Wednesday, February 13, 2013

No wrestling in the Olympics is reprehensible

The International Olympic Committee evidently has decided the Olympics are no longer sports whatsoever, but a reality television show.
Steve Fraser: Pride of Hazel Park
That's because they took wrestling off the menu in favor of a list of sports which have been added down through the years designed, obviously, to boost television ratings.
There is no sport which embodies the Olympic spirit more than wrestling. It involves strength, agility, toughness, discipline and sacrifice. It is also an Olympic original.
Some of the greatest Olympic heroes ever in this nation - Dan Gable, Rulon Gardner and Hazel Park's Steve Fraser, among them - were wrestlers.
It can be compelling sport to the highest degree, but during recent Olympics, NBC has virtually ignored it in this country during prime time on the main network in favor of endless hours of women's beach volleyball.
I don't have any issue with beach volleyball being an Olympic sport, or most of the X Games type of events. The coverage is extensive enough these days that viewers can watch pretty much what they want on, in this case NBC's, auxiliary networks. But wrestling is engrained the collective soul of the Olympic Games. This decision brings into question the credibility of the IOC and its objective.

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