Sell it or lose it

[gg121and2]

I've written a three-part blog on marketing college wrestling better. You can read all three installments (plus past wrestling blogs) at

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...ndID=190150038

Wiltz - tell them that it isn't horrible reading.

[Wiltz]

I've written a three-part blog on marketing college wrestling better. You can read all three installments (plus past wrestling blogs) at

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...ndID=190150038

Wiltz - tell them that it isn't horrible reading.

My mother told me its not nice to lie.

Just kidding.

No it is really very good.

[Ground&Pound]

I think one of collegiate wrestlings biggests challenges is that it main audience (youth and high school wrestlers and their families) are busy at there own wrestling events when the college events are taking place.

"Fans wanted

Must be smart enough to understand the world's "oldest and greatest" sport. Must be dedicated enough to support the hardest working athletes on campus. Auditions will be held Saturday, December 15 at Our Fieldhouse as our wrestlers face the Fighting Bees from Saint Ambrose University. Only the loudest will be invited back.'

The odds are that most people reading this will be busy at their own event on Saturday December 15.

I think Sundays are probably the best day for college matches. However, you are still NFL to compete with. (At least in my area, nobody leaves the house when the Steelers are playing).

[gg121and2]

Ground&Pound - True enough. I have a friend who is a 20+ year Hawkeye season ticket holder who has missed more matches than he's made the past 3 or 4 years because his boys started wrestling on the HS team.

The audience we need to reach are the EX-wrestlers and their parents. They don't need to be taught the sport and already appreciate it. What's your best guess of how many ex-high school wrestlers there are in PA - 25,000 - 50,000 - 100,000 - more? That's the "low hanging fruit".

[Champ Kind]

Good ideas. The thing is we need to get the fans hooked earlier than college. We need to get people hooked at the high school level, then when they are in college they need to get their "wrestling fix" and go to the college matches.

[ideamark]

You've obviously put a lot of thought into this. Keep thinking, keep sharing... and thanks for joining this group, and letting the rest of us know what you're doing to put "more butts in the seats."

Mark

[gg121and2]

Good ideas. The thing is we need to get the fans hooked earlier than college. We need to get people hooked at the high school level, then when they are in college they need to get their "wrestling fix" and go to the college matches.

True, too. The point, however, of the 3-part series was to improve college attendance as it is now - that's where the danger lies. In the long run - the more people that attend high school wrestling meets the easier it will be to get them to attend college meets.

[Souffle]

How about separate seasons? If the argument is get wrestlers to attend then hold the collegiate season when travel is easier on both wrestlers and fans. How many nights a week can most people travel 50+ miles, forgetting weather?

Also gets wrestling away from bounceball.

[ideamark]

Moving the college wrestling back a few weeks has far more benefits than negatives. One positive stated here in this thread: College wrestling would no longer be competing as much with high school wrestling for fan attention.

Here's what I wrote about the subject back in March 2006:
http://revwrestling.com/articles/120...ships-to-April

As you can see from reading the article, it's an idea that's been discussed for YEARS. J Robinson, one of the most promotion-minded individuals in amateur wrestling, has been trying to get the college season pushed back for a long, long time.

Mark