There are a lot of things that are running kids off right now. One of the biggest issues is the simple fact that football coaches are not allowing or making it feasible for "their" players to go out for any other sports other than track. I had an advantage when I coached in that the football coach and I got along very well because I was always both of those guys. Now, I am sorry to say, football coaches are becoming poor stewards of the total athletic programs in their schools. It's not just football coaches either. Each sport is evolving into a ten month a year endeavor. Wrestling is the same way. For instance, if you have a kid that wants to be a high level baseball player, he is going to have to pitch or play in the summer and the fall. He is not going to be wrestling freestyle or going to football camps. If he is doing those things he will not be doing the other two. Coaches are making it very difficult for athletes to have any flexibility in that regard. They are giving them either/or options and taking away from them any other choices. That is a shame because you are not seeing the great athletes crossing lines and becoming three sport athletes anymore. Everyone loses when they do that, especially the student athlete. They will say they don't do that, but then they will do everything in their power to make life miserable for them if they don't devote their entire year to their sport. It is hurting the total athletic programs to a great degree. Wrestling suffers because there are so few college scholarships in wrestling, and so few economic opportunities that kids are drawn to football, basketball, and baseball for those reasons.
I agree with most of what you said- but it really comes down to the kids and the parents. The football coach/baseball coach/ wrestling coach etc is going to start the athlete with the best potential to help the team win. I seriously doubt anyone would argue that a season spent on the wrestling mat would hinder any prospective football player- and if they did think wrestling would be negative- they might be surprised the next fall! The parents need to start thinking for themselves and start expecting their kids to work hard. The kids need to stop looking for the easy way out. Wrestling is not easy, lifting weights is (by comparison anyway). The bar rarely fights back, and you control how much you do.
I agree football coaches (and others) need to be much stronger advocates for multisport athletes, but the kids and parents need to stop drinking that koolaid and start pushing themselves to truly get better- not just go through the motions.
As far as scholarships are concerned- if that is what they are worried about- the time spent in the weightroom or the practice field would be better spent in the classroom or the library. There is MUCH MUCH more money available for exceptional grades and high test scores than any athletic successes. I firmly believe most of the time the parents are more interested in the athletic scholarship for bragging rights than for the actual monetary value.
