Increase Attendance - Ideas

[chasepollard]

I agree on the attire not being important.

Myself, I'd rather wear a singlet than shorts and a t-shirt. Matter of fact, I competed intramurals in a singlet.

 

[CowboyTanker]

You see pictures from wrestling's distant past and it looks like they wore only shorts and leggings....

Heck...I was a swimmer at OSU. We wore even less!

 

[Okie_Pat]

I think there is a reason the shorts and shirt look hasn't really been adopted on the college level.

 

[turfpoke]

I think there is a reason the shorts and shirt look hasn't really been adopted on the college level.

Broken/dislocated fingers getting caught up in loose clothing would be a problem.

 

[BackHomePoke]

Broken/dislocated fingers getting caught up in loose clothing would be a problem.

Not to mention your shorts getting pulled down!

 

[ionel]

Not to mention your shorts getting pulled down!

Thats why I dont attend basketball games, seemed it happened all the time in Jr high.

 

[Travis25]

Students should be let in free to non-revenue sports. Factor it in as a nominal part of their tuition. I also love the idea of handing out a scoring guide pamphlet to all the matches.

The one thing that has not been mentioned (because it is might be sacrilegious), but I will say it. Duals have largely sucked since we raised the roof on GIA. I get that it is a historic home of the sport and that it would be akin to KU basketball moving out of the Phog, but it just is not a fun atmosphere. GIA is way too big. 7,000 people in Rec Hall at Penn State looks awesome. The same number in cavernous GIA looks lame.

 

[TheJimReaper]

Students should be let in free to non-revenue sports.

They already are

 

[biocowboy]

They already are

They are but it is not as easy as it should be.log on to Ticketmaster and assuming it is working that day click here and there and hope for the best and that you don’t miss the first match.

 

[Pokes1988]

Getting the high school Level involved would be cool. Have a meet and allow everyone to stay… even if it’s 200 More people, that’s all that matters… or have a 4 team meet and get more schools involved.

 

[je55m00r3]

Broken/dislocated fingers getting caught up in loose clothing would be a problem.

Yeah. You can't count the fingers dislocated everyday in practice.

 

[turfpoke]

If the attire is a problem don’t watch the summer Olympics. Michael Phelps won over the hearts of Americans wearing a damn speedo. Wrestlers have 1000% more fabric than those dudes.

 

[je55m00r3]

If the attire is a problem don’t watch the summer Olympics. Michael Phelps won over the hearts of Americans wearing a damn speedo. Wrestlers have 1000% more fabric than those dudes.

I don't think the attire has any effect on the size of the fan base. I do think your argument in this thread is ridiculous, and your comments in the other are absurd.

 

[turfpoke]

I don't think the attire has any effect on the size of the fan base. I do think your argument in this thread is ridiculous, and your comments in the other are absurd.

Read the whole thread about how we could get more fans by changing from singlets to shorts and shirts. I agree that the attire has nothing to do with people showing up to wrestling matches. It’s a lame excuse for some people to not show up.

 

[alex1fly]

Students should be let in free to non-revenue sports. Factor it in as a nominal part of their tuition. I also love the idea of handing out a scoring guide pamphlet to all the matches.

The one thing that has not been mentioned (because it is might be sacrilegious), but I will say it. Duals have largely sucked since we raised the roof on GIA. I get that it is a historic home of the sport and that it would be akin to KU basketball moving out of the Phog, but it just is not a fun atmosphere. GIA is way too big. 7,000 people in Rec Hall at Penn State looks awesome. The same number in cavernous GIA looks lame.

This is a fair point. GIA is really big and people spread out, making it feel quite sparse. I attended the OSU/Northern Colorado dual a couple years ago and it was awesome - 20 minutes early to the dual and I was on the 3rd row. You really experience it in a different way being at mat level, about 20 feet away from the edge of the mat, and shoulder to shoulder with other wrestling fans. And it was LOUD - fun!

Where would you host duals if they were moved from GIA? Or could you bring in more ground-level seating and restrict who could go up top?

 

[Travis25]

This is a fair point. GIA is really big and people spread out, making it feel quite sparse. I attended the OSU/Northern Colorado dual a couple years ago and it was awesome - 20 minutes early to the dual and I was on the 3rd row. You really experience it in a different way being at mat level, about 20 feet away from the edge of the mat, and shoulder to shoulder with other wrestling fans. And it was LOUD - fun!

Where would you host duals if they were moved from GIA? Or could you bring in more ground-level seating and restrict who could go up top?

