USA Today article "Wrestling needs to rethink its calendar "

[skikayaker 91]

I like the exclusive landscape of holding our conference and national championships one month later than we currently do. The added exposure would be tremendous, AND allow more time to "re-peak" from the current National Duals time table if that event were continued to be held around the same date as it was this year. Kick off the season first of December instead of first of November and hold a couple of tune-up events in December and ramp it up 2nd Semester making the single semester fans happier while giving some wrestling exposure to those who like the current schedule.

[dsnc471 25]

Also moving it up is no good because college coaches (or at least the assistants) will go to state tournaments to recruit high school kids. This would become problematic if the NCAAs were in late February or early March. If we're going to bother moving the NCAA tournament at all, I think it should be a drastic move back so that the whole season is 2nd semester. Simply from the standpoint of making weight, November-Janurary is the worst time of year for it, and right now wrestling impacts academics of both semesters, with final exams of first semester affected as well as the first half of the second semester. The current schedule definitely makes the sport tougher, but not in a good way.

[ccrider55 16]

You don't need to alter anything about the season aside from moving the tourney back to the second weekend of march madness. Only competing with 10 BB games over the three days as opposed to 40 currently competing on other networks. I don't see a reason ESPN wouldn't prefer the change.

[novalion 5]

You don't need to alter anything about the season aside from moving the tourney back to the second weekend of march madness. Only competing with 10 BB games over the three days as opposed to 40 currently competing on other networks. I don't see a reason ESPN wouldn't prefer the change.

 

If you move if forward 2 weeks you only have to compete with 2 basketball games and it means there are a lot more arenas available. Plus that moves the conference tournaments completely away from states. As it is now B1Gs, EIWA, etc. are usually the same weekend as states and when they aren't it's because states are 1 week later.

[gutfirst 219]

Interesting article from a sports writer's perspective that we get buried in the wake of March Madness - and the Wrestling Championships should be first week in April... Good to see he cares about us, but I like it where it's been. What do you think?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/co ... s/2013121/

 

why not 2 or 3 weeks sooner? the season is long enough.

[pshvartsman 0]

You can't make it sooner, that conflicts with the high school season. I'd say a large number of fans have some connection to high school wrestling and would miss much of the NCAA's if it was sooner.

 

Jason said if you move it back you conflict with the MLB opening day, Frozen Four, the Masters, etc.

I think that underestimates the effect March Madness basketball has, it's huge weekend is Thurs - Sunday during the NCAA wrestling tournament, it's a direct conflict and everyone watches March Madness basketball because everyone fills out a bracket, even wrestling fans. The basketball tournament basically swallows up the wrestling tournament. I think wrestling would do much better against any of those other events.

I say move it to early April, avoid March Madness and the Masters and it will do fine against everything else.

[LungOne 0]

High school wrestlers and their parents are a huge source of fan attendance...look at NWCA duals this year when no one was there due to Section tournaments. Let's get NCAA post-season away from the High School post-season. Watch attendance go up. Should lead to more interest in High School wrestling too.

 

We cannot compete with BBall March Madness. Granted, there are no guarantees that moving will all the sudden create new fans, but one thing we do know is that 99% of Joe Public will choose a BBall game over any wrestling every day of the week. Need to try.

 

Can someone give an idea of why this hasn't happened yet? JBryant you have any insight?

It's a two-semester sport anyway, what difference would it make if we started 2-3 weeks later?

[RichB 191]

Acording to wikipedia, except for April 15, 1979, the Masters Golf Tournament has always, since 1940, ended on the second Sunday of April(or the monday after if delayed by weather or a playoff).

 

Therefore schedule NCAA Wrestling to end on the third Saturday of April. It will not conflict with Golf, Frozen Four, or Baseball opening day. It may conflict with NCAA Gymnastics or Not Mens Volleyball. The conference tournaments will likely conflict with either Final four or opening Baseball and Frozen Four.

