A message from Army West Point Wrestling Associate Head Coach Scott Green regarding the state of college wrestling this season as we are at a crossroads with NCAA Wrestling changes and Division I athletics. Please read, share, and go support our in-state college wrestling teams this season - starting with the Black Knight Invite this weekend.
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Fellow NY Wrestling Enthusiasts,
Now is the time.
Being a college wrestling fan in our great state has never been more important. The season is here, and we hope to see you in the stands supporting your favorite program.
As you probably know, we are at a crossroads in Division I athletics, with the prospect of things like revenue sharing, NIL , the transfer portal and a whole host of other factors forcing athletic departments to take a hard look at their offerings. Administrators at some schools have the unenviable task of figuring out how to fund all of their programs at the current levels and how to remain competitive while staying financially solvent. The next few years are going to be interesting times for Division I wrestling.
We are blessed in New York to have healthy programs across the state, and we are thrilled here at West Point to be one of them. Each of the seven programs in NY has worked hard to cultivate strong ties to the local community it is a part of, and we need to all be mindful of how important it is to support and sustain college wrestling at all levels across the Empire State.
Here is my ask. You can call it a call to action if you wish. Buy tickets to an NCAA wrestling match this year and attend as many as you can. Yes, streaming is easier and allows you to do so from the comfort of your couch. Yes, some of you may have to travel a great distance to do this. But there is literally no substitute for a packed gym at a wrestling dual. It energizes the athletes. An experience like this keeps people coming back. But most importantly, administrators notice. Ticket sales are revenue. Revenue, now more than ever, matters.
If you aren't busy Sunday- come watch us take on Penn State and a host of other schools at the Black Knight Invite - Ticket link in article below.
Preseeds have been released for the 2024 Black Knight Invitational!
www.flowrestling.org
If you can't make that one, find one you can attend. And bring a friend. Or ten.
We are very good at being relevant to ourselves in the wrestling community. We NEED to be relevant to our local communities as well. We need to show that we are an important piece of the overall athletics puzzle. I'm confident we can do this, together.
I'm asking you to show up this weekend, and I'm asking you to show up all year. Pick a program to support. Go watch them wrestle. Buy their gear. Donate to their program. Make a difference.
See you soon.
Scott Green
Associate Head Wrestling Coach
Army West Point
evanmiya.com
