Sports

'Hobo' Wrestling Reporter Finds McDonough's 2nd Place Big Ten Trophy in Trash

Iowa Hawkeye's star wrestler Matt McDonough, of Marion, apparently didn't take kindly to finishing second place at the Big Ten Championships. A Daily Iowan reporter says he found his trophy in the garbage.

University of Iowa is used to finishing first in wrestling, and in the words of Ricky Bobby's dad, "if you're not first, you're last."

That had to be part of what was traveling through the mind of two-time NCAA National Champion Matt McDonough, a former Linn-Mar student from Marion, when he finished in second place in the Big Ten Wrestling Championships on Sunday.

Daily Iowan reporter Sam Louwagie tweeted that he found the Hawkeye 125 pounder's second place trophy in the garbage after he lost in the finals to Jesse Delgado of Illinois.

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"This is the 2nd place 125 pound Big Ten trophy. We found it in the garbage," he tweeted with a picture.

The picture got retweeted 960 times and favorited 450 times, including by me on both counts. Deadspin even picked up on Iowa's trashed trophy, calling Louwagie a "hobo wrestling reporter" and poked at McDonough, too.

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Come on, Matt. Recycle. We only get one Earth.

Some didn't take too kindly too McDonough treating his trophy like a fast food wrapper.

Matt Martin ‏@MattMartin22 @SamLouwagie kid [McDonough] has zero class just like their coach! Poor sport!

But, Louwagie responded, and I tend to agree, that McDonough was just frustrated with himself.

"Lots of response on McD's medal last night. My take: It just shows his and the program's mindset. Fed up with 2nd, not accepting it," he wrote.

What do you think, poor sportsmanship or understandable frustration?


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