 

Arenas. This date may conflict with NBA and NHL conflicts (also AHL and less significant minor professional sports.) I think one sport in potential playoffs can be worked around for 4 days Wednesday to Saturday, but it might be a challenge for a facility that hosts 2 Major Sports. It looks like there are four major arenas, within the areas that have traditionally hosted NCAA Wrestling that host NBA and NHL. Philadelphia Well Fargo, Madison Square Garden, Washington Verizon Center, Chicago United Center. Also four outside normal areas - Boston, Denver Dallas, and LosAngeles (although Anaheim only has Ducks hockey).

 

However it looks like currently the NBA Regular season, and this (lockout) year the NHL, are still in the regular season these dates.

[ccrider55 16]

You don't need to alter anything about the season aside from moving the tourney back to the second weekend of march madness. Only competing with 10 BB games over the three days as opposed to 40 currently competing on other networks. I don't see a reason ESPN wouldn't prefer the change.

 

If you move if forward 2 weeks you only have to compete with 2 basketball games and it means there are a lot more arenas available. Plus that moves the conference tournaments completely away from states. As it is now B1Gs, EIWA, etc. are usually the same weekend as states and when they aren't it's because states are 1 week later.

By moving to the second week of march madness we would be able to piggy back on the general mentality of a continuous sporting event, like during the first week but with 1/4 the competition for time slots. The final four weekend is more of a singular event (Super Bowlish) that's less likely to have numbers channel surfing. Second week also is before MLB and Masters. You could, but wouldn't have to, move qualifiers back too. The PAC currently has tournament 3 weeks before NCAA's, I understand in order to have access to refs that wouldn't be available the following week. This could also create a bit more of an opening for national duals, leaving more time to refocus and prepare for the traditional individual tournament (assuming the national duals is still a future focus).

[StallGuy 1]

I think having the finals the same weekend as the NCAA Final Four would work. We could be part of National Champioship week. Shorten the season to the second semester and remove cutting weight before the fall semester finals. There could be preseason tournaments over the Christmas break.

[tightwaist 388]

Start season in January, end it in mid-late April. MLB? Who even watches baseball anymore? Competing against March Madness is much worse than baseball. Who watches Saturday night baseball on TV? Only diehards...and they are a dying bunch

[SetonHallPirate 831]

You don't need to alter anything about the season aside from moving the tourney back to the second weekend of march madness. Only competing with 10 BB games over the three days as opposed to 40 currently competing on other networks. I don't see a reason ESPN wouldn't prefer the change.

 

If you move if forward 2 weeks you only have to compete with 2 basketball games and it means there are a lot more arenas available. Plus that moves the conference tournaments completely away from states. As it is now B1Gs, EIWA, etc. are usually the same weekend as states and when they aren't it's because states are 1 week later.

The NCAA would never go for having our championships be Final Four weekend.

[RealAmericanHero 97]

I'm not sold on this idea.

 

How many basketball fans watch wrestling?

 

Now, how many wrestling fans watch basketball?

 

I would venture to say more people are of the latter group than the former. If people have the chance to attend both, I think a fair number would. But if people only have the fund/time/resources to go to one, then I would imagine more go to the basketball.

 

It sounds to me that basketball gains more with this move than wrestling does.

 

If it ain't broken, don't try to fix it.

[JasonBryant 1,674]

MLB? Who even watches baseball anymore?

 

A lot more people watch MLB than watch wrestling. Let's be real here.

[GuillermoBilletas 149]

2/3 weeks later gets awful close to US Open

[BobDole 967]

Moving NCAAs to the weekend after the first round of basketball would help with media coverage tremendously. Last weekend all the talk on ESPN was about the upsets of the first two rounds. The wrestling coverage has to battle with almost 50 basketball games that went on last week compared to 12 this week and only two on Saturday. Pick your battles wisely and having the NCAA tournament the same weekend as basketball is not a wise battle. On top of that doing this would push conference tournaments off of some state tournament dates.

