TitleIX is ripe for reform

Keeping wrestling alive at Stanford helps wrestling nationwide, in my humble opinion. Men's gymnastics decayed into becoming a mere regional sport, and it hasn't been good for the remaining teams.

For more on the college wrestling teams in Texas of yesteryear: https://johnnythompsonnum1.blogspot.com/2022/09/gone-lost-forgotten-collegiate-teams-of.html Meanwhile, an NCAA D1 program is rumored to be in the works in Texas: http://www.facebook.com/TexasCollegiateWrestling

Miami had wrestling as recently as 1999? I doubt it but I'd also like to see the Hurricanes add wrestling, at any rate.

I am unaware of what you're saying but either way, enjoy what's left of your weekend...

U. Cal. Davis had the NCAA outstanding wrestler award winner (who is now the head coach at Cal Baptist) but the school dropped wrestling soon thereafter, close to 2 decades ago: https://cbulancers.com/sports/wrestling/roster/coaches/derek-moore/462 Encouragingly enough, Coach Moore is now based where wrestling shows & movies have the potential to be made more often, and where the '28 Olympics will be held. In other words, he is now well positioned to help our sport survive at the college level and hopefully gain a renewed Olympic bid after its current one otherwise expires around 2028 in Los Angeles.

Nebraska - Omaha actually got time to celebrate? I heard they rolled in to Omaha from the NCAA D2 championship tourney (which they'd just won that same weekend) and the sad news was broken to 'em. UNO also dropped football around that time, despite having received a million dollar jumbotron from an alumnus. Meanwhile, S.E.C. conference wrestling teams come to mind. Some of them had placed in the Top 20 at the NCAAs when there were far more programs: http://johnnythompsonnum1.blogspot.com/2017/09/solving-mystery-that-was-sec.html Mizzou, Texas A&M, Arkansas and U. South Carolina weren't part of the SEC when that conference sponsored (and eventually dropped) wrestling but this group of mascots is otherwise rather helpfully illustrative:

Of potential interest, fundraising for launching NCAA D1 wrestling programs might already be something on the radar of various teams such as Washington, Oregon, UCLA & USC (etc.). It could be interesting (& informative) to reach out to them and see what they have to say. Some programs might be closer to getting to launch something than we might presently realize. One can find club programs for all of those schools (and many more) here. If you like, please feel free to invite the coaches and participants to these forums so they can share their insights directly with us. http://www.ncwa.net/teams Specifically: ***Oregon https://ncwa.net/teams/uo Meanwhile: https://www.facebook.com/SaveOregonWrestling/ Also: a women's club team exists there, too: https://ncwa.net/teams/uow NEXT: ***UCLA: https://ncwa.net/teams/ucla Also: a women's club: https://ncwa.net/teams/uclaw ADDITIONALLY: ***USC: https://ncwa.net/teams/usc For women: https://ncwa.net/teams/uscw And then there's Larry Owings' alma mater: ***U of Washington: https://ncwa.net/teams/uw For more on Larry: https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/4667 They have a women's club team program that's gaining momentum, too: https://ncwa.net/teams/uww

You're raised some legitimate points.

It's worth asking him if there are more folks like him anywhere, and if so... how to find (or at least cultivate) them.

It would be nice to get to see the Western conference get to invite Tarleton State's possible new D1 wrestling team (in Texas) to join: https://TarletonSports.com/ Meanwhile, as for the ACC's merging with the PAC 12... The 3 hour time difference and considerable flight distance are not something the ACC members seem likely to lunge after. I'm not conveying insiders' opinions, admittedly, just opining myself after following the ACC for at least 4 decades. Several of its members (especially Ga. Tech., UNC, U.Va. and Duke) take academics seriously.

