As we’ve seen in the past few years, almost everyone is getting some form of injury. In a sport as physically grueling as wrestling some injuries are expected, but the past few years have been especially bad. This leads us to question why they are happening so much more now? Is it a lasting trend or just a few bad years?
While there are many reasons that could be the cause, I think it is a number of reasons adding up. To start, the past few years have Penn State win on an almost unprecedented level. This leads to other teams trying to catch up in dangerous ways. Some forms of catching up, such as harder live wrestling in practice and heavier lifts, can lead to increased injuries.
Secondly, wrestlers are specializing earlier than ever before. Early specialization has been shown to increase injuries in the long run. As the trend of early specialization continues, I expect more and more wrestlers to get hurt later in their careers.
Lastly, College wrestlers are older than ever. Most college wrestlers gained an extra year of eligibility due to covid and thus are a year older than when they would normally graduate. This extra year means more worn down bodies and building injuries.
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