[pshvartsman 0]

MLB? Who even watches baseball anymore?

 

A lot more people watch MLB than watch wrestling. Let's be real here.

 

Yes, more people watch MLB than wrestling but very few people would not watch the NCAA Wrestling Championships to watch an April baseball game.

March Madness Basketball is a premiere event, more people watch that first weekend (Thurs - Sun) than just about anything. Look at the below link about work productivity dropping.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23708504/ns/b ... VSc8BeG03M

With the current schedule March Madness basketball is on basically the entire time the wrestling is on. Lots of people are interested in both. I watch the wrestling with die hard wrestling fans, like myself, but we all check the basketball scores to see how our brackets are doing. Casual fans might watch the basketball instead.

April baseball isn't the same draw, not even close, sure people watch it but very few people focus on it like March Madness. Even die hard baseball fans might miss 3 out of 162 baseball games to watch the wrestling Championship.

[gimpeltf 1,521]

I believe this has been mentioned a few times but this desire to push is mainly from Div I. The problem came from Div II and III and likely JC. To some extent, the wrestlers and to a greater extent the coaches often do more than one sport. I understand it was the coaches from the other divisions that were opposed since it would affect them.

[LtWtLooker 0]

This is just a rehash of the same old discussions about this subject that occurs this time each year. .Now, like in all the others, there is no mention of the impact on the student athletes of stretching the season.Does anyone think the coaches wouldn't figure a way to have wrestling go all year just because NCAA said one season? If I remember all of the previous discussion, the college season is driven by the FILA season. Maybe now that FILA has completely screwed up("we didn't see this coming") folks will stop listening to them. As one poster mentions each time this subject comes up "it only effects 3 or so wrestlers". While that is untrue, relative to the numbers who compete in college, those who compete in FILA events are neglegible. The problem, of ocurse, is that in most cases these "neglegible wrestlers" are the primo performers in the sport.

 

Come on PT lay it out there! As one of the policy makers in the sport a little transparency would help

[ccrider55 16]

I believe this has been mentioned a few times but this desire to push is mainly from Div I. The problem came from Div II and III and likely JC. To some extent, the wrestlers and to a greater extent the coaches often do more than one sport. I understand it was the coaches from the other divisions that were opposed since it would affect them.

How and/or why would moving the D1 tournament back a week (or two), but leaving the rest of the season unchanged, have any effect on other divisions?

[JasonBryant 1,674]

I know PT has mentioned the same things I have repeatedly (listen/read much Mr. McD?).

Another thing brought up above is some movement of the season will have a negative impact on Division II, III and NAIA participation. In some cases, if you move the season too much, you lose coaches, you lose facilities and in some cases you WILL (not might, WILL) lose programs.

 

And no, the correct answer is not simply move Division I.

 

April baseball is a draw ... it's called Opening Day. Some of the few times of the year the "normal" sports fan can get tickets. Different people are going to baseball games year round, it's not the same 50,000 -- or in wrestling's case, the same 18,000.

[ccrider55 16]

JB and/or PT:

 

I fully understand the problems associated with moving the season. They are many, and I don't support that move. However, is there a fundamental reason that would preclude moving the D1 tourney to one week later? Reasons against have been associated with a change in the whole season time frame (at least those I've heard) and not simply the date of D1 NCAA's.

[LtWtLooker 0]

Looks like another case of opticalrectumitis from no longer here.

[JasonBryant 1,674]

Looks like another case of opticalrectumitis from no longer here.

 

No, but as you said, this comes up every year and the same things are brought up every year. And then we talk about how the same things were brought up the year before ... every year.

[scribe 1,655]

I see another NCAA premier event competing for tv air time, rather than baseball. Totally different fanbase. Better to step around march madness and accommodate the real fanbase for wrestling, when they aren't distracted by high school tournaments.