I would love to see us build the first wrestling specific venue. 6,000-7,000 seats in a venue specifically designed for wrestling duals, not basketball games. Part of that stems from my belief that duals are infinitely more exciting than tournaments and that the sport should shift more toward duals for crowning champions. Let individuals be crowned via polls, like we used to do for football.

This is all just wishful thinking on what I would do if I were king for a day. I do not think most of it is realistic.

 

[je55m00r3]

Students should be let in free to non-revenue sports. Factor it in as a nominal part of their tuition. I also love the idea of handing out a scoring guide pamphlet to all the matches.

Giving stuff away for free suggests that it ain't worth much. Why do you get a discount on sirloin past its sell-by date? Bc the supermarket is trying to trick you into thinking the beef is bad and that you should buy the more expensive stuff. . . And/or get rid of a worthless product.

Instead, create artificial scarcity. . . like diamonds. As some have said, hold duals in a much smaller venue. Total attendance might end up the same, but the potential of a sell-out will give the impression that your product is valuable.

Idk auction tickets attached to NFT's (e.g. a digitized match from OSU's archives)

 

[chasepollard]

Giving stuff away for free suggests that it ain't worth much. Why do you get a discount on sirloin past its sell-by date? Bc the supermarket is trying to trick you into thinking the beef is bad and that you should buy the more expensive stuff. . . And/or get rid of a worthless product.

Instead, create artificial scarcity. . . like diamonds. As some have said, hold duals in a much smaller venue. Total attendance might end up the same, but the potential of a sell-out will give the impression that your product is valuable.

Idk auction tickets attached to NFT's (e.g. a digitized match from OSU's archives)

Not bad!

Curtains in GIA to facilitate a smaller attendance would be pretty simple.

 

[turfpoke]

Not bad!

Curtains in GIA to facilitate a smaller attendance would be pretty simple.

Already have the curtains.

 

[turfpoke]

Giving stuff away for free suggests that it ain't worth much. Why do you get a discount on sirloin past its sell-by date? Bc the supermarket is trying to trick you into thinking the beef is bad and that you should buy the more expensive stuff. . . And/or get rid of a worthless product.

Instead, create artificial scarcity. . . like diamonds. As some have said, hold duals in a much smaller venue. Total attendance might end up the same, but the potential of a sell-out will give the impression that your product is valuable.

Idk auction tickets attached to NFT's (e.g. a digitized match from OSU's archives

Move our wrestling team out of GIA? What are you clowns talking about? I think we need Oklahoma State fans making these suggestions.

 

[turfpoke]

Digital NFT night at Perkins Tryon Gym. Come watch two historic wrestling teams compete. Oklahoma State and Iowa State.

 

[je55m00r3]

Digital NFT night at Perkins Tryon Gym. Come watch two historic wrestling teams compete. Oklahoma State and Iowa State.

You don't think a cowboy fan would want to own the only copy of the-John-Smith-towelboy lights-exploding-HVY-match of legend?

As your attachment to GIA suggests, nostalgia could be a powerful marketing tool. I, for one, would like to get my hands on a Jeff McAllister match.

 

[CowboyUp61]

I would love to see us build the first wrestling specific venue. 6,000-7,000 seats in a venue specifically designed for wrestling duals, not basketball games. Part of that stems from my belief that duals are infinitely more exciting than tournaments and that the sport should shift more toward duals for crowning champions. Let individuals be crowned via polls, like we used to do for football.

This is all just wishful thinking on what I would do if I were king for a day. I do not think most of it is realistic.

when you build the venue, make sure that at least 8 mats with scorer's tables will fit on the floor, so we can host open tournaments, HS tournaments, kids tournaments.

 

[chasepollard]

Already have the curtains.

I'm talking about strategic placement of them to create a better environment. Where they are now don't seem to be an improvement. Like drop them behind the 200 section?

 

[Okie_Pat]

A lot of teams use dimmed lighting in the stands and a bright spotlight on the mat. I'm sure this tactic is used to hide the lack of attendance. I know OU does this and there are several others. GIA is very bright and you can see everything and everyone on TV. GIA is kind of has a funky setup being that it doesn't have built in fix seating on the lower level. I don't know if changing the lighting would help bring in a larger crowd but it would definitely create more of a dramatic effect for the match, making it feel like a big event consistent with that of a big MMA fight or something. So if you had someone in attendance for the first time it might be enough to keep them coming back. It would also be more visually appealing on tv for the people at home.

