Just curious as to what big meets you have attended? I am sure as an alumnus of Marshall you had the chance to watch the WV high school state tournament and the WSAZ tournament both of which are held in Huntington.
I don't know if you have ever been to the KY high school state tournament, but if you don't find that particular meet exciting then you don't have a pulse. People who have never watched a wrestling meet, that for some reason or another get conned into going, tell me that it is one of the most exciting events they have ever been to. Granted most local meets can be rather long and drawn out, so I can see instances where one might rather watch paint dry.
Many people argue that wrestling would supplement a school's football program. I feel that if a school fully supported their wrestling team like they do other sports then this would definitely be true. However, in most cases this isn't true. A weak wrestling team does nothing to help the football team. What most local teams lack though is a good head coach who actually wrestled. There are several teams who are coached by someone who never spent a second on the mat. Schools need to actively pursue a knowledgable wrestling coach. This, along with support from the school (and approval from the football coach), would translate into a competitive team, which would inturn improve the athletes that play football. Aside from the physical abilities that can be aquired from wrestling, the mental toughness gained from wrestling is unrivaled by any sport. Wrestling needs to be inbraced as a competitive sport, as well as a tool to be used by football coaches.