Lurker 2,033 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 18 minutes ago, LJB said: his talent was/is not wasted... he just won an olympic gold medal... it is the pinnacle... and he did it for the most part fairly easily... there is nowhere else to go but down... that is not wasted... that is done it and moving on... that is a huge difference as compared to "wasted"... Pro wrestling is not even top 100 trashiest programs on tv... the hyperbole in your posts are amusing if nothing else... Exactly. I chuckle when people talk about olympic champions having wasted their talent. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
headshuck 2,586 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 Wasted talent is equally balanced with opportunity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dman115 512 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 I wish I could go "waste my talent" by winning an NCAA and Olympic title and then turn around make millions of dollars... 3 Housebuye, Greatdane67 and bnwtwg reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LJB 2,093 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 2 minutes ago, dman115 said: I wish I could go "waste my talent" by winning an NCAA and Olympic title and then turn around make millions of dollars... clearly you just did not have the opportunity... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wrestlingnerd 2,996 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 3 hours ago, headshuck said: Wasted talent is equally balanced with opportunity. Best avatar ever. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TripNSweep 735 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 4 hours ago, Billyhoyle said: Same reason Bobby Fischer stepping away from Chess at age 27 was. You don’t think it would be controversial if Zion Williamson or Juan Soto decided to leave basketball/ baseball tomorrow to be reality TV stars? The controversy stems from both the wasted talent and the career path he is leaving it for. This is not John Urschel leaving a dangerous sport for an academic pursuit or even Andrew Luck retiring young after dealing with injury (and even the latter was controversial to some). WWE is probably the worst trash on TV-If you like it, that’s fine-but it’s still complete trash. I like some trashy tv too, but I wouldn’t like seeing the best wrestler in the US to leave the sport to star in it. Are we really at a point in society where we have to act like every decision everyone makes is awesome? It’s his choice so we support it! Yay, he will be a movie star like Duane Johnson! Sorry, I’m not that politically correct-there’s nothing wrong with fans of this sport pointing out that this is a poor decision. If Steveson decided to quit wrestling to operate a lucrative capybara breeding farm and was offered a lot of money to do so and be the face of said enterprise, would you care? 1 Plasmodium reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scribe 1,824 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 Yes. I would care if a young Olympic champion left wrestling to do anything else. It means we are doing something wrong. Full stop. 2 BAC and cjc007 reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ionel 2,431 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 11 minutes ago, TripNSweep said: If Steveson decided to quit wrestling to operate a lucrative capybara breeding farm and was offered a lot of money to do so and be the face of said enterprise, would you care? 1 TripNSweep reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
headshuck 2,586 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 Heavyweight Gopher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
headshuck 2,586 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 Yes. I would care if a young Olympic champion left wrestling to do anything else. It means we are doing something wrong. Full stop.This is a good take. The Dream Fund sure isn’t going to do it. Everyone moving to Happy Valley for a stipend isn’t going to do it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lurker 2,033 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 9 minutes ago, headshuck said: This is a good take. The Dream Fund sure isn’t going to do it. Everyone moving to Happy Valley for a stipend isn’t going to do it. We’ve had the most successful games to games quad that we’ve had since the break up of the Soviet Union, from Cadets up through Seniors, both in terms of results and in athletes ability to make a better income…….but we’re doing something wrong because a guy who, for years has said he wanted to be an NCAA and Olympic champ and a career in the WWE, is doing just that. I don’t know if I should really believe this **** or y’all are just f*****g with me. 1 dman115 reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LJB 2,093 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 wrestling has always been a means to an end in this country... how many times have we had to listen to billy joe bob talk about how getting books paid for is a great result from wrestling? get that overpriced piece of paper and all the debt while beating your body up to long term damages over 5 years... that means you won, right? now, billy joe bob doesn't like that gable is using wrestling to avoid all that and go straight to financial security??? seems like gable has used wrestling perfectly... a means to an end... billy joe bob will never get it and that is ok as well... billy joe bob will find a window to lick and be as happy as he was before gable signed to WWE... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Plasmodium 2,218 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 1 hour ago, TripNSweep said: If Steveson decided to quit wrestling to operate a lucrative capybara breeding farm and was offered a lot of money to do so and be the face of said enterprise, would you care? Depends. Would he be a member of the notorious capybara cartel? I don't see any way I could stomach that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jackwebster 291 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 8 minutes ago, LJB said: wrestling has always been a means to an end in this country... how many times have we had to listen to billy joe bob talk about how getting books paid for is a great result from wrestling? get that overpriced piece of paper and all the debt while beating your body up to long term damages over 5 years... that means you won, right? now, billy joe bob doesn't like that gable is using wrestling to avoid all that and go straight to financial security??? seems like gable has used wrestling perfectly... a means to an end... billy joe bob will never get it and that is ok as well... billy joe bob will find a window to lick and be as happy as he was before gable signed to WWE... If you see higher ed as job training, as a means to one specific end ($$), then I would agree. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MadMardigain 1,594 Report post Posted September 8, 2021 1 hour ago, TripNSweep said: If Steveson decided to quit wrestling to operate a lucrative capybara breeding farm and was offered a lot of money to do so and be the face of said enterprise, would you care? The Australian Wombat Wranglers may feel the insurgence of Capybara publicity could potentially cause a a shift in interest known animal species. And don’t get the Blob Fish folks going. 