There’s more to Mizzou athletics than football and basketball

The Maneater: Latest Stories Ask a Tigers supporter about their life as a Mizzou sports fan, and you’ll likely hear a lot about the school’s recent struggles. The football team hasn’t recorded a .500 season since 2014. The men’s basketball team hasn’t reached the .500 mark since their 2013-14 campaign. And yet, hidden beneath the surface of revenue-sport mediocrity, there is a hidden world where being a fan of the black and gold is — fun?
In a television-dominated college sports landscape, it can be easy to forget about the little guys. The revenue sports are the ones that grab our attention, and when they go bad, fans sour. But the Tigers are excelling in the non-revenue sports. Mizzou wrestling, women’s basketball, softball and even women’s tennis are just a few of the teams who have dominated recently.
While most fans are more in tune with the ups and downs of football and men’s basketball, it’s important for Mizzou fans and students to remember that all athletes, in every sport, are a part of the Mizzou community and should be supported as such.
There is no better example of a great Mizzou sports story than wrestler J’den Cox. Cox hasn’t lost a match since Dec. 13, 2015, a winning streak of 40 matches. He’s also won two national championships for the Tigers. And in between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, Cox not only qualified for the Rio Olympics, but won the bronze medal for freestyle wrestling in the 86 kg weight class while representing the United States.
On top of his success on the mat, Cox has become staple of the Columbia community. He has appeared often at Mizzou sporting events, even singing the national anthem (and very well, I might add) before Mizzou football’s game against Georgia last fall.
As a whole, the wrestling team is 11-4. Despite ...


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