Takedown Report

Record-breaking wrestling coverage on BTN in 2019-20

CHICAGO, Ill. — With the Big Ten seeking its 14th consecutive wrestling national championship, BTN will bring fans along for the ride with the most wrestling coverage in network history — a 40% increase from last season.

BTN’s schedule begins with a non-conference matchup as No. 17 Virginia Tech heads to Columbus on Nov. 17 at noon ET to face the No. 4 Buckeyes and includes the Big Ten Championships, a Super Saturday dual between Rutgers and No. 7 Michigan from Madison Square Garden, a battle of last year’s top-two team finishers at the NCAA tournament in No. 1 Penn State and Ohio State and a primetime matchup between the top-ranked Nittany Lions and No. 2 Iowa on Friday, Jan. 31 at 9 p.m. ET. Jim Gibbons, Tim Johnson and Shane Sparks will once again anchor BTN’s coverage.
“The Big Ten is home to the most dominant wrestling programs in the country and that distinction has made wrestling the fourth most-watched sport on BTN,” said BTN President François McGillicuddy. “Our goal is to continue to showcase and amplify Big Ten Wrestling, including an increase in our live event broadcasts, a commitment to original storytelling and an investment in on-campus digital content.”
BTN will debut a new wrestling-centric episode of The B1G Story, a documentary-style program produced by the Emmy-nominated BTN Originals team.  Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22425?fbclid=IwAR0v6chBvJ2YRJbpuIcAMdA4XLbeyiiPjbMR_qqjzAXyGCdEwaz7zQa3q7Y

October 17, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NCAA women’s wrestling: Understanding recent milestones

WOMEN’S WRESTLING is not recognized by the NCAA as a championship sport, yet.
Like minded individuals and organizations have laid the foundation—Wrestle Like A Girl, the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling, the National Collegiate Wrestling Association and other key stakeholders. These organizations have synced up and continue to collaborate on the multifaceted initiative of bringing women’s wrestling into the NCAA.
The distinction of being named a championship sport under the NCAA umbrella supports the growth of the sport and expands opportunities for women wrestlers.
Sally Roberts, Founder and Executive Director of Wrestle Like A Girl, has largely spearheaded and coordinated the NCAA efforts in conjunction with efforts to sanction girls wrestling at the interscholastic level—two vastly different initiatives with great reliance upon one another.
This article takes a 10,000-foot view of the details behind the recent steps toward championship status, the development of the NCWWC tournament and the steps required to obtain championship status. Rest of the details and story at https://www.transitionwrestling.com/ncaa-womens-wrestling-understanding-recent-milestones/?mc_cid=348e5c372c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

October 17, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment