So, I tuned into freestyle wrestling tonight, not having seen any since the 2004 games, and immediately had a WTF moment.
Somebody went and fucked this sport up!
The winner is now the best of 3 periods, scores are cleared out at the end of every period, there’s overtime on a period-by-period basis, and well here’s an article on this fucking disaster.
Here’s the kicker: I knew why they did it as soon as I figured out the rule changes. FILA thinks it’ll make the sport more whiz-bangy and actiony and people will start tuning in. You know, the same reason they’ve made every other rule change in the last 20 years. Sure enough, right from the linked article
Wrestling’s world governing body made the changes because it wants to stimulate action. In this Olympic age of beach volleyball and BMX racing, it wants to hold its own as entertainment.
Women’s beach volleyball gets viewers because it’s women with tight bodies in tight outfits. We don’t have much to work with on that front:
Rulon Gardner
And yes, I know Rulon wrestled Greco-Roman and I’m talking about freestyle here. Deal.
You want to attract viewers? Stop fucking with the sport! I honestly don’t think there’s been a single 6 year period in the last 30 years where FILA didn’t jack with the rules.
Knock it off.
Oh, and if they are going to change them again: Just start rolling back the changes. Don’t get creative.
Amen Brutha!
You probably know I follow wrestling more than anything else . . . it’s been pretty shitty on the interantional fron the last 12 years.
Not only in the rules like you have posted, but they have cut weight classes too . . . WTF?
There were 10 weight classes up until 1996, then in 2000 it was knocked down to 8. If that wasn’t enough, it’s down to 7 now, and there are actually talks about cutting back to 6.
As if 20 lbs. between middleweights wasn’t enough.
I do like a few rules that they have changed in freestyle lately, namely the push-out rule as it helps Americans who are usually in infinitely better shape than other countries.
Anyway, at least we got one gold.
Yeah, just thought about another thing,
Back when Gable won, the matches could go for 9 minutes. Now, most are over in 4, and you get a nice little break between periods.
I know there is a large ‘distaste’ for FILA.