Opinion | ‘Bout at the Ballpark’ was inaccessible for casual wrestling fans

Daily Iowan Sports Editor Austin Hanson explains how “Bout at the Ballpark” could’ve been improved.

Ayrton Breckenridge

Fans watch international wrestling matches before the Bout at the Ballpark wrestling dual between No. 2 Iowa and No. 12 Oklahoma State at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022.

Austin Hanson, Sports Editor
February 13, 2022

REV Entertainment’s “Bout at the Ballpark” had a chance to be one of the biggest wrestling events of the year, bar none.

With the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Freestyle National teams and Iowa and Oklahoma State men’s wrestling programs all competing under one roof, the bonanza had plenty of intrigue. Not to mention the event was held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas — home to the MLB’s Texas Rangers.

For many, including myself, the spectacle fell flat.

It wasn’t a lack of action that turned me away from “Bout at the Ballpark.” I’m sure I would’ve found No. 2 Iowa’s 23-9 win over No. 10 Oklahoma State to be plenty exciting.

What steered me away from Saturday’s action was its prohibitive cost. FloWrestling, the subscription-based streaming service “Bout at the Ballpark” aired on, has a $149.99 annual cost.

Streamers do not pay a monthly subscription fee that eventually amounts to $149.99. If they did, they’d pay about $12.50 a month.

FloWrestling subscribers must pay the annual fee upfront. To FloWrestling’s credit, its website makes it clear that users will have to pay $149.99 to activate a subscription.

For Iowa men’s wrestling fans, the cost outweighs the benefits of a subscription. The Hawkeyes competed on FloWrestling once this year. If I were to subscribe to FloWrestling for the sole purpose of watching the Hawkeyes, I would’ve paid $149.99 for one dual.

While FloWrestling did stream “Bout at the Ballpark,” I don’t think the platform offers enough marquee content to help a casual fan justify the purchase. The sport’s biggest events — like the Big Ten and NCAA Championships, the Iowa-Penn State dual, and the Olympics — don’t air on FloWrestling.

If the goal of “Bout at the Ballpark” was to grow the sport of wrestling, Flo might not have been the right streaming option. To increase a sport’s popularity, casual fans need to have access to big events. Once the casual fan has watched a marquee matchup, they might become more invested in wrestling.

I think the steep price tag is more than enough to scare a casual fan away from “Bout at the Ballpark.” If a casual fan is unwilling to pay that much, “Bout at the Ballpark ” can’t grow the sport because it’s not attracting the eyes it needs to do so on FloWrestling.

To me, “Bout at the Ballpark” would’ve been a more potent event on the Big Ten Network or the ESPN family of channels, where fans can access it for free with a standard cable subscription.

RELATED: Iowa men’s wrestling downs Oklahoma State, 23-9, in “Bout at the Ballpark”

“Bout at the Ballpark” may have even been better-served on other streaming services like Rokfin, ESPN+, or BTN+. All three streaming platforms offer monthly subscriptions of 10 dollars or less.

I’m more than willing to pay $10 for one dual. Subscribing to one of the aforementioned platforms for a month and canceling isn’t a deal breaker for me.

I’m a stereotypical broke college student. $10 isn’t slashing my personal budget. But $149.99 is a significant investment.

I’d suggest FloWrestling either switch to a monthly payment model or allow fans to access top-notch events like “Bout at the Ballpark” on a pay-per-view basis. If “Bout at the Ballpark” was available via pay-per-view for $50 on FloWrestling, I would’ve bought it in a heartbeat. I just can’t wrap my brain around paying $149.99 for one event.

For wrestling aficionados, Flo is certainly worth the price tag. Subscribers get access to Flo’s library of high school, collegiate, and Olympic-level events across all sports. Flo streamers can also watch the service’s documentaries at any time. Flo’s live events are archived so subscribers can watch them at their convenience.

For casual wrestling fans and the sport’s more localized, niche reporters like me, FloWrestling isn’t worth the asking price.