in other states wrestling matters, in Iowa, it MATTERS. Iowa wrestling is like Texas football. I had always heard that, but didn't understand it until I lived there and had kids there. At work, people talk about wrestling, not basketball. State HS wrestling tournament gets more airtime on the news than the state football playoffs.

And they teach kids in youth programs, starting at 6 years old, to hate Pedo State (not relevant to the discussion but it was interesting to see).

So women's wrestling can work in Iowa, because the concerns you mentioned are not a problem for them. The interest and fan support is there and won't take away from men's teams. There are plenty of athletes in HS to pick from and an established base of tournaments, officials, etc. Other states where wrestling is a very niche sport, I suspect it will be much harder to make it work. Not saying it can't, but the hill is much steeper to get there.