SJU Athletics needs to stop picking favorites: team discrepancies prompt questions

Anyone who is involved with Johnnie Athletics has most likely noticed the double standard and unfairness among the different teams.

For example, on Dec. 3, 2021, the SJU wrestling team had a dual meet scheduled for 7 p.m. The dual had to be pushed back to 7:30 p.m. because the basketball team wanted a full practice.

Granted, the basketball team did have a game later Saturday afternoon, but there were options for the basketball team to either have an earlier practice or a morning practice the next day. A varsity competition was postponed for a varsity practice.

An argument could be made that the reason for the different treatment is that some teams bring in more money than others. However, during the most recent GoJohnnies challenge, the wrestling team had more donors than the basketball team. The basketball team still brought in more donations, but if given the opportunity—like more home duals and fans and spectators at tournaments—wrestling alumni would be able to attend more frequently, therefore increasing donations.

These donations, along with help from the athletic department, could get the wrestling team a new practice space since they only have one room with one mat to fit the entire team. If you have ever seen a wrestling match, even if it was briefly, you would understand that it is difficult wrestling with a bunch of other people wrestling around you.

That is one of the reasons that I am writing this. The other is to draw attention to the fact that the wrestling team is not allowed to have spectators or fans at their home tournament this Sunday. Basketball is allowed to have fans and spectators for their game on Saturday and the wrestling team can have fans on Saturday for their dual meet as well, but not on Sunday. The coach of the team was not given a reason for this new rule, so I am asking for one.

I’m also not just asking for a reason for this specific incident. I am asking for an answer, other than money, to the question of why the wrestling team is treated differently from other sports teams. Many of the varsity sports teams have multiple practice and play spaces, or they take priority over others.

And if the reason is that other teams are ‘better’ I will counter with this. The SJU wrestling team produced the first national champion in SJU history, the first and only three-time consecutive national champion, not to mention the three coaches and athletes who were inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (Otto Sy Weber, Terry Haws and John Elton). Wrestling also has the most Academic All Americans of any team at SJU. The wrestlers on the team work hard both in the classroom and on the mat. Yet, despite these accomplishments, the wrestling team is at the bottom of the SJU Athletics food chain. It seems that many teams have state of the art practice facilities and priority when it comes to their practice times and spaces.

I am asking for a reason why the SJU wrestling team, and any other teams that I might not be aware of, are being treated differently than other teams.