What Has Racing Done to Promote Favor With The Fans?
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What Has Racing Done to Promote Favor With The Fans?
When you stop and think about the negative press, which is basically all the fans read about for free. What is racing doing to promote itself and to change its image. In short, nothing. In order to track the goings on of our latest TC candidate you have to read around and through all he is doing through various publications and workout info. Unless of course you are willing to pay for his step by step coverage. Is that anyway for racing's premier publication (the Daily Racing Form) to promote racing. No wonder racing is losing fans, without day to day updates on their champions and one easy to find concise reports all in one place. If you want to be involved with horse racing you have to pay...even the fans who support racing and contribute the gambling money that feeds the industry. Certainly is becoming a problem and they seem oblivious to the fact racing is pricing itself out of the market for the casual fan. How can they fuel future generations of race goers if they can't read about it everyday without having to pay for it. Equibase is good enough to have much of the past performances available to review free of charge. Though one website, which made it easy to find all pp's that were available in one destination, have been banned from doing so...most likely by the DRF....but that is just my assumption? So now we have to go through the convoluted way of working it out. Anyone who follows the races in the handicapping section, have seen the "Invalid Parameter" message in the links to free past performances. The greed that runs rampant at racing's most respected publication, the Daily Racing Form....is single handedly causing fans to lose interest in the sport. The sport needs more publications like Bloodhorse and if anyone is listening....how about a new racing paper that covers racing the way it was prior to Steven Christ taking over the DRF. You remember, a paper that you paid for and recieved information pertaining to that specialized publication without costing an arm and a leg. The pity of it is DRF now takes bets on races and will give free past performances if you bet substantially on their site. Yet the casual fan is being priced out of the sport! While I'm at it...the NYRA coverage of the Belmont Stakes has been useless to date. Last year we had video's of the contenders works....this year we have nothing but info about where, when and how you will be permitted access to Belmont Park on Belmont Stakes day. Whoever heard of a track not wanting as many people in the crowd as they could...putting a cap on the number of fans allowed to enter the gate on Belmont Stakes Day....say goodbye to record setting crowds and say hello to record setting seat pricing and NYRA's bottom line still going up with smaller crowds through the turnstiles. Those in control are totally blowing this and I think they are happy not having the fans involved at all. It's turning into events for the rich and famous compounded by off track wagering sites and the large handle created in cyberspace....they could care less if anyone comes to watch the races. I would appreciate your comments, thanks. TJ
Re: What Has Racing Done to Promote Favor With The Fans?
1. Introduction
A tricky decision whether to write and publish this document. On the one hand the established Punditry group are well entrenched and mostly immune from external criticism and show very little ability for self-improvement. Time spent on this could be more usefully applied elsewhere and you would probably be as well 'moon raking'. The Previews over the years have tried to point up some of the more obvious timewasters and general logical absurdities peddled for little return. So, "Why Bother?".
A couple of reasons perhaps for gathering together enough energy to complete this now. The first would be thinking about who the 'Target Audience' would be. This probably is not a large group but an important one - the Next Generation (NG) of people who will thinking harder about what is going on in horseracing. If they start out with the view that 'success' amounts to mastering the knowledge and techniques on display in the dedicated racing media nothing is going to improve. We will get more of the same unproven, cliched, garbage broadcast for years to come. Help to get some of the NGs starting out on a more worthwhile road into racing analysis and it may help to change things, if only 'eventually'. Do nothing and you are part of the 'Problem'.
Looking back B2yoR could attest to around 20 Lost Years learning mostly garbage and then trying to unlearn much of it. The difficult problems it causes as you gradually realise how much drivel has been forced down you and just how hard it can be to accept how 'wrong' much of it was/is. Then thinking about how much things can be improved, in a much shorter period, once you break free of the mental shackles. The only useful parts of that initial period would be a basic understanding of racing in general, form reading and so on. You could easily teach someone all of this in a week and they could then practice it. Within a turf season that person would have all that mastered to a level better than that most professional pundits have with the right mind-set and assistance. Which would have left 19 years to have researched something else in the B2yoR case. The echoing waste of it.
