USA Wrestling Pins Down Loyalty for London 2012

The idea of American wresting can too often bring up images of Andre the Giant, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and Hulk Hogan. The other American wrestling has a few more participants involved (180,000 across the country) even if none of its participants are household names.

USA Wrestling, America's governing body for Olympic wrestling, is looking to help boost its image this year as it leads up to the London 2012 Olympic Games. According to a press release from the organization, a particular target is to help bring in new wrestlers. To help reach its goal, the organizing body prepared two different sets of marketing messaging for wrestling clubs across the country.

One set of materials are “a series of club booklets that it will distribute nationally to wrestling clubs to promote the advantages of membership and recruit first-year wrestlers,” the release reports. The second is a poster series, one of which features Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White with text over the top of him that reads “Roddy White is a Great Pro Football Player” at the top over a picture of him, and “because of the training he went through as a wrestler” runs along the bottom. A quote is next to him: “Wrestling is a great sport for discipline and it breeds toughness. It helped me tremendously.”

What's more, the organization is busy on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and its own USA Wrestling Nation community website. If that doesn’t bring in a few football players to the wrestling team (at least in the Atlanta area), nothing will.

“This campaign is meant to assist our grassroots coaches,” said Les Gutches, USA Wrestling Director of Program Development, according to the release. “They asked for help in recruiting new wrestlers, and we answered. I’m proud to be able to support these coaches who are rolling out the mats, working after practice with first-year athletes, and taking kids to tournaments on the weekends. They are the backbone of our sport and deserve everything USA Wrestling can provide in support.”