Why is fan attendance greater in the Big 10 than in the Pac 12? Perhaps because the Big 10 tends to have university members that have somewhat cornered the major university markets in their particular states (such as Nebraska)? In the Pac 12, there are so many universities (especially in California) that there's always something else to watch, if folks want. Maybe there's not much else to do in the typical Big 10 member states, when compared to the outdoorsy Pac 12? The Midwest is flatland. There's nothing wrong with that; it's a remarkably impressive breadbasket. But out west, folks have scenic views all over the place. Sitting in a stadium has competition. And many folks out there are transplants, who are less likely to get excited about college sports since family traditions aren't tugging them in the direction of attending sporting events quite as much. There does seem to be population density in key Pac 12 markets though. I attended a Dodgers professional baseball game in Los Angeles and it was well attended. I don't doubt that I'm missing part of the picture here, though, so please don't worry that I'll be insulted or hurt if you correct me. I'm seeking knowledge, not tolerance.

Former ACC member Maryland joined the Big 10 a few years ago. It's been a rough journey...

I'm deleting my response upon seeing your self-correction. Is there a way to delete a post such as this? I don't see it. Ah well.

Perhaps the schools would have collapsed a lot sooner if they hadn't implemented Mike Moyer's advice to develop a core nucleus of students? Coach Moyer was quite a resourceful college coach back in the day. His George Mason U. team over-achieved time & time again, with comparatively very limited resources.

Hopefully the following opportunity can thrive amidst the changes being contemplated: What if Texas adds NCAA D1 wrestling at Tarleton State U.? https://tarletonsports.com/ Then the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) would (sort of) have 4 programs: Air Force (an affiliate in some women's sports...); Tarleton State U. Utah Valley U. California Baptist U. https://wacsports.com/sports/2023/4/28/about-memberschools22-23.aspx OK, some of these other schools are already spoken for, conference-wise. But maybe conference affiliations can co-exist somehow? It would be nice to see the WAC recognize wrestling as a conference sport, wouldn't it?

Club team members likely have insights to share about NCAA program reinstatements. One can find 'em here: http://www.ncwa.net/teams ***Oregon https://ncwa.net/teams/uo Meanwhile: https://www.facebook.com/SaveOregonWrestling/ Also: a women's club team exists there, too: https://ncwa.net/teams/uow NEXT: ***UCLA: https://ncwa.net/teams/ucla Also: women's club: https://ncwa.net/teams/uclaw ADDITIONALLY: ***USC: https://ncwa.net/teams/usc For women: https://ncwa.net/teams/uscw And then there's Larry Owings' alma mater: ***U of Washington: https://ncwa.net/teams/uw For more on Larry: https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/4667 They have a women's club team program that's gaining momentum, too: https://ncwa.net/teams/uww

That's too bad. Thanks for sharing those insights. Meanwhile reportedly they now have stricter requirements with which to comply, after losing their nonprofit status: https://www.highereddive.com/news/judge-rejects-grand-canyon-university-for-profit-status-lawsuit/637913/ It's sad to see their wrestling program lost amidst the transition and turbulence...

What remedies would you recommend for such schools? Adding or maintaining wrestling programs seems prudent. Wrestlers reportedly tend to be solid students who find ways to pay their bills. Meanwhile, it also seems prudent focusing on offering majors in areas of study that are more likely to enable the students to find jobs, and obtain gainful income later, too. Maintaining nonprofit status also helps, for tax reasons. I'm reminded of Grand Canyon U. in Arizona, and how they had to drop wrestling after losing that status. Staying in contact with alumni and trying to remain engaged with (and useful to) them also seems prudent. Banking on the continuing availability of student loans doesn't seem wise, though. After all: http://www.USDebtClock.org

The Pac 12 could invite regional teams to join it, and thereby further enable them to recruit student athletes who don't want to have to travel to the rest of the country all the time when they're supposed to be getting an education. Such members might encounter difficulties competing with other schools that have more money... but won't recruits gravitate to local schools? Perhaps the Pac 12 can show the rest of the conferences how it's done... with the student athletes' well-being in mind... 99.9% of student athletes don't make it to the NFL or NBA, right? Educations matter.

What if companies abroad would offer scholarships or fellowships to wrestlers there to come train in the USA for a week, month or more? Andy Hrovat seems to have benefited from training in Ossetia, Russia for a year: https://youtu.be/8-YPKvLaAUM If the end result is more countries aggressively backing keeping wrestling as an Olympics sport, that could be a win / win situation for us all...

