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12-24-2010, 12:11 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/columns/story?columnist_jeremy&id=5947327
Excerpt:
By Jeremy Plonk
Special to ESPN.com
Archive
As someone who is rapidly losing hair quantity and color, I guess I'm getting to the point in life where this stuff starts to matter. Five, say 10, years ago, I probably wouldn't have been offended by comments critiquing the racing crowd for dipping nine of its 10 collective toes in the grave. But I have to wonder why an industry would bite -- dare I say "gum" -- the hand that feeds it?
It's almost like horse racing executives desperately want to date the prom queen while overlooking that great gal sitting at the next school desk.
Horse racing's ever-lasting and unsuccessful pursuit of being hip to young people continues today as its older core audience remains unappreciated and, to be honest, a laughingstock.
All this begs the question: What the heck's wrong with being older?
Recently, former sports writer and Hollywood penman David Israel, now serving as vice chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, told a panel of industry members gathered at the national racing symposium in Tucson, "The average age of our on-track customer is deceased, and the average age of our satellite customer is decomposed."
That's a terribly insensitive statement and a slap in the face of your core audience, even if dripped in intentional sarcasm to get a reaction. Israel himself is 59. Why is it at age 39 I have more appreciation for his peer group, one that is consistently supporting an industry that simultaneously is looking for someone else?
It's almost like horse racing executives desperately want to date the prom queen while overlooking that great gal sitting at the next school desk. Not everyone can date the prom queen. And not every industry is made for the 18 to 30 demographic. Sometimes you need to quit trying to be cool and look in the mirror. You might like what you see if you come to grips with it.
Excerpt:
By Jeremy Plonk
Special to ESPN.com
Archive
As someone who is rapidly losing hair quantity and color, I guess I'm getting to the point in life where this stuff starts to matter. Five, say 10, years ago, I probably wouldn't have been offended by comments critiquing the racing crowd for dipping nine of its 10 collective toes in the grave. But I have to wonder why an industry would bite -- dare I say "gum" -- the hand that feeds it?
It's almost like horse racing executives desperately want to date the prom queen while overlooking that great gal sitting at the next school desk.
Horse racing's ever-lasting and unsuccessful pursuit of being hip to young people continues today as its older core audience remains unappreciated and, to be honest, a laughingstock.
All this begs the question: What the heck's wrong with being older?
Recently, former sports writer and Hollywood penman David Israel, now serving as vice chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, told a panel of industry members gathered at the national racing symposium in Tucson, "The average age of our on-track customer is deceased, and the average age of our satellite customer is decomposed."
That's a terribly insensitive statement and a slap in the face of your core audience, even if dripped in intentional sarcasm to get a reaction. Israel himself is 59. Why is it at age 39 I have more appreciation for his peer group, one that is consistently supporting an industry that simultaneously is looking for someone else?
It's almost like horse racing executives desperately want to date the prom queen while overlooking that great gal sitting at the next school desk. Not everyone can date the prom queen. And not every industry is made for the 18 to 30 demographic. Sometimes you need to quit trying to be cool and look in the mirror. You might like what you see if you come to grips with it.