 

[chasepollard]

A lot of teams use dimmed lighting in the stands and a bright spotlight on the mat. I'm sure this tactic is used to hide the lack of attendance. I know OU does this and there are several others. GIA is very bright and you can see everything and everyone on TV. GIA is kind of has a funky setup being that it doesn't have built in fix seating on the lower level. I don't know if changing the lighting would help bring in a larger crowd but it would definitely create more of a dramatic effect for the match, making it feel like a big event consistent with that of a big MMA fight or something. So if you had someone in attendance for the first time it might be enough to keep them coming back. It would also be more visually appealing on tv for the people at home.

Yes, I didn't think of this!

When I was in 8th grade, our HS team had an exhibition against Sapulpa at uO and got to wrestle underneath a center light...I always thought that was awesome!

 

[turfpoke]

I’ve spoken to several friends that are Oklahoma State fans. Not huge wrestling fans, but fans. I’m not sure how much season tickets cost. I live out of state. Maybe some of this already exists, maybe not.
Make season tickets $350 pet seat.
Develop an app where the seat owner can easily give back the tickets if they can’t attend. The app can send reminders to return your tickets if you’re not going.
Put together a gift package for season ticket buyers. A shirt or jacket, Poster, refrigerator magnet with the schedule, a thank you letter for supporting the greatest dynasty in all of sports.
People smarter than me may even be able to figure out how to make it a donation and a tax deduction.
GIA holds a little over 13,500, I think we have enough fans willing to invest if it is made simple.
13,500 x $350.00 = 4.725 million per year.

 

[Travis25]

when you build the venue, make sure that at least 8 mats with scorer's tables will fit on the floor, so we can host open tournaments, HS tournaments, kids tournaments.

Yeah, this is exactly what I don't want in my ideal world. Tournaments suck and are way less fun for the fans than duals. My venue would barely have enough room for one mat. That mat would be raised with the coaches/benches below it and fans crammed in on top, as close to the action as possible. Let them do tournaments somewhere else. When was the last time Stillwater hosted a wrestling tournament that saw more than 1,000 fans?

Move our wrestling team out of GIA? What are you clowns talking about? I think we need Oklahoma State fans making these suggestions.

I get this. As I acknowledged in my initial post, I understand that many fans will take great offense to the suggestion of moving away from GIA. But it is hard to deny the reality that it is too big. In fact, it is too big for basketball. There are a lot of reasons teams are opting to build smaller gymnasiums (See Texas, Baylor, Auburn, Ole Miss, etc.).

 

[CowboyUp61]

Yeah, this is exactly what I don't want in my ideal world. Tournaments suck and are way less fun for the fans than duals. My venue would barely have enough room for one mat. That mat would be raised with the coaches/benches below it and fans crammed in on top, as close to the action as possible. Let them do tournaments somewhere else. When was the last time Stillwater hosted a wrestling tournament that saw more than 1,000 fans?


I get this. As I acknowledged in my initial post, I understand that many fans will take great offense to the suggestion of moving away from GIA. But it is hard to deny the reality that it is too big. In fact, it is too big for basketball. There are a lot of reasons teams are opting to build smaller gymnasiums (See Texas, Baylor, Auburn, Ole Miss, etc.).

disagree-get the kids used to coming to that arena for wrestling, and they will continue to come. Long range plan.

As for the question, last year for college. Last month for kids.

 

[Pokes1988]

I would love to see us build the first wrestling specific venue. 6,000-7,000 seats in a venue specifically designed for wrestling duals, not basketball games. Part of that stems from my belief that duals are infinitely more exciting than tournaments and that the sport should shift more toward duals for crowning champions. Let individuals be crowned via polls, like we used to do for football.

This is all just wishful thinking on what I would do if I were king for a day. I do not think most of it is realistic.

Think this would be cool, especially if the plans would be to add more sports in the future.... You could build a small venue for hockey, volleyball, wrestling easily and make it big enough for all 3... Would also be cool to host HS sports finals in those areas as well.

 

[OKSTATE1]

OSU softball attendance has increased because the team is winning at a rate not seen since Sandy Fischer. It is really tough to maintain interest when you are a blueblood program, any down tick at all is a gut punch to fringe fans. The best thing to do is get back to winning national championships, finishing top 3 every year, and scheduling great teams. Hate to say it, but did anyone really think OSU had a chance against Iowa this year? Who is going to travel and spend time and dollars and go watch a once proud program get basically man handled? 23-9 score in wrestling is a blow out.

When you have to go to "gimmicks" to get fans in the seats? You have a major problem, IF wrestling was a revenue sport? John would be gone. Not saying he should be fired, but in most sports once fan apathy hits that screams for a change of the HC.

