Lack of attendance at home matches.

[leg turk]

What do the Badgers average in home duals, 400-500?  Look at what happened to the Volleyball team when they put a true National contender on the floor.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/sports/college/volleyball/badgers-volleyball-turnout-higher-than-ever-for-wisconsin-home-matches/article_dcbd3740-e7ac-5e3c-bc44-0577b997d0f9.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

[GradeTough]

A consistent winning program chances everything. Changes the culture and awareness of the community and builds the fan support. Then you hope the majority of that support is there doing some down periods. Marketing a lot more for the program wouldn't hurt either.

[Barou]

What do the Badgers average in home duals, 400-500?  Look at what happened to the Volleyball team when they put a true National contender on the floor.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/sports/college/volleyball/badgers-volleyball-turnout-higher-than-ever-for-wisconsin-home-matches/article_dcbd3740-e7ac-5e3c-bc44-0577b997d0f9.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

I follow that program and went to their match against Minnesota at the fieldhouse.  They are very transparent, they don't sit their starters, and Sheffield is a fantastic recruiter and coach.  Extremely well run and competitive program.

I'd be careful bringing that information on this board though or expect some defensive posts.

[Big Steve]

National championship contender aside... I just don't think you can compare wrestling to many other sports especially not volleyball when you can bring in the female fan.
Of the 400 to 500 fans at the home duals the vast majority are males.
I wish that the duals were consistent sellouts like Penn State but am not sure that is realistic in Madison, even with top tier teams. I never experienced the 70's and 80's but they have pretty much always been the same since the Rein years to today.
While fans may come in from Stoughton or Deforest the Madison city has never been a big wrestling community. They may draw more fans if the competed in the Fox Valley. Or North side of Milwaukee.

[lizard king]

The sport doesn't help itself either.  Duals mean nothing and coaches don't worry about having their best line up out there.  Most of the duals I have been to, 10-12 different places (not vs Wisconsin), all are not great crowds.  It's hard to get excited when it doesn't matter to a bigger goal and you are not sure what match ups you'll see.

[npope]

I remember back in 1985 when Kemp was an assistant coach and was a legend in his own time and the Badgers were still very much in the national title picture each year and the Iowa team came to Madison for a dual. Iowa was still on its incredible run of national championships, Gable was the coach, the Badgers were reasonable threats, etc.

The two longs sides of the field house were reasonably full with spectators - the ends behind where the baskets would have been, not so much. The upper level wasn't even open. So, even in the very best of times, the Badgers had only meager attendance (by comparison to programs like Iowa, OK State, etc. I had the opportunity to attend a Bedlam meet in Stillwater, OK once (1991) and it was packed...and nuts. They do (did?) love their wrestling.

I don't know what that says for sure, but it would seem that wrestling fever never really caught on in the state.

[DocWrestling]

There biggest crowds often come when they wrestle in high school gyms and it creates excitement in those communities with locals attending.  Maybe they need to do that more to generate interest.  Take it on the road and bring Bucky and some band members.  That would help with promotion but in general would not be fair to the athletes.

[benaskren]

Guys dont want to burst any bubbles here, but having traveled for duals to a good portion of D1 schools in the last decade as an athlete for Mizzou or as a coach for Mizzou or Arizona St the amount of fans at the dual is directly proportional to the amount of effort a coach puts into it!  Mizzou averaged 3500 my senior year and I dont know that they have hit that average since are consistently above 2500 average.

Point is 400-500 is abominable by any measure and I can guarantee you it is not because of the lack of interest in wrestling in the Wisconsin community.  More effort needs to be put forth to garner larger audiences.

For another example see what NC State did last year in only Pat Popolizio's 4th year!

[Musky Hunter]

Filing the seats does not seem to matter to them.  That is the only explanation I can come up with.  As a non wrestler who still follows this team it is very very difficult to get info on college wrestling in general.  I live locally and go to as many as my schedule allows.  What I don't understand is people on this site complain about it and they don't even go and support the program.  I have tickets for hoops and football so I know the local community will support them. 

[littleguy301]

I just got my tickets to the gopher/penn state meet today. still some good ones but reserved sitting only. should be a packed house of 4K plus maybe close to 5K.

though on a side note I believe the Badger/Gopher dual should be a packed house also.

Minnesota hit the jack pot this years with Penn State, Badgers( for the fans in the Western part of the state) Iowa and Ohio State.

I have never been to a badger home meet so I am spitting in the wind on that. I do know that the gophers put on quite a show for their meets and back in the day the gohpers would sell out the badketball areana (14K) for the show down with Iowa.

I also remember the Badgers coming to Minnesota and wrestling in the "barn" basketball arena. Buggehagen got beat in the last few seconds for the gopher win. Back in the Donny and jerod days. Actually that was a pretty good Wisconsin team at that time!

[Numbers]

Hmmm wonder if attendance has something to do with scheduling?

Remember when the Badgers had a dual vs. Northwestern between session of the State Individual meet.  Hard to believe so many wrestling fans were in Madison that day.  And then it never happens again?

