Wrestling Isn't Gross?!

Wrestling is a contact sport. Obviously. It’s a sport where two individuals compete for the submission of their opponent through pins, holds, and takedowns. It’s a match of technique, strength, and skill.

But without the aspect of physical contact, the sport couldn’t be played. Without physical contact the sport would look like two people dancing around in a ring. Maybe if you threw some salsa music in there it’d look like a fiesta! However, my point is that contact in wrestling is like a thesis to an essay, without it there is no point.

(Photos courtesy of Talia Sexton)

The stigma of wrestling that many overlook, is that it tends to be a dangerous sport. Contact, strong physicality and submissive positions are part of what makes wrestling an injury prone sport. Wrestlers are at risk of dislocations, sprains, head injuries, and muscle pulls when on the mats. I think many know that wrestling can be dangerous, but they don’t understand the extent of which wrestlers are risking their bodies. The truth is that athletes in wrestling are under the risks that often aren’t in other sports.

One of those risks is skin infections. One of the rumors of wrestling is that it is a gross sport. Sweat, bacteria, and occasionally blood are easily spread from person to person because of the contact. To an extent the opinion that wrestling is grotesque is true. Bacteria IS spread through skin to skin contact. The catching of a skin infection from other teammates is very high. One is almost bound to catch a skin infection at some point in their wrestling career. But regardless of these risks athletes and faculties are safe and sanitized about these infections.

Athletes take safe measures when an infection is caught. Ethan Chelberg, @libertymenswrestling sophomore said:

“We just don’t go on the mats if we are contagious. We will work out on our own time but since these infections are only caught through skin or surface contact, we take necessary precautions depending how deep we are into the season.”

If an outbreak becomes a big problem the facility will close, its doors for a few days and “bomb” the rooms with sanitation. Bombing is the process of ridding a room of bacteria with the use of hefty amounts of chemicals.

Liberty had an outbreak a few weeks ago that was treated and gone in a few days.

Sure the sport of wrestling might seem a bit on the disgusting side, but the sanitation and precautions by the athletes and staff make the sport a safe and clean environment.

#libertyuniversity #luclubwrestling #libertywrestling #wrestlingissafe #wrestlingrisks