Racing Commissioners vs Sports Commissioners

[Stillriledup]

So, if you flop in the NBA, you get a 5k fine the next day, no questions, you pay the fine and move on. If you stop riding a horse and cost bettors a board spot, nothing happens. Maybe the "Racing commissioners" give you a warning, or 2 or 100 if you are a habitual offender, but if you did something like that in a pro sport, you would be fined, or suspended the next day.

Reading the "Webb" thread, seems like some judge tossed out the suit...so, why can't "Racing commissioners" just ban the guy for life and fine him 100k or 500k or something like that?

The NBA fines coaches or owners 25k or more just for criticizing the officials, where are these 25k fines in horse racing?

When's the last time a trainer got a 25k fine for drugging a horse and attempting to fix a sporting contest and being a "black eye" for the sport? Baking soda overage? 25k. Bute overage? 25k. And so on.

Alex Rodriguez got a one year suspension, essentially he was "fined" 20 million for using a performance enhancer...but in horse racing a trainer dopes a horse and tries to tamper with a sporting contest and his fine is 0? or 750 bucks or something like that?

It pays to cheat in horse racing and that's why cheaters keep cheating. The fines and suspensions aren't big enough.

[Irish Boy]

Professional athletes are subject to collective bargaining agreements that set out exactly what the leagues can and cannot do in terms of punishment, and the procedures to be used in giving those punishments. The players buy into the system by approving the CBA.

It's a bit more complicated legally in horse racing for a lot of reasons.

[Stillriledup]

Professional athletes are subject to collective bargaining agreements that set out exactly what the leagues can and cannot do in terms of punishment, and the procedures to be used in giving those punishments. The players buy into the system by approving the CBA.

It's a bit more complicated legally in horse racing for a lot of reasons.

Why can't tracks make trainers sign papers that list out PED punishments and large fines will be applied if you break the rules? In other words, in order to be able to enter a horse, you have to agree to their rules?

As of now, racing jurisdictions do give out fines, i'm just suggesting the fines be much higher.

[Irish Boy]

Why can't tracks make trainers sign papers that list out PED punishments and large fines will be applied if you break the rules? In other words, in order to be able to enter a horse, you have to agree to their rules?

As of now, racing jurisdictions do give out fines, i'm just suggesting the fines be much higher.
It's a tough conversation to have without a jurisdiction by jurisdiction breakdown. They probably could do what you suggest in some states and not others, depending upon whether the rules are state regs or just private house rules. I'm just saying that their hands are usually a bit more tied. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison.

I'm on a phone so I can't do better than this right now.

[Stillriledup]

It's a tough conversation to have without a jurisdiction by jurisdiction breakdown. They probably could do what you suggest in some states and not others, depending upon whether the rules are state regs or just private house rules. I'm just saying that their hands are usually a bit more tied. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison.

I'm on a phone so I can't do better than this right now.

lol thanks.

I know what you're saying, there's a lot of red tape unfortunately.

[Dark Horse]

So, if you flop in the NBA, you get a 5k fine the next day, no questions, you pay the fine and move on. If you stop riding a horse and cost bettors a board spot, nothing happens. Maybe the "Racing commissioners" give you a warning, or 2 or 100 if you are a habitual offender, but if you did something like that in a pro sport, you would be fined, or suspended the next day.

Reading the "Webb" thread, seems like some judge tossed out the suit...so, why can't "Racing commissioners" just ban the guy for life and fine him 100k or 500k or something like that?

The NBA fines coaches or owners 25k or more just for criticizing the officials, where are these 25k fines in horse racing?

When's the last time a trainer got a 25k fine for drugging a horse and attempting to fix a sporting contest and being a "black eye" for the sport? Baking soda overage? 25k. Bute overage? 25k. And so on.

Alex Rodriguez got a one year suspension, essentially he was "fined" 20 million for using a performance enhancer...but in horse racing a trainer dopes a horse and tries to tamper with a sporting contest and his fine is 0? or 750 bucks or something like that?

It pays to cheat in horse racing and that's why cheaters keep cheating. The fines and suspensions aren't big enough.

Good points. Horse racing is dying for a more structural approach, including a commissioner. It is almost beyond belief how much more this sport could be streamlined. But it may take public outcry to change things. Such as the response of the general public, largely in favor (!) of Coburn after his outburst. He has since realigned himself again with the incrowd, but that's irrelevant. The point is that for many years flopping was accepted in the NBA, until the public got sick of it. And MLB only changed its drug policies after public outcry. So it would seem fair to say that the change will not come from within horse racing itself. It needs to come from an angry public.

[Stillriledup]

Good points. Horse racing is dying for a more structural approach, including a commissioner. It is almost beyond belief how much more this sport could be streamlined. But it may take public outcry to change things. Such as the response of the general public, largely in favor (!) of Coburn after his outburst. He has since realigned himself again with the incrowd, but that's irrelevant. The point is that for many years flopping was accepted in the NBA, until the public got sick of it. And MLB only changed its drug policies after public outcry. So it would seem fair to say that the change will not come from within horse racing itself. It needs to come from an angry public.

Thanks.

I don't know if i necessarily want a national commissioner, i just want the current commissioners from each state's racing commissions to hand down some harsher penalties.

The Coburn comments are a great example. If Mark Cuban came out and said that the NBA is "cheating" and went on a rant after losing a big game, do you think he would be fined 0 dollars? No, he would get fined a huge amount, same thing with a coach. But Coburn, fined 0.

Coburn essentially said there was cheating in the Belmont and nobody is anywhere to fine or suspend him. And, i don't think you need a national commissioner to hand down a fine or suspension. His words were detrimental to the sport of horse racing and yet, no fine, no suspension, no nothing.

[Dark Horse]

Thanks.

I don't know if i necessarily want a national commissioner, i just want the current commissioners from each state's racing commissions to hand down some harsher penalties.

The Coburn comments are a great example. If Mark Cuban came out and said that the NBA is "cheating" and went on a rant after losing a big game, do you think he would be fined 0 dollars? No, he would get fined a huge amount, same thing with a coach. But Coburn, fined 0.

Coburn essentially said there was cheating in the Belmont and nobody is anywhere to fine or suspend him. And, i don't think you need a national commissioner to hand down a fine or suspension. His words were detrimental to the sport of horse racing and yet, no fine, no suspension, no nothing.

I'm fine with no fine for Coburn. But I stopped watching the NBA, expect for the finals, because the game is so easily rigged by the refs, and then they fine guys like Phil Jackson for even hinting at that. So I like it when they're called out. Soccer, the biggest sport in the world, allows coaches to criticize the refs without fines. And the sport isn't any less for it.

[Stillriledup]

I'm fine with no fine for Coburn. But I stopped watching the NBA, expect for the finals, because the game is so easily rigged by the refs, and then they fine guys like Phil Jackson for even hinting at that. So I like it when they're called out. Soccer, the biggest sport in the world, allows coaches to criticize the refs without fines. And the sport isn't any less for it.

Excellent points, the problem i see with the NBA is that the refs are employed by the league, so if calls they make just happen to create longer serieses or certain chosen teams winning, than its better for their bottom line, wink wink.

Love your points DH.