I'd like to see gold medals awarded to whomever can figure out how to get more folks in Latin America to aspire to improve their wrestling and someday reach U.S. levels... Role models are helping, it seems. Income disparities likely aren't, needless to say. But then again folks in many former Soviet republics don't have much money but they sure have good wrestling. Local scholarships aren't as helpful down there because admission leads to nearly free tuition anyway. That's terrific and worth preserving. I don't see that admission covers housing costs, though. So maybe corporate sponsorships for athletes in Latin America could help. Meanwhile, scholarships to train up here in the USA for a month or more could inspire excitement down there, too... They could be awarded as prizes, or in exchange for strong academics, for example... BTW, here's perhaps the leading wrestling website in neighboring Mexico: http://femela.org.mx/ It'd be great to have a list of the best amateur wrestling websites for Mexico and the rest of the Latin American region. The sport's catching on with women down there, too, by the way.

Well, a Chinese business based in New York bought Virginia Intermont College's campus cerca 2016: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Intermont_College I like the alumni rescue model, but I'm not seeing much of a fighting spirit (yet) at the Save A.B. University page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/806042444565059

Could investors take over and keep them sailing straight? Or is the loss of accreditation irreversible? I've not seen why they lost it. But I do remember how Sweetbriar College (near Lynchburg, Virginia) was a goner... until the alumnae came in and inspirationally saved it. This was just under a decade ago... I tried to persuade them to add women's wrestling back then (I'm not aware that men were admitted then) but it didn't happen. Only one other women's wrestling team existed in Va. back then (Ferrum). For more on saving Sweetbriar: https://vixenathletics.com/ https://www.facebook.com/savesweetbriar https://www.sbc.edu/live/news/3214-sweet-briar-college-exceeds-all-financial-goals As for saving A.B. university... do their alumni wanna help? They still have a little bit of time to appeal their loss of accreditation, or something along those lines: https://www.highereddive.com/news/alderson-broaddus-university-loses-state-operating-approval-portending-clo/689582/

In Russia and Iran, wrestling has no paying fan base? I've seen the Iranian fans during World Cup events here in the USA and they were very supportive of our sport. Perhaps it was because it was a(n) historic showdown, since Iran wasn't guaranteed to even receive visas for the event.

The summer Olympics last around 16 days. In contrast, the World Cup in soccer lasts 29, nearly twice as long. That said, you've inspired the following question, Paul158: WHAT IF Olympic games (which last weeks) became Olympic years? During an Olympic year's relevant competition season, host cities would (might?) still feature competitions of Olympic sports... However, not all sports participants would compete within a period of merely weeks. Instead, they'd do it sometime during the course of months. In other words, wrestling wouldn't take months to compete but they'd nevertheless get more time than they presently do. And more importantly, they could consequently have more weight classes... and even more styles. Would there be as much appreciation of the competitions if they take months? I bet there could, if it's done right. Maybe a few wrestlers would get to compete during the final weeks, too, to keep that period as electrifying. The same style of eliminations would also happen in other sports, too, while each sport is allowed to grow internally (for lack of a better word, I guess). Notice how the Super Bowl only features two (American) football teams, but the event's watched worldwide? Eliminations need not be fatal as long as other contenders got to compete within recent memory. Alternatively, we could have Olympics-hosting cities empower the hosting of preliminary events in less traditional parts...such as rural high school gyms and such. Such communities would likely appreciate the tourism dollars enough to provide free transportation, while their local chambers of commerce would see to it that housing's available. Housing could be mobile and go where the demand is. This approach could also spare cities and countries the expense of generating infrastructure that's subsequently not used. FYI: https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/abandoned-olympic-venues-sites/ My idea's certainly not perfect but Paul158 has gotten me to thinkin'... Meanwhile Jason Bryant's concerns seem legitimate, indeed. Perhaps the idea that I've just pitched could be refined to make this extended time and space reserved for the Olympics viable, while also helping to keep the Olympics spirit sufficiently alive & vigorous?