The NCAA wrestling season will be starting in a few days, and there are a lot of aspiring athletes to be anticipated by the fans. However, Gable Steveson, an Olympic champion and two-time NCAA champion, will be looking forward to his third title in the upcoming campaign. His return, however, has taken a controversial turn in the sports community, as a few fans see this situation in a negative way for the NCAA.

The league is focused on younger athletes, especially those who are trying to get to the international stages. However, the addition of athletes like Steveson raises a question mark in the community, which was certainly pointed out by an individual on social media, as they compared the wrestler’s case to legend Bo Jackson’s controversy that took place 38 years ago. 

The line drawn between Gable Steveson and Bo Jackson

On X, a user who goes by @dbshada1 was very critical of the comeback of Steveson to wrestling, that too to compete for his third NCAA title. They mentioned the wrestler’s professional career and how he also has an agent that deals with his sponsorship and other financial aspects. But what were they really critical of?

The social media user stressed that despite staying away from the scene for a long time, the wrestler immediately decided to get back to the NCAA even if he already had been into big professional events like the Olympic Games, where he also had secured the gold medal.

Furthermore, a comparison was drawn by putting Bo Jackson into the mix. In 1986, the athlete nearly suffered a career threat when he traveled to Tampa to meet the Buccaneers for a pre-NFL draft. Eventually, the athlete didn’t want to play for the team even if he was drafted in the first pick in the same year, as he had his aspirations stuck in baseball. Jackson was then picked up by the Kansas City Royals, whom he wanted to play baseball for. Later on, he was also taken into the Los Angeles Raiders, where he would play half-season football, making him a multi-sports legend. 

However, comparing these two cases, which are 38 years apart, brings out one of the “starkest” examples of what the young athletic scene, especially the collegiate leagues or the NCAA, has transformed into. While Jackson had to face a lot of troubles, despite wanting to deliver his best in two sports, Steveson made his way swiftly into the tournament without any issues.

For many in the community, this was seen as taking the spotlight from the junior athletes who have a lot of things to prove in their career, being directly overshadowed while competing against someone much more experienced than them. Apart from all the controversy, the Olympic champion is excited about his return to the mat, as he talked about his return in a comeback video.

Olympic champion’s thoughts on his return

“First, I would like to thank the University of Minnesota for their time, their effort, and their persistence with me to push me to the man I am today,” said Steveson. He was glad to make a return to the place for which he had competed before. The 24-year-old’s return was also made official by Minnesota’s head coach, Brandon Eggum.

Steveson’s return might have surprised the community, which is watching a professional wrestler getting back to the NCAA. However, there’s more than what it looks like for Steveson. The 24-year-old back in 2022 retired from collegiate wrestling to go pro, and as he had one more year of eligibility remaining, he made a decision to come back to the league. Furthermore, he will be making his season debut on November 24 at the Maturi Pavilion, the home ground of Minnesota.