While watching Anthony Robles, Arizona State’s 125-pound, one-legged wrestler, it became impossible for me not to appreciate the appeal of wrestling.
Robles’ balance and reserved, coiled energy was an oddity unseen in most other sports. While Robles lay face-up, rotating himself by pivoting on one arm to keep his eyes on his opponent as his one leg trailed in pursuit of the rest of his body, I was struck by the athleticism and sheer will of the Sun Devil in his championship match.
After Robles lost, the redshirt freshman hopped up over to shake hands with his opponent and coaches, and then grabbed his crutches, no doubt planning on how to reach the top of the podium next year.
It’s a good thing then, that he doesn’t go to Oregon.
While the Pacific-10 Championships served as the final time Oregon would wrestle inside of McArthur Court, the Save Oregon Wrestling followers went out without much support from the rest of the community. The donated money may have been there to keep the sport alive for a few more years, but the bodies weren’t there to witness what is to be the team’s final resting place.
The event drew a crowd of 1,634, less than half of the number of fans at Oregon women’s basketball game (3,414) Saturday night.
Of course, maybe most realized that it was too late to make an impact, or maybe charging admission kept many students away from watching possibly the last collegiate wrestling match to take place inside Mac Court.
Either way, it was an uneventful end to a sport that has been so vocal about its nearing extinction.
And while it’s disappointing to see so much passion from the Duck wrestlers meet an abrupt end, I will by no means remain nostalgic upon seeing the sport’s final day at Oregon.
While I enjoyed watching the testosterone bleed all over the mats at Mac Court on Monday night, the sport remains best seen in small doses.
It remains a sport without universal appeal, as witnessed by the meet’s attendance.
There are, of course, aspects to wrestling that go beyond anything in the other sports. The wrestler doesn’t simply give up as the clock ticks down despite the odds stacked against him. These guys were struggling and sometimes bleeding until the match ended.
And as exemplified by Robles, the sport takes on athletes of any shape and weight.
No dreams are cut down at Oregon if you’re not the right body type. Instead, the athletic department will simply kill your dream by cutting the sport. You’re just simply in the wrong sport these days.
Despite the protests, the fundraising and support from the rest of the wrestling community, Oregon didn’t make any statement as the meet ended. Instead, the Duck wrestlers rolled up the mats as the always do. It didn’t become the spectacle some of us believed it would be.
“I’m refusing to accept the fact that Oregon wrestling is done,” Oregon coach Chuck Kearney said.
And as some of the crowd milled about Mac Court after the meet, a handful of kids imitated the moves they witnessed early in the night. But their passion may be in vain as schools threaten to cut wrestling programs throughout the state.
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If Monday night’s showing said anything, it’s that the sport may not be around much longer.