Snyder is 5 years younger for now. Give it a bit and Dake will be younger.
Carter officially returning!
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Dake is gonna be a terror in middle school!
You’re forgetting that he used to wrestle for Cornell. He probably won’t even be trying at that point.
What I mean is Carter won't do what JB did, ie bringing USA Wrestling back to prominence. He could win a bunch of Worlds and Olympics, but his impact won't be what JB's is.
If we're honest here, MM was trying to get JB to do exactly what he did. Let's not act like MM is innocent here. He's got a chip on his shoulder and he intentionally tries to rub opponents the wrong way.
I like MM, but he's arrogant.
Never said he wouldn't.
I'm pretty sure I know him about as well as you do, meaning not at all. I have watched him wrestle and train for the last 4 years, just like you have.
What JB did for USA Wrestling, Carter will never do. That's just a fact. Carter is coming into an entirely different era and that is because of JB.
Mitchell Mesenbrink is arrogant in the same way that Yoko Ono is a musician.
Honest question, can you help me with what JB did for USA wrestling? He was very successful on the mat. There are many others who are currently very successful as well and I wouldn't attribute their success to him. Its not like the guys currently at the top or in the pipeline wouldn't exist if he didnt have a successful career. I'm not familiar with the off the mat stuff, as I don't really follow post-NCAA wrestling. From what I've read, NCAA viewership is down (you can probably extract overall wrestling popularity from that), so I'm assuming you're not referring to that.
I'd argue that if JB didn't happen to be chronologically first, Snyder, Dake, and DT would be viewed in much the same light. Is this a right place at the right time type of situation, or something else you are referring to? Is it helping with youth wrestling, camps, etc? Is it a situation where having a gold medalist from the US has elevated awareness (after a period of bad USA freestyle success)? I'm probably totally in the dark here, because I live on the west coast and don't run around in wrestling circles.
Other than developing into a great wrestler and winning muktiple world/Olympic medals I am not sure what you believe JB did for USA wrestling. He didn't convince PSU, Penn, OSU, Cornell and others to develop world class RTC. He didn't convince USA Wrestling to interconnect those training centers to the Olympic training centers, nor do I believe it was JB who convinced USA Wrestling to put money into the hands of training athletes or medal winners.
So like I said, JB was a great wrestler who won numerous medals and as a champion he also has been a solid citizen. Maybe you could elaborate a bit and tell us what he did specifically to enhance future USA wrestling possibilities.
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It may have been right time, right place. You are correct in thinking those others may have done the same thing had they been first. JB won a gold the year after nobody medaled at Worlds. He brought a buzz and interest back to USA Wrestling. He, in my opinion, was the first wrestler to really make a career out of competing and completely changed the game as far as sponsorship and ad revenue. Like him or not, the current popularity of USA Wrestling is due to JB. He laid the groundwork for DT, Dake, Snyder, etc. to be where they are now.
What is the current popularity of USA wrestling? Is it more popular today than it was 15 years ago? Maybe, but I can't really see a difference. We have more successful wrestlers, but outside of wrestling circles, thats not bringing in new fans. I watch to support the guys that matriculated through PSU. Those guy's success really has nothing to do with JB. In fact, most don't really seem to care for him. What groundwork are we talking about here?
He lost me at calling MM arrogant. If there is a more humble kid that MM, I haven’t seen him yet
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Cael and PSU has elevated US wrestling more than any other thing in the the last 15 yrs. No one wrestler has… the excellence that is the PSU program has ignited a lot of HS wrestlers to excel. That style is what gets them interested.
MM is not arrogant. He is none stop on the mat and he expects his opponent to face up and wrestle. Clapping his hands rubs the traditionalists the wrong way but “let’s go” is his mantra. No matter what happens. He’s all in. Not sitting on ur ass and pulling up ur socks looking for ur second breath. That doesn’t excite the next generation.
MM is not arrogant. He is none stop on the mat and he expects his opponent to face up and wrestle. Clapping his hands rubs the traditionalists the wrong way but “let’s go” is his mantra. No matter what happens. He’s all in. Not sitting on ur ass and pulling up ur socks looking for ur second breath. That doesn’t excite the next generation.
So, was this lift to USA Wrestling due primarily to JB or rather to the state of USA Wrestling at the time? And, if it is due to the state of USA Wrestling at the time, which is nowhere near where it is now, is that Carter's fault or just the luck of the circumstances that he comes in to?
Jordan didn't raise the NBA fortunes as much as Bird and Magic did, but he did raise it. The NBA just sucked more in the 70's when they came in the league than it did when Jordan came into the league.
Calling Messenbrink arrogant is off-base. This is a kid who lost the ncaa finals partly due to his own mental mistake but made no excuses and said he was ready to go for the next one. I will agree however that Messenbrink was looking for a reaction. He is a chippy wrestler who uses his pace and wrestling out of bounds to get under peoples skin. He got the reaction and points he wanted from the exchange. He is an absolute stud and probably wins 3 NCAA titles but to act like he doesn’t involve himself in extracurriculars on the mat is being biased
Who is Jordan and what is the NBA? Bird and Magic, what are you a wizard? 😄
Mitchell Mesenbrink is arrogant in the same way that Jordan Burroughs is humble, or in the same way that Mark Manning is sportsmanlike, or in the same way that Pat Downey is sober.
The only thing that pompous asshole laid the ground work for are clout chasers and brand publicity scammers.
Regarding MM,…You say arrogant…I say enthusiastic.
JB, on the other hand, has been quite arrogant thru the years, as many rivals have attested to this. Deservedly so, mind you…as a multiple time World and Olympic champ, he has earned the right to strut his stuff.
Last week, he got indignant because Mitchell didn’t bow down to his holiness…but hell, if you talk $hit the way he has thru the years, you should be able to take it when opponents come at you.
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Don’t forget that he co-starred with Bugs Bunny in a popular movie some time ago.Jordan is the guy who laughs at idiotic statements like "Mesenbrink is arrogant."
MM reminds me of Mean Gene Mills. Quiet and unassuming in public but a terror on the mat.
JB is the Phil Mickelson of the wrestling world. Popular with the fans that don't know him. And disliked by fellow golfers that know him well.
In the study of “Human Interaction” there is an obscure concept called: “one up - one down”. Certain people interact with others by basing their interactions on the need to be “one up”. Upon challenge, this kind of person employs tactics that keep the other person “one down”. JB sees himself as someone who deserves respect in every situation. Anyone who attempts to usurp his eminent position is “put down” in order for him to remain “one up”. You see this kind of $hit all over the business world. People who hold privileged positions shift to a$$hole mode in order to remain “one up”.
This is prevalent throughout society, not just the business world. It's quite common in the academic world, politics & the scientific community too. It's the foundation of the Ad Hominem attack.
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Varner also struck Gold in 2012. Varner now coaches/helps other team USA guys reach the goal of World and Olympic medals. JB spends his time being bitter that his skills are eroding at a rapid pace and still try to hang onto every opportunity to self promote. Anything JB accomplished was for JB. He was great. He isn't great anymore and should quietly go away if he really cares about the sport.
Well stated. What I have been saying for the last few years is that JB is an ambassador for the sport when things are going well for him personally. The real JB is the one we have heard and seen lately in my opinion.
There is a well known celebrity who made his name through bodybuilding that has a similar public vs private persona.
My God, is this a great analogy. As an ASU grad, I always try to like fellow alumni, just like Penn State athletes. Phil makes it damn near impossible to like him.