So, to the NG readers you will not find all the answers here but hopefully the encouragement needed to do things better in future. A Mindset that starts with "We have to do better, in future we should know more...". Feel free to have the licence to question anything the Establishment proffers as received wisdom. Keep a few simple phrases in mind to judge anything you hear from them like "I think you will find it is more complicated than that"; "How do you know that? Can I see the evidence so that I can check it?", "Why haven't you put a number on that?". To misquote a famous scientist the Mindset of "Organised scepticism in the face of Expert opinion".
Read this document along with the Anthology linked articles and hopefully it will help to bring about that Mindset. Constant questioning and being dismissive of the current Authority figures that plague Racing Analysis has got B2yoR much closer to understanding what racing is about and made it more enjoyable. Oh, and more profitable if you are someone who measures success in monetary terms and has little regard for knowledge for its own sake.
The second reason for writing the document now is that B2yoR has reached the stage where the sound barely ever stays on when watching the dedicated Racing Channels and terrestrial coverage of the sport. The last time the 'Racing Post' was purchased and read? Could not put a date on it. The way someone follows racing develops as they know more and goes through real metamorphoses at times. B2yoR has got to the stage where listening to the Pundits on the TV is just annoying and a distraction to avoid. Therefore, writing a document which tries to detail some of the problems needs to be done 'Now' to have some examples to cite. Although, you feel that turning the TV off for five years and then putting the racing back on in 2016 would mean nothing would have changed. Unless the NGs are starting to do something different and taking us somewhere more exciting.
Taken from a British site
A tricky decision whether to write and publish this document. On the one hand the established Punditry group are well entrenched and mostly immune from external criticism and show very little ability for self-improvement. Time spent on this could be more usefully applied elsewhere and you would probably be as well 'moon raking'. The Previews over the years have tried to point up some of the more obvious timewasters and general logical absurdities peddled for little return. So, "Why Bother?".
A couple of reasons perhaps for gathering together enough energy to complete this now. The first would be thinking about who the 'Target Audience' would be. This probably is not a large group but an important one - the Next Generation (NG) of people who will thinking harder about what is going on in horseracing. If they start out with the view that 'success' amounts to mastering the knowledge and techniques on display in the dedicated racing media nothing is going to improve. We will get more of the same unproven, cliched, garbage broadcast for years to come. Help to get some of the NGs starting out on a more worthwhile road into racing analysis and it may help to change things, if only 'eventually'. Do nothing and you are part of the 'Problem'.
Looking back B2yoR could attest to around 20 Lost Years learning mostly garbage and then trying to unlearn much of it. The difficult problems it causes as you gradually realise how much drivel has been forced down you and just how hard it can be to accept how 'wrong' much of it was/is. Then thinking about how much things can be improved, in a much shorter period, once you break free of the mental shackles. The only useful parts of that initial period would be a basic understanding of racing in general, form reading and so on. You could easily teach someone all of this in a week and they could then practice it. Within a turf season that person would have all that mastered to a level better than that most professional pundits have with the right mind-set and assistance. Which would have left 19 years to have researched something else in the B2yoR case. The echoing waste of it.
So, to the NG readers you will not find all the answers here but hopefully the encouragement needed to do things better in future. A Mindset that starts with "We have to do better, in future we should know more...". Feel free to have the licence to question anything the Establishment proffers as received wisdom. Keep a few simple phrases in mind to judge anything you hear from them like "I think you will find it is more complicated than that"; "How do you know that? Can I see the evidence so that I can check it?", "Why haven't you put a number on that?". To misquote a famous scientist the Mindset of "Organised scepticism in the face of Expert opinion".
Read this document along with the Anthology linked articles and hopefully it will help to bring about that Mindset. Constant questioning and being dismissive of the current Authority figures that plague Racing Analysis has got B2yoR much closer to understanding what racing is about and made it more enjoyable. Oh, and more profitable if you are someone who measures success in monetary terms and has little regard for knowledge for its own sake.
