Papazacharioudakis 1

Dean Papazacharioudakis
29 September 2010
Mrs. Swanson period 3

Wrestling Subculture
    Wrestling is a very demanding sport- both mentally AND physically. Practices remain LONG AND hard, while weekends are dedicated TO getting UP early TO battle out ON the mat. The subculture composed OF this group OF hard-working, AND mentally toughened kids is one that is unique AND is NOT seen in many other sports. The subculture consists OF having an ego IF you DO well in the sport, acting tough, AND having pride that you can DO something that is difficult.
    Since the sport OF wrestling involves intense competition, you develop an ego IF you win most OF your MATCHES. It is very rare TO FIND a state champion OR national titlist that is humble. Even ON the high school team there are a number OF guys that feel superior TO the guys that are NOT AS good AS them. You could say that this comes WITH every sport but in wrestling it gets intense. Guys LIKE TO DO all there drills WITH a little spunk OR showoff theme HIDDEN in the move itself. Showing off in wrestling is a gigantic sub- ego topic. Being strong AND cool AND good AT the sport it-self means you can show off. Doing all the moves while making the cool noises AND “demolishing” the little freshman in front OF other freshman TO look intimidating. All these things tie in WITH acting tough.
    WITH being in a sport WHERE it’s a one ON one battle OF the ego’s it’s all about looking tough AND intimidating. Good wrestlers are generally athletically talented so they are essentially “ripped OR buff.” So TO look tough they would DO pushups OR sprints before



a match. This way they look tough AND intimidating which is their main goal before a match. They DO this so that it makes the opponent FILL there mind WITH fear AND therefore will DO worse in a match, thus winning the match will improve their ego. It all ties in.
    Pride also comes WITH wrestling. It can be good AND bad. Good pride is completing a task that requires so much out OF one person. After training FOR years AND putting in so much TIME, beating a state placer OR someone you have always wanted TO overcome, the rush OF pride AND happiness is so happily overwhelming. This pride is the good pride. But when a wrestler has pride just because they are ON the wrestling team itself, it gets irritating. When someone just does something FOR looks OR the mirror (workout), nothing good comes from it. There is no happily overwhelming joy AND pride- only arrogance AND trying TO look cool which is definitely a total turnoff TO girls AND extremely annoying TO other guys ON the wrestling team OR just other guys in general. That is the bad kind OF pride.
    All these topics listed above DO have a negative tone, AND the reader might ask, “Well why is Dean ON the wrestling team?” “Does he have all these negative features in his personality?” I would just answer, “Well I don’t care because I’m NOT that good OF a wrestler, AND I’m NOT that strong, so there’s no need FOR me TO worry about all these negative topics in the sub- culture OF wrestling.