How would fans rate popularity of college wrestling now vs. a few years ago? did the nationals always sell out? I say that because not so long
ago there was hardly a network that would air the NCAA wrestling FINALS, much less all rounds like the different ESPN channels did this year. The finals were on at a weird time on some forgetable network not to long ago!
OMG, looking at it through Penn State eyes, it has exploded. PS used to belong to the EIWA, then the EWL before it joined the Big 10. I could drive to State College, catch a girls volleyball match, go back to the hotel, the next day walk up to Rec Hall and buy tickets at the window for wrestling. I was one of the original members of the Penn State Wrestling Club, I think the dues were like $25 per year. My job took me on the road a lot and I stopped going to matches in person.
I went to a qualifyer for the Olympics which was held at the Palumbo Center in Duquesne University when John Smith was the top of the ladder for the Olympics. I sat in a half full bleachers, struck up a conversation with a gent sitting by himself, he was John Fisher's dad who was wrestling John Smith best of 3. I felt bad and told him you never know. Fisher beat Smith the first match and if the ref makes a different call in the 2nd match John Smith doesn't go to the Olympics and win the gold. So yeah, wrestling was sparsely attended and Penn State ran through some lean times, no problem getting tickets to tourneys.
I still went to a lot of Nationals and rooted for Penn State to get an individual champion or 2.
Today, I have a hotel and tickets for nationals nearly a year ahead of time.
