This question has puzzled me for some time, why do people love Ultimate Fighting Championship and love fake wrestling, but it took a miraculous “coming back” story to save Olympic wrestling? My answer to this is, inevitably, confusion mixed with a lack of plot lines equates to disinterested viewers.
Vince McMahon, owner of the most successful wrestling federation, was once quoted as saying: “With WWF we are in contact with our consumers more than 200 nights a year. They cheer, they boo. This is how they tell us what they want.” and we are good listeners. Our programs are fully interactive. The fans are part of the show and sometimes they surprise me. I think FreeStyle and Greco-Roman wrestling must learn from the entertainment world. The Fight Needs Superstars There needs to be a certain level of hype, otherwise no one will mind a 6 minute fight.
The NBA creates stories by delving into what Kobe Bryant thinks of his teammates. The NCAA tells us what scandal Joe Paterno got into and how many autographs Johnny Manziel signed. We learn from player contracts, player disputes, controversy, agony, defeat, heroics, and much more that keeps us enthralled and glued to our seats.
If the world can care about 5 teenage gymnasts on their journey to Olympic Gold, then surely the same kind of effort can be put into “who will be the next Cael Sanderson”, and more ESPN articles on who historical stories, like, ” The life of Dan Gable “. Wrestling can be as compelling as anything else, the public must be educated to care.
Finally, people don’t understand wrestling. It is not the easiest sport to understand. John Madden used to be constantly teased for “stating the obvious” during Monday Night Football. Well, sure, 95% of us rolled our eyes when he said, “If the quarterback throws the ball into the end zone and the wide receiver catches it, it’s a touchdown,” but this kind of nonsense made football was visible even to the majority. lick. Announcers must analyze the sport and make the sport exciting. Olympic wrestling needs an Al Michels “Do you believe in miracles?!?! YES!” moment, so it can be played over and over again in SportsCenter.
There are so many sports that the public cares about, just because SportsCenter tells them they should. The same goes for wrestling and folklore.