Dual Meet Centric
How do we move wrestling toward sustainability?
One of the next steps is simple but crucial: Wrestling needs to return to being a Dual Meet Centric sport.
Here’s why: spectators and audiences engage with activities that, on average, last no more than two hours.
So why does wrestling cling so stubbornly to tri-meets, quad-meets, and all-day tournaments as the primary way to showcase the sport? The easy answer: it’s what the coaches want.
Coaches are focused on getting their athletes as many matches as possible. The logic makes sense from their perspective—the more times a wrestler steps on the mat, the more experience he gains. That’s how you win championships under the current system. And winning is what coaches are paid to do.
But that comes at a steep cost—to athletes’ health, academic performance, and, perhaps most importantly, spectator appeal.
The Two-Hour Rule
Yes, newcomers to wrestling might endure longer events once out of curiosity or courtesy. But sitting through an endless day only gives them more time to decide they never want to come back.
You can’t win the hearts of fans if you consistently break the two-hour rule.
Before dismissing the idea of wrestling shifting back to dual meets, answer this question:
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How many spectators would show up for an NFL game, a Billy Joel concert, or a Steven Spielberg movie if it started at 9 a.m. and didn’t end until 10 p.m.?
Exactly.
So why do we think wrestling marathons are a good idea—especially when wrestling doesn’t have the same built-in entertainment allure as those other events?
Think about youth soccer. Your daughter’s game starts at noon, and by 2 p.m., everyone’s eating ice cream at Dairy Queen. Movies run two hours. Dining out takes about two hours. Concerts and plays rarely go longer than that either.
Tri-Meets and Quads
I’ll admit, tri-meets and quad-meets aren’t quite as time brutal as tournaments—but asking people to carve out six hours of their busy lives for something that’s not employment-related or inherently fun is a losing battle.
If we want wrestling to become relevant and revenue-producing, we must become a dual meet sport.
Athletes won’t die if they wrestle a 25-match season instead of 50. But the sport might if we keep insisting on cramming upwards of 50 matches into a year.
And to be clear—this doesn’t mean scheduling three duals back-to-back on a Saturday to dodge the rule.
One dual per day. Preferably in the evening.
Why It Matters
Why? Because everything we do in wrestling must be spectator-centric. Every decision should be aimed at growing audiences and generating revenue. That’s the only way to build long-term sustainability.
And coaches, here’s a little incentive: if wrestling becomes sustainable and profitable, your salaries could double.
Not interested? Then ask your wife. I’m pretty sure she’ll explain why that matters.
