and how it comes to be was terrible.

Now THAT's a callback.

I mean, this is the stuff early Flo did when Martin was driving around in a van. I welcome more content … but if people think no one is doing this, they aren’t actually consuming much wrestling content.

Division I didn’t exist until 1974. I’m still in the midst of actually quantifying program totals prior to 1981-82 when the NCAA started tracking participation statistics. Issue is counting dual affiliates, etc. The NAIA didn’t track participation stats until recently. I have a list of known dropped and added programs on my almanac site. I’m still trying to confirm all the schools in that list. Some were counted multiple times on the first list I was given in 2005 (due to name changes and poor research).

OKC is pretty high on my list of great places that have hosted. Enjoyed it both times I’ve attended. Facility was top notch, clean, food open late for those who work late, solid night life, much of it was walkable. I wasn’t yet working in my current capacity the last time through, but I had minimal issues, other than the limited flight options like Tulsa (only not as extreme).

That’s quite the leap and isn’t what I said or implied.