One thing that has always confounded me about our sport is that we have many, many that love the sport. All who read and post on here obviously have a passion for the sport.

I am confused to why every time there is an attack on our sport we all don't unify and look how to fix it. Instead we attack within and further damage our sport.

I see lots of alledged problems pointed out but very, very few solutions.

For example, lets look at all of the reasons OUTSIDE of wrestling that could be probable causes to participation numbers instead of looking within. What changed?

Just a few years ago KSHSAA allowed football coaches to have contact on the Tuesday after Memorial Day. This basically made football a six, contiguous month sport. Then they expanded the playoffs to include EVERYONE.

Go look at the numbers before and after this change in Kansas. I heard from so many kids "I NEED A BREAK BECAUSE FOOTBALL SEASON WAS SO LONG" in the past few years. Football coaches hold our kids hostage and drain them of the desire to continue working hard for three and half more months. They threaten the athletes with playing time so that they won't miss 6am summer workouts and contact camps in the hottest months of the year. More and more kids are lost to concussions caused by football and the excessive practices associated with the search for a title. Their numbers are plummeting too but nothing is changing for the better.

Why can't we all look outside of wrestling for causes as well? Why can't we offer solutions instead of pointing figures at each other?

I am not saying we shouldn't change within as clearly you must change to survive. Suggest changes that are positive to wrestling as a whole.

Lastly...Today's world is all about everyone "feeling" good. I ask you this If all of our kids focus on winning and we are to make them all feel like winners all of the time, how are they supposed to learn how to deal with the inevitable defeats they will experience in life?