The schedule of a home dual on a Friday night and then Sunday afternoon is a concern.  You expect a family to bust over from Milwaukee after work Friday night and then do it again two days later.  Don't understand why inviting 3 teams to Madison on Saturday or Sunday afternoon to each wrestle 2 duals is not an option.  1 PM Badgers vs Illinois and Purdue vs Minnesota,  3:30 Badgers vs Purdue and Illinois vs Minnesota.  I expect the Badgers easily get 2,000 fans to attend an event to watch 4 Big Ten duals live.  At least the multiple hours of travel for fans would be to see 40 matches instead of 10.  (And if something like this ever happens, don't screw it up by not having enough concession stands open where lines are 45 minutes long because the Badgers normally only have 400 fans attend.)

It would take extra effort on the scheduling end.  I guess there was a little extra put into moving the Iowa dual to the Kohl Center once.  Fans showed up for full days for Big Tens and World Team Trials.  Market a wrestling event and fans will mark their calendars to be there.  (Releasing a season schedule does not count as marketing to increase attendance.)

[Gutwrench]

No way another B10 team moves their home meet to Madison.  Imagine the outcry from this community if Wisconsin were to move one of their "home" meets to say Purdue to be part of a 4 team dual meet event.

Also I think the comment about having a home meet on Friday and then again on Sunday being a deterrent is valid.  Somebody may go to one of the meets, but likely not both.

I'm just thinking out loud here, but I like the comment by littleguy about Minny making the event a show.  I live about an hour away from campus, and have two boys age 13 and 10.  We've attended various wrestling meets over the years, both high school and college, and inevitably it's always the same result for the boys.....boredom.  I suppose it's a product of the times in that every kids now-a-days (man I'm sounding old) has constant and instant gratification from video games, electric devices, etc.  Unless a kid is super into wrestling I think they are easily bored by the sport.  Only if going to a UW wrestling meet meant free food, or being able to see a monster truck, or watching some dude juggle 15 flaming chainsaws while straddling two alligators, then I don't think I'll ever be able to get my boys to go.

Or I could see this working.....you promote the snot out of a dual meet.  Pick Minny or Iowa because those are two programs I think the casual fan will know (as opposed to Penn St. per se).  Pack the place anyway you can....free food, juggling alligators, whatever.  Then somehow have the wrestling meet be so memorable people will be buzzed about it and will want to come back and see more.  I'm not necessarily saying turn it into a WWE type fiasco, but imagine the place packed for a dual against Iowa.  Brands is carrying on per usual, and the crowd is getting on his case.  There's a few after whistle pushes back and forth between the wrestlers.  The ref calls the coaches to the scorers table to tell them to settle down their guys, and the coaches get into a shoving match.  Could you imagine the buzz created from that type of environment?  For you older people, remember the gamble NASCAR made having the 1979 Daytona 500 broadcasted live.  It turned out to be a HUGE success because A) there was a big snow storm so more people were hunkered down in front of the TV to watch, B) the final few laps were very competitive, and C) there was a fight between two drivers after the race ended.  I'm just spitballing here, but if there were a way to have a meet be so memorable and compelling that people would want to come back to see what will happen next, I could see that working to increase attendance long term.  

Now I certainly don't want to advocate UW purposely instructing their student athletes to "fight", but hopefully you get my point.

[littleguy301]

gutwrench,,,,,,that is one of the funniest thing I have read in a long time. flaming chain saws, monster trucks and alligators!!!!!!!!

Not trying to be a stiff towards the badgers but what I see on the TV it does look boring to a degree. I do think that the coaching staff works hard and no rip on them.

this may sounds terrible to the die hard wrestling fans but I think some of the college teams should take a page from the pro wrestling scripts. they just have to hype up the event and draw some attention to the average fan.

story time: my supplier (salesman I purchase from) called me yestarday and said him and his pregant grilfriend got tickets to the penn state/gopher meet and was wondering if we could catch up. I thought it was funny since he wrestled as a youth and mainly played baseball but he said he has gone to a few meets and they were a blast. his girlfriend which really had no idea about wrestling went to a meet last year and is now hooked and wants to go more. The music, entertainment, videos, crowd is hot and so on she just couldnt believe it. then after it is over how the wrestlers are so availible to the fans for autographs and the former wrestlers in the crowd. his girlfriend now follows wrestling on tv and the internet. he also said she told him that there future boy will wrestle!

just to get someone in and get them hooked on an enviorment is huge for wrestling.

I know the badgers try no duobt about it but they have to hype their events alot more other than to the die hard fans.

[MNbadger]

The trick is to get a person there three times.  They then are usually hooked.  My gf did.  We attend all the home Gopher matches.  Now, she gets more whipped up than I do as I likely get too analytical watching.  She is screaming and yelling at the wrestlers (by name) like they are long lost friends.

[ramjet]

Guys dont want to burst any bubbles here, but having traveled for duals to a good portion of D1 schools in the last decade as an athlete for Mizzou or as a coach for Mizzou or Arizona St the amount of fans at the dual is directly proportional to the amount of effort a coach puts into it!  Mizzou averaged 3500 my senior year and I dont know that they have hit that average since are consistently above 2500 average.

Point is 400-500 is abominable by any measure and I can guarantee you it is not because of the lack of interest in wrestling in the Wisconsin community.  More effort needs to be put forth to garner larger audiences.

For another example see what NC State did last year in only Pat Popolizio's 4th year!

110% correct.