----In the course of doing this site, I sometimes get phone calls from people that..well..I would rather not get calls from. Other times, I love it when someone calls to argue their point on a subject. I am able to tell them that the column sometimes is not all about them. Or if it is just about them, then we are able to discuss point by point what is going on. If you are a regular caller of mine, then you know there are certain things that I just loathe in this area about wrestling. Well..hell..there are some people that I could do without also, but because this is my “beat”, I have to cover and talk with people that I sometimes do not want to talk with. You, as a reader, have to know – I “take one for the team” more than you would ever imagine. LOL
----In one of these conversations this past week, it was mentioned to me how much money and time had been spent to get a wrestling promotion up and running. Some other things were said that might be the topic of other Corners, but I thought I would talk about money and time for this column. So, how much time and money do you think you have spent on wrestling?? Do you even want to know?? As I am typing this, I have no figures in front of me, so I have no idea how much this is going to be and such. I will try to comment about my feelings after it is all said and done. I also want the reader to know – I am guessing on some of this stuff, but I feel it is probably the closest I can get.
Money
-August 4th, 1978 was my first show. It was in Blytheville , AR on a Friday night. I went almost every week after that with my mom. I am guessing we attended at least 150 shows together until I was around 16 years old. We spent at least $25 per trip - $3750
-From 16 years old thru college years – probably about 6 shows a year – 60 shows – at least $50 per show - $3000.
-In college I owned 1000 wrestling tapes – I am counting these only as $5 a piece – just the blank cost – not any postage and such - $5000
-BT Express career of about 12 matches - $1000
-Coach BT career of about 225 dates – at least losing $50 a date - $11,250
- I booked for ICW in Malden for 6 months. Trip to building along with postering every week – 4 hour total round trips [2 a week] - $50 a week - $1300
- CCW promotion years – We promoted at least 20 shows in 2 years. I lost at least $100 a show along with the ring cost and trip costs – total lost: $5000
-RRO Years – “Arena Reports” trips + web site costs – book profit = $3220
Time
----What I estimate is going to be probably a lot less than I spend on wrestling, but as close as I can come.
-1978 to I started working as Coach BT – 280 shows – 2 hour trip per show – 560 hours.
-Until the Power Pro years, which started in 1998, I had missed only about a dozen Memphis Wrestling TV shows. 20 years – only about a dozen. 1500 hours of TV.
-I started trading wrestling tapes in 1986. I easily watched 3 hours of TV wrestling [besides Memphis ] and at least 5 hours a week on tape during my college years. 2500 hours of wrestling.
-I also worked on two fanzines – Squared Circle and TU Rasslin Riot in college. It was about 20 hours a month to put together those for about two years. 480 hours.
-BT Express career – at least 2 hours a week for 18 months – 144 hours along with 12 shows 2 hour round trips – total: 168 hours
-Coach BT career as I stated above with the number of trips. I counted them as at least 2 hours per trip along with at least a 2 hour show per time. 896 hours
-Coach BT career up to the point of starting RRO I watched probably only on average of 2 hours of wrestling a week. 936 hours
-I booked for ICW in Malden for 6 months. 2 hour round trip along with postering every week – 2 more hour round trips – 104 hours.
-CCW promotion years – We promoted at least 20 shows in 2 years. 6 hours for each one of those – 120 hours.
-RRO Years – average of probably 3 hours of wrestling on TV a month. 624 hours
-RRO Years – average of 10 hours a week working on the site along with at least 100 hours a year working on side projects. 620 hours.
-RRO Years – I have filed at least 80 Arena Reports. I am counting at least 2 hour round trip on those shows. 160 hours
Total Money Lost: $28,520
Total Hours: 8188 hours = 341 days
----Ok..I am wiping the tears from my eyes. I think I might have underestimated a bit, but that is really a lot of money. I could have bought my house for that!! If you consider the fact that I have been a fan of wrestling for 32 years, I have only lost like $900 a year and only spent about 11 complete days of my life every year on wrestling. So how much money and time have you spent on wrestling??
Coach's Corner is a weekly Wednesday feature at RRO by Brian Tramel. Tramel was wrestling manager Coach BT in a former life with Coach's Corner being published on the internet during those days. He has since added it to RRO as his signature column.