I do not follow wrestling as close as some, and I never wrestled. I will be honest and say I only care to watch and follow OSU wrestling when it has something on the line to wrestle for. I fell in love with watching OSU wrestling as a student in 1979. I had wrestling tickets my entire time at OSU, only non-wrestling student I knew in my circle (I was GDI) that had tickets.

I read that the RTC's is where OSU has fallen behind and I read John feels somehow this is a gray area and not wanting to deal with it and it not being right. That seems really strange to me, how can OSU not do what the other big time programs are doing? IF it is John keeping OSU from doing that? To me that is a BIG problem, we have to have a Coach on the cutting edge and wanting to work things harder. If I was guessing, OSU lacks the resources for this, John takes the hit for it to protect the program with a stupid excuse, and because he is an alum he is loyal and stays at OSU. But all of this says OSU has reached stagnation and is falling behind every single year OSU does not have a strong RTC program.

You can make all the excuses you want and some are valid. Regionally HS wrestling has really changed, OSU wrestling does not have a BIG Football TV Media rights deal helping to finance wrestling, the RTC's, etc...

As a casual wrestling fan and outside looking in, I see a long time wrestling HC that has a job for life no matter how bad things get (OSU use to fire wrestling HC's for not winning NC's), lack of funding, and acceptance of the general decline of the program and OSU's new position in the wrestling world. It looks to me like no one really cares, the old hardcore standards are long gone. Acceptance of mediocrity has been established. And it could be that the only way to get out of this is to spend your way out when no funds exist, or to get rid of a beloved alum and take a chance on making a new hire to try to do something, anything, to turn the program around.

We can say we all do not accept our new lot in life in terms of the wrestling program, but many casual wrestling fans like myself have, I can honestly say that. I don't see a NC anytime in our immediate future. I don't see OSU as a top 3 program. Penn St, Ohio St, and Iowa are the top 3 IMO. 2 runner-up finishes in the last 15 years for OSU. Without some major changes I see no reason to be super excited about the future and I am not driving to Stillwater to watch a match unless I feel like the team can beat any team in the country and has a good shot a NC.

Fix the product, or just admit the old days are gone, and feed the revenue sports to excellence since revenue seems to be our biggest issue.

We have a nice wrestling program that has some good individual wrestlers and can still entertain hardcore wrestling fans with great individual performances.

I hope to god I am wrong and we go win a couple of NC's over the next 6 years, but the program right now makes it real hard to believe that is possible. And if it is ready to do that, the program is doing a horrible job of marketing itself. And no offense to John, but after our dual losses he has to be be one of worst interviews I have seen from a HC. He dang sure is not selling any tickets.

Not here to create a big deal, just providing a perspective on what a casual OSU wrestling fan like myself is thinking in terms of why to attend.

Need to be what a casual OSU wrestling fan expects and wants to see if I am going to go watch a sport I knew nothing about when I arrived on campus at OSU. Going to take winning a NC to turn some heads again.

 

[leecothran]

Oklahoma State is going to win a national title next year and probably go on a 3-5 year run. Can say that with a lot of confidence... unless something like this season happens and we don't get bit hard by the injury bug.

And yes, before AJ's accident there are many that did believe that OSU could beat Iowa this season. That changed everything for this year. Now it looks like there are three others that are going to be out.

 

[leecothran]

The talent is absolutely there to do this.

125 - Trevor Mastrogiovanni - returning round of 16. Top 8 for most of this season. Injuries have hurt him a bit the last couple of weeks, but with rest he is a contender to win the Big 12, no doubt, and finish as an AA if he can sort out his grip and ankle issues.
133 - Fix - speaks for himself. Will likely be a returning national champ.
141 - Carter Young - Carter is going to surprise people at the NCAAs this season. Next season, plus 10 good pounds of muscle, and he is going to be great. Can get to anybody's legs. Just needs to get that strength up.
149 - Victor Voinovich - very strong, mean wrestler that won't blow anybody away but knows how to win matches. Had a good performance in redshirt year. Has Olympic aspirations, but excels in folkstyle.
157 - Travis Mastrogiovanni - high flyer. Similar to a Chandler Rogers or Dakota Geer. You'll have to ride his roller coaster but he can punish anybody that steps on the mat with him.
165 - Travis Wittlake - hard to say you're disappointed in a guy that has finished 4th in the only NCAA tournament he has wrestled in... injuries have set him back this year. Also lacks confidence in his offense. His issues are mostly mental, which can be fixed.
174 - Dustin Plott - #2 recruit in his class. Hasn't had a great season by the bar set for him... but ultimately has had a pretty good season. Could do something in March, but can't count him out.
184 - Kyle Haas - Rated #4 in his recruiting class when he committed. Is the only person in the last calendar year to take down AJ Ferrari.
197 - AJ Ferrari - enough said. Before his accident, there was nobody in his weight class close to him. (there's a gibroni or two on this message board or somewhere else that will dispute this, but it's true.)
HWT - Luke Surber + 20 lbs of good weight will be good. He's a very solid, technical wrestler. Just lacks strength, which should be fixed. AJ and Calcagno have him on a great bulk plan. If he doesn't work out, Konner Doucet has some wins in his career that indicate he could also be quite good.

