Post by wrestlingpublicist on Feb 22, 2008 23:02:45 GMT -5
Duck Fans,
I caught the end of Disney’s Miracle this past weekend, and I did what I always do when coach Brooks leaves the arena for his private moment. I wept. I wept because I was moved by the sincerity and reward of the moment. I’m not a hockey guy, but I am a fan. I grew up in Oregon, where young men wrestle during the winter instead of playing hockey, so I never had the chance to experience hockey as a participant. Anyway, the achievement of that hockey team reminded me of my numerous wrestling experiences as an athlete and a coach. For me, there is nothing greater than achieving a pure accolade as an individual or as a team. Moments like that confirm the value of amateur sports and their intended purpose.
I’m not just a hockey fan. I am a wrestling fan. I am also an Oregon Football and basketball fan, and an OSU Baseball fan (Not going to change). I remember many highlights of past football and basketball seasons, but I cannot recall feeling proud or emotional during those highlights, and I know why. There seems to be no sincere motives, or character building experiences in those Big Time college sports; in fact, I am often disgusted by the investments universities make in their Big Time programs, and the financial and selfish motives of those athletes and administrations. I am certain there are exceptions, but the rewards have become superficial and counter the values that athletics in higher education are supposed nurture. There are few athletic activities in our secondary schools and universities today that offer wholesome, personal, and sincere opportunities for students to learn accountability, to build real character, and to confirm their value as members of a group and as individuals. Scholastic athletics seem to be emulating a professional model of athletics where wrestling is not dominant.
I still believe that wrestling allows young men (and women), no matter their state of stratification, to learn accountability and values, to develop work ethics, and to realize greater potential without having to worry about alienation and the social or financial state of their future. Aren’t those elements what higher education is supposed to enhance? It would seem that the value we place on those elements is dying. I wonder how some can call wrestling a dying sport” when it is one of the most prominent and perennial sports in this shrinking world. Eliminating your wrestling program confirms the deterioration of the importance we place on building and nurturing honest, accountable, and contributing characters.
I do not want to discount other sports. I do not think I have to point out the obvious either, but Oregon’s big time sports seem to be drifting further and further away from being extracurricular activities designed to nurture values and enhance higher education. It seems to me that Oregon’s BT sports are the objects of an investment in the industry that is big time college athletics (a gamble in my opinion). That makes me wonder why Oregon has chosen to cash in an established, and obviously supported, sports team to gamble with a new team (baseball). And you plan on funding what looks to be a very lavish and expensive facility for that new team.
I don’t need to include the numerous children who dream of wrestling at Oregon, the many supporters and believers of wrestling, or the coaches and parents who still invest in the values and lessons of wrestling. You have heard from them, I’m sure. I hope you consider their letters and efforts to save YOUR wrestling program (and theirs). Consider the message you send to prospective students who are not athletes, and the image you are creating for those 33,000 plus youth wrestlers who probably play football, basketball, track, and run cross-country.
When I look back over my letter and my moment with Miracle, I wonder if I wept because of the emotional moment or because moments like that are dying, and the sincere experiences that create them are losing value. “Dream Teams,” Herb Brooks called them, leave us nothing to dream of.
Save Oregon Wrestling!
Greg Bryant
I caught the end of Disney’s Miracle this past weekend, and I did what I always do when coach Brooks leaves the arena for his private moment. I wept. I wept because I was moved by the sincerity and reward of the moment. I’m not a hockey guy, but I am a fan. I grew up in Oregon, where young men wrestle during the winter instead of playing hockey, so I never had the chance to experience hockey as a participant. Anyway, the achievement of that hockey team reminded me of my numerous wrestling experiences as an athlete and a coach. For me, there is nothing greater than achieving a pure accolade as an individual or as a team. Moments like that confirm the value of amateur sports and their intended purpose.
I’m not just a hockey fan. I am a wrestling fan. I am also an Oregon Football and basketball fan, and an OSU Baseball fan (Not going to change). I remember many highlights of past football and basketball seasons, but I cannot recall feeling proud or emotional during those highlights, and I know why. There seems to be no sincere motives, or character building experiences in those Big Time college sports; in fact, I am often disgusted by the investments universities make in their Big Time programs, and the financial and selfish motives of those athletes and administrations. I am certain there are exceptions, but the rewards have become superficial and counter the values that athletics in higher education are supposed nurture. There are few athletic activities in our secondary schools and universities today that offer wholesome, personal, and sincere opportunities for students to learn accountability, to build real character, and to confirm their value as members of a group and as individuals. Scholastic athletics seem to be emulating a professional model of athletics where wrestling is not dominant.
I still believe that wrestling allows young men (and women), no matter their state of stratification, to learn accountability and values, to develop work ethics, and to realize greater potential without having to worry about alienation and the social or financial state of their future. Aren’t those elements what higher education is supposed to enhance? It would seem that the value we place on those elements is dying. I wonder how some can call wrestling a dying sport” when it is one of the most prominent and perennial sports in this shrinking world. Eliminating your wrestling program confirms the deterioration of the importance we place on building and nurturing honest, accountable, and contributing characters.
I do not want to discount other sports. I do not think I have to point out the obvious either, but Oregon’s big time sports seem to be drifting further and further away from being extracurricular activities designed to nurture values and enhance higher education. It seems to me that Oregon’s BT sports are the objects of an investment in the industry that is big time college athletics (a gamble in my opinion). That makes me wonder why Oregon has chosen to cash in an established, and obviously supported, sports team to gamble with a new team (baseball). And you plan on funding what looks to be a very lavish and expensive facility for that new team.
I don’t need to include the numerous children who dream of wrestling at Oregon, the many supporters and believers of wrestling, or the coaches and parents who still invest in the values and lessons of wrestling. You have heard from them, I’m sure. I hope you consider their letters and efforts to save YOUR wrestling program (and theirs). Consider the message you send to prospective students who are not athletes, and the image you are creating for those 33,000 plus youth wrestlers who probably play football, basketball, track, and run cross-country.
When I look back over my letter and my moment with Miracle, I wonder if I wept because of the emotional moment or because moments like that are dying, and the sincere experiences that create them are losing value. “Dream Teams,” Herb Brooks called them, leave us nothing to dream of.
Save Oregon Wrestling!
Greg Bryant