L. Anne Carrington  

Show Notes

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 8/12/2009 10:49 PM UTC

  Should There Be an Off Season?
  

  In light of recent injuries of several Superstars, there is the occasional discussion about whether there should be an off season.
  
  Sports such as hockey, basketball, American/Canadian football, soccer, and baseball, among others, have “off seasons” where their athletes have time to heal and rejuvenate, so why not wrestling?
  
  Think about it; do we really need so many house shows, a pay per view every three or four weeks in addition to a weekly broadcast of each brand’s respective show? It does sound like a bit much on paper, doesn’t it?
  
  Hence, I think it’s time our hard working men and women in wrestling should get an off season of their own. Lord knows they deserve it, and it’s long overdue for them. Even if it was just for two weeks, it would be far better than nothing at all.
  
  A concern rose among a few fans that if wrestling did indeed have an off season, it would be “forgotten.” Personally, I don’t see that logic; other sports aren’t forgotten in their respective off seasons. As a matter of fact, there is a sense of excitement and anticipation when a new season begins.
  
  As with anything else, there are disadvantages with the idea of an off season, but I would like to think the advantages in this case would outweigh them. In addition to the anticipation of a new season mentioned above, there is the time allowed to heal from both present injuries and nagging old ones.
  
  Unfortunately, if wrestlers take time off, unlike other athletes, they take a considerable cut in pay. Downsides are not as great as we think.
  
  As we know, they are on the road over three hundred days a year. As a result of not having an off season, it can lead to a dangerous and sometimes deadly game known as drugs to numb physical (and sometimes emotional) pain.
  
  With the Wellness Policy more prominently in place presently, the latter could be less of a problem (even though they aren‘t as fussy about marijuana with that being punishable only by fines). But it still happens, which is another reason the idea of an off season wouldn’t be a bad one.
  
  Off season time could also be used for “quality time” with families, friends, and other loved ones they don’t see much the rest of the year. Any concerns that they would be “forgotten” in a possible off season, well, that’s where personal appearances here and there would come in.
  
  Fans won’t forget, just as we don’t forget our baseball, football, basketball and hockey heroes. We will still buy the merchandise, put our butts in the seats at live events, tune in every week, buy whatever PPV interests us.
  
  All we ask that we are given a good product in return, which could be another advantage of an off season: creative having more time to come up with some newer, more innovative ideas that would surprise us all even more.
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  • wrestling
  • sports seasons
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