Cutting weight, hours of practice, and constant lifting are just few of the many components of being a wrestlers. Various schools have dropped one hundred and one men’s wrestling programs since 1988-89, forty-one of which were at the Division I level. Wrestling has experienced the largest loss of athletes in any men’s sport.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) axed wrestling from the 2020 Olympic Games soon after the conclusion of the Games in 2016. The IOC later overturned its decision to get rid of wrestling for good and reinstated the sport. The vote helped to improve and strengthen the support of the sport. It surprised viewers when IOC cut wrestling, as it had always been in the modern games. Once cut, the United World Wrestling (UWW) launched a 6-month campaign to save the program and regain its Olympic status. The UWW helped to make the sport more enjoyable to watch and easier to understand while adding two new weight classes for women, and giving the athletes a greater say in decision making.

The Big Ten wrestling specifically brings in countless championships and state qualifiers. Ohio State brought home the 2015 team championship. The team was ranked number two last year in the Big Ten and has many wrestlers ranked number one. “Passionate, disciplined, and consistent” are three words OSU head wrestling coach Tom Ryan uses to describe his athletes. Senior Kyle Snyder is the youngest Olympic gold medalist and the youngest two time World Champion in American wrestling history. As a coach Ryan explains how he feels about Snyder’s accomplishments.

“I am very proud that he was able to accomplish such great things. In addition to how he acts on the mat, he is a great student, person, and athlete.” The program at OSU is strong because of the leadership and the department is very excellent in providing the team with resources. The culture is very strong. “People we attract have a deep love for the sport, and if you love something you work really hard to improve it” Ryan said.

Wrestling made a slight decline but with UWW’s efforts it has become a popular sport once again. With multiple athletes earning state titles throughout the Big Ten and competing  at the Olympic level, there is no question about success in the sport. Athletes are making tremendous strides in their sport and there is proof within the stats and rankings. The sport itself had a slight decline and lacked support for years, because of people’s efforts to make the sport more enjoyable and easier to understand one is likely not to change the channel when a Big Ten wrestling tournament appears on ESPN. The sport that has earned its right to be in the Olympic Games. It’s a sport like any other that requires its athletes to put in countless hours and be respected leaders on and off the mat. People work hard to get the opportunity to compete at a high level competition, and to not be able to represent oneself and one’s school because people don’t understand it enough to follow is heartbreaking for the athlete.