1 TripNSweep reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Billyhoyle 2,469 Report post Posted September 9, 2021 51 minutes ago, Lurker said: We’ve had the most successful games to games quad that we’ve had since the break up of the Soviet Union, from Cadets up through Seniors, both in terms of results and in athletes ability to make a better income…….but we’re doing something wrong because a guy who, for years has said he wanted to be an NCAA and Olympic champ and a career in the WWE, is doing just that. I don’t know if I should really believe this **** or y’all are just f*****g with me. Why has it been so successful? Because the best guys have stuck around in the sport for the past two cycles. If JB had left after 12 and Snyder after 16, things would not be the same. Varner coming back for 15/16 probably even helped Snyder's development (just like JB sticking around helped Dake and Taylor). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TripNSweep 735 Report post Posted September 9, 2021 37 minutes ago, Plasmodium said: Depends. Would he be a member of the notorious capybara cartel? I don't see any way I could stomach that. I don't think he'd have a choice. Once you start down that road there's no going back. 1 Plasmodium reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LJB 2,093 Report post Posted September 9, 2021 36 minutes ago, jackwebster said: If you see higher ed as job training, as a means to one specific end ($$), then I would agree. personally, i do not... for all but a few specific vocations, it is at best a social exercise and at worst a way to indenture a large portion of the populace... gable has nailed this life so far and we should all be/been so lucky... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IronChef 1,071 Report post Posted September 9, 2021 Can we stop with the idea that he’s headed toward guaranteed millions? He may or may not end up there, but it’s a long way off and far from a sure thing. The choice is not “stick with wrestling or make millions in WWE.” It’s more like “stick with wrestling or have an opportunity one day, if you’re lucky, to become a well-known WWE star.” Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LJB 2,093 Report post Posted September 9, 2021 I would bet a dollar to a doughnut that whatever contract he signed with WWE has already guaranteed him more money than the next quad of gold medals… gable is winning no matter you old fogies think… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TripNSweep 735 Report post Posted September 9, 2021 32 minutes ago, IronChef said: Can we stop with the idea that he’s headed toward guaranteed millions? He may or may not end up there, but it’s a long way off and far from a sure thing. The choice is not “stick with wrestling or make millions in WWE.” It’s more like “stick with wrestling or have an opportunity one day, if you’re lucky, to become a well-known WWE star.” I'm sure the WWE gave him a hefty amount to convince him to sign. He had offers to do other things and I think their offer gave him the most as far as money, flexibility and chance to maximize his earning potential. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ionel 2,431 Report post Posted September 9, 2021 (edited) 3 minutes ago, TripNSweep said: I'm sure the WWE gave him a hefty amount to convince him to sign. He had offers to do other things and I think their offer gave him the most as far as money, flexibility and chance to maximize his earning potential. Well we know about the lucrative capybara breeding farm offer, what else? :) Edited September 9, 2021 by ionel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drag it 465 Report post Posted September 9, 2021 5 hours ago, scribe said: Yes. I would care if a young Olympic champion left wrestling to do anything else. It means we are doing something wrong. Full stop. I see this as about Steveson, not "we/us." We have a bushel of world and Olympic champions who are still wrestling and give every appearance that they will continue until the choice to stop is made for them. Snyder, Burroughs, Taylor, Cox, Dake. All guys who are driven by competition. Steveson doesn't appear to want to compete anymore and isn't particularly interested in a career in wrestling. He competed poorly as a freshman, got fit and focused, went all in with terrific commitment, reached his potential in stunning fashion, and decided, unsurprisingly given his past statements and approach, that he'd done all he wanted to do in wrestling and in the process set himself up for what his career goal has always been. That works for him. Some of us have voiced opinions and disappointment about that, based on our preference to see this great wrestler keep wrestling and our belief that his career may not be very successful and/or might cause him physical harm, but I don't see this as any sort of indictment of "we are doing something wrong." Instead this is a person who is not driven by a competitive nature in the same way that Burroughs and Snyder are, and who after having achieved his goal prefers to trade competition for entertainment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LJB 2,093 Report post Posted September 9, 2021 11 minutes ago, drag it said: Steveson doesn't appear to want to compete anymore and isn't particularly interested in a career in wrestling. He competed poorly as a freshman... you just started watching wrestling, right? he was a 3X world champ before he ever began to waste his time with the stall fest in college... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drag it 465 Report post Posted September 9, 2021 34 minutes ago, LJB said: you just started watching wrestling, right? he was a 3X world champ before he ever began to waste his time with the stall fest in college... You just are learning how to read and process information, right? What he did before college is totally irrelevant to my point. Did he compete well as a freshman? No, and although it was a waste of your valuable time that could have been better spent telling people on message boards what losers they are, it was the opposite of a waste for him, specifically: Did you, from your omniscient perch, happen to notice the change in Steveson's physique and approach to wrestling for 6 or 7 complete minutes (none of which was present when he was outclassing kids for his age group medals, though congrats for your encyclopedic knowledge and regurgitation of irrelevant facts), which came after after he lost twice as a freshman to a guy with zero credentials comparable to his, but a grown man laborer's work ethic and a not-too-cool-for-school attitude -- in front of a combined 30,000 paying customers who somehow managed not to fall asleep during these stall fests? If he hadn't been exposed by Cassar as a freshman in two complete third period collapses (and the way he was gasping for air after those stall fests, I guess they would have needed paramedics for him after a real wrestling match), he never would have tightened up his body and game, gone all in, and unleashed all of his skill at the senior level after that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
