Why the Lehigh match is critical

[Eric_Knopsnyder]

If you don't follow Army assistant coach Scott Green on X, you should. The former Wyoming Seminary coach is one of the wisest voices in our sport.
Yesterday, he tweeted about how this is a critical time for wrestling. Non-revenue sports at colleges across the country could be on the chopping block, and administrators are talking about how vitally important it is to reduce spending.

What can you do? Go to the match this Sunday at the Field House. It's at 2 p.m. against Lehigh and should be a good one.
This is your first chance to show Allen Greene how important wrestling is to this university and the community.
If you love Pitt wrestling and haven't done so already, sign up to support the Pittsburgh Wrestling club. A monthly donation would be great, but a one-time donation helps as well.

 

[Mikefln]

I agree with the thesis stated, but it is pathetic we have reached this point. These school administrations/NCAA have no one to blame but themselves. For a bunch of supposedly smart, educated people, they could not of handled the direction of college sports worse in the past 20 years. The past 5 to 6 complete incompetency from them.

 

[Mikefln]

Just dropped my son off at his school to head to the matches. Looks like a big contingent from the Upper St Clair Wrestling community will be there with 2 busses of wrestlers (Hs and middle school boys and girls team). I know a few parents are going also.

 

[CrazyPaco]

I agree with the thesis stated, but it is pathetic we have reached this point. These school administrations/NCAA have no one to blame but themselves. For a bunch of supposedly smart, educated people, they could not of handled the direction of college sports worse in the past 20 years. The past 5 to 6 complete incompetency from them.

Everyone blames school administrators, but they are just along for the ride. This is a societal shift where cultural perception of students agreeing to compete for a school for no financial compensation, except maybe some tuition or room & board help, is no longer viewed as a normal expectation despite everyone who ever entered into the arrangement knowing full well of the expectations. This isn't just restricted to athletics; for instance, there has been a complete shift in how graduate students are now looked at as employees instead of being in a training or apprenticeship program. The lawsuits that are codifying these things would have never even been contemplated 20 years ago, let alone actually given credence in the courts. One can agree or disagree with it, and debate why this has changed, but the cultural view of these things in this country has happened fast and it is certainly isn't something that is just restricted to the sphere of the NCAA.

 

[Mikefln]

Everyone blames school administrators, but they are just along for the ride. This is a societal shift where cultural perception of students agreeing to compete for a school for no financial compensation, except maybe some tuition or room & board help, is no longer viewed as a normal expectation despite everyone who ever entered into the arrangement knowing full well of the expectations. This isn't just restricted to athletics; for instance, there has been a complete shift in how graduate students are now looked at as employees instead of being in a training or apprenticeship program. The lawsuits that are codifying these things would have never even been contemplated 20 years ago, let alone actually given credence in the courts. One can agree or disagree with it, and debate why this has changed, but the cultural view of these things in this country has happened fast and it is certainly isn't something that is just restricted to the sphere of the NCAA.

I hear what you are saying and there is some truth to it. I still maintain that school administrations and the NCAA were derelict in their duties. Here are things that they screwed the pooch on by being greedy. They wanted absolutely nothing going to these players, not even a $.99 birthday card. They limited how much they were allowed to make at clinics including travel arrangements.

We will use Pitt as an example. Larry Fitzgerald sold how many uniforms? Didn't make a dime from it.

The signs were there for years and they chose to kick the can down the road and here we are. So yes, they do need to take responsibility for a lot of this mess.

 

[Fred-87]

Great match and crowd at Fitz Sunday !