In the wings... you're bringing in Jordan Williams, who is probably going to take over 165 when Wittlake clears out. Williams is a top tier prospect that already has the technical ability to go toe-to-toe with the best. A redshirt year of getting his strength and conditioning where it needs to be for college folkstyle will be beneficial for him. Anthony Ferrari is in a similar spot. 157 -165. Not as bullish on him because he's really only wrestled one high school season, but that season was pretty spectacular. Has some issues he needs to work out, but he's a good wrestler. Luke Mechler is a redshirt 157 in the room that has been pretty impressive for those that have watched. Cooper Birdwell has also been impressive at 125. Trevor Dopps at 174 has some positive attention on him as well.

To say the future is not bright is misguided. Our recruiting is there. The development does need to get a bit better... and the mental aspects of the sport need to be improved with our program... but the talent is absolutely there. Just need to tie it all together, stay healthy, and they'll go on a run.

 

[Janderson123]

That's really well stated, unfortunately. It sucks, because John Smith is really irreplaceable.

But with that said - not pursuing any RTC opportunities in a serious way is like asking our program to compete one-armed. Whether that's right or wrong isn't really the point - if everyone is doing it and we're not open to it, this is the new normal.

 

[leecothran]

...... we are pursuing RTC opportunities.....

 

[osudog]

Oklahoma State is going to win a national title next year and probably go on a 3-5 year run. Can say that with a lot of confidence... unless something like this season happens and we don't get bit hard by the injury bug.

And yes, before AJ's accident there are many that did believe that OSU could beat Iowa this season. That changed everything for this year. Now it looks like there are three others that are going to be out.

Man do I hope I am wrong but I don’t see how and the hell you can say this with confidence like that . PSU isn’t canceling their program after they Win Another title this season. Fix and Aj are the only two that have backed up hype that will be back next year . I mean I hope I’m proven wrong but that’s a bold bold statement.

 

[leecothran]

Man do I hope I am wrong but I don’t see how and the hell you can say this with confidence like that . PSU isn’t canceling their program after they Win Another title this season. Fix and Aj are the only two that have backed up hype that will be back next year . I mean I hope I’m proven wrong but that’s a bold bold statement.

PSU is losing 4 of their top guys… they’ll backfill but they have the same question marks we do. Iowa is in even worse shape. They’ll all still be good but the talent is there for OSU. Not saying it’ll be easy but I’m confident OSU will be able to do.

 

[Okie_Pat]

I see Lee's point and I don't disagree that PSU and Iowa are going to come back down to our level next year. I do think its a long shot for a title next year when looking at the current state of our roster. That's why I brought up Gfeller and IF he has some success at nationals like AA, then I would like to think the coaches would try to bring him back. As of right now we have 1 guy ranked in the top 10 so if our guys don't turn it on at big12 then we are going to have some unfavorable rankings and early matchups that might make it difficult to AA and possible be a mental block for the future. It would be good to have some proven all Americans in the lineup next year. Hopefully we have several.

 

[leecothran]

This year has no bearing on next year. New opportunity. Total restart for pretty much all of them. They fully believe that they’re going to win a title next year and, again, the talent is absolutely there.

 

[Wrassler17]

Iowa will fall back a lot next year. Ohio St could take a big step forward if they wrestle their true freshmen (plus RFr Gallagher).

PSU loses Hildebrandt, RBY (probably), Nick Lee, & Berge (probably). They'll add Robbie Howard (125), Van Ness (149), & Facundo (165), all top 10 PFP guys that are somewhat unknown right now. At 133 they probably go for a transfer, maybe someone like Micky Phillippi. At 157 they might go with true freshman Levi Haines. He's top 10 in the 2022 class and he won 2 college opens this year.