The second reason for writing the document now is that B2yoR has reached the stage where the sound barely ever stays on when watching the dedicated Racing Channels and terrestrial coverage of the sport. The last time the 'Racing Post' was purchased and read? Could not put a date on it. The way someone follows racing develops as they know more and goes through real metamorphoses at times. B2yoR has got to the stage where listening to the Pundits on the TV is just annoying and a distraction to avoid. Therefore, writing a document which tries to detail some of the problems needs to be done 'Now' to have some examples to cite. Although, you feel that turning the TV off for five years and then putting the racing back on in 2016 would mean nothing would have changed. Unless the NGs are starting to do something different and taking us somewhere more exciting.
Taken from a British site
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geowarrior
- Leading Sire
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- Joined: Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:45 pm
- Location: Spokane, WA
Re: What Has Racing Done to Promote Favor With The Fans?
The Bloodhorse has the right idea. The Daily Racing Form continually becomes less and less relevant. I don't know why they still have a non-subscription website as virtually every article (except one or two that might encourage visitors to buy something) is listed as DRF+. I already have an ADW that I'm quite satisfied with and I'm not signing up for DRF's equivalent just so that I can read the articles. I don't know who is in charge there but they are going in completely the wrong direction.
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Blue feather
- Allowance Winner
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Re: What Has Racing Done to Promote Favor With The Fans?
DRF is a business like any other who goals revolve around profit. Good, bad or indifferent, it's the democratic way. Racings issue go much deeper than DRF. Horse racings lack of innovation is a large part of its lack of growth. Its fragmented leadership is another reason the industry appears to have no direction. It's astonishing to me to think that sports like Golf and Baseball rarely evoke the level of excitement and captivation that a horse race does and yet they continue to grow and succeed while racing can't get out of its own way. It's my belief the main reason for this is the design of its leadership. These other sports are able to market and grow effectively because they have unity. MLB, PGA tour, NFL, NHL etc. are all major sports that have one governing body so promotions, marketing etc. can be maximized because resources are pooled. Racing and it 37 or 38 different racing commissions go in as many different directions. If they could get together then some of racings issues could be addressed and dealt with across the board.
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geowarrior
- Leading Sire
- Posts: 3593
- Joined: Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:45 pm
- Location: Spokane, WA
Re: What Has Racing Done to Promote Favor With The Fans?
True, Blue Feather, but when the average fan cannot access information about those issues, there is disconnection and eventually indifference. That's why the relevance of the DRF is an issue.
Re: What Has Racing Done to Promote Favor With The Fans?
How long did it take for racing management to realize that handle would actually increase by lowering the minimum amount that could be wagered? The answer is like any other issue, too long. The majority of race track owners still manage like they are the only game in town, and continue to butt heads instead of cooperating with each other as to racing dates and start times. They will continue to die a slow death until they begin to work together.
The racing fan has always been neglected, gambling is not something that is acknowledged or discussed by track management but without it they would be hard put to have racing on the scale it is at the present time.
I am old enough to remember when there were two major racing papers, The Morning Telegraph and the Daily Racing Form and when I started buying the Form it cost $.35, the last one I purchased cost $7.50, the end result of inflation during the past 50 years. I can also remember gasoline at $.30 a gallon and a loaf of bread for $.20. If you want the Form it will cost you, but they also have PP's for specific tracks for $2.00 a track, which is not too bad considering what it takes to maintain the files and produce the product. Maybe they should think about printing a news and article edition at a similar price. It is still cheaper to go to the races and buy a Form than it is to go to a baseball or football game and with a little track owner cooperation and up front advertising maybe it is not too late to draw in new fans.
DDT
The racing fan has always been neglected, gambling is not something that is acknowledged or discussed by track management but without it they would be hard put to have racing on the scale it is at the present time.
I am old enough to remember when there were two major racing papers, The Morning Telegraph and the Daily Racing Form and when I started buying the Form it cost $.35, the last one I purchased cost $7.50, the end result of inflation during the past 50 years. I can also remember gasoline at $.30 a gallon and a loaf of bread for $.20. If you want the Form it will cost you, but they also have PP's for specific tracks for $2.00 a track, which is not too bad considering what it takes to maintain the files and produce the product. Maybe they should think about printing a news and article edition at a similar price. It is still cheaper to go to the races and buy a Form than it is to go to a baseball or football game and with a little track owner cooperation and up front advertising maybe it is not too late to draw in new fans.
DDT