On Spec
05-08-2011, 02:13 AM
I needed to run some errands today, but planned my day so that I would be at an electronics store for the Derby post time.
Out of about 100 hundred screens, none were turned to the Derby when I arrived with about ten minutes to post. I found a remote for a bigscreen in the back row and found the race -- and instantly the entire back row of bigscreens in the place (about 15) showed the race.
I watched through the post parade, through loading at the gate, through the entire race -- and was the only one watching. Approximately three dozen people went by these screens as the race showed -- none stopped to watch. A few looked to see what I was looking at, and although some stopped for a few moments as the race was being run, they continued on their way, even with the most exciting two minutes in sport being hotly contested.
After the race, even before the horseback interviewer reached Animal Kingdom, one of the mid-twenties-age salesmen comes up to me and asks if I minded if he changed the channel. No, of course not, I say. "Do you like basketball?" he asks, flipping back to the OKC quarterfinal series playoff game.
"Yeah, but I just wanted to watch the race," I said. "That's the Kentucky Derby."
"Oh," he replies, as if to say he's heard of it, and always wondered what it looked like. Not much more.
I guess I thought there would be a little more casual interest.
Out of about 100 hundred screens, none were turned to the Derby when I arrived with about ten minutes to post. I found a remote for a bigscreen in the back row and found the race -- and instantly the entire back row of bigscreens in the place (about 15) showed the race.
I watched through the post parade, through loading at the gate, through the entire race -- and was the only one watching. Approximately three dozen people went by these screens as the race showed -- none stopped to watch. A few looked to see what I was looking at, and although some stopped for a few moments as the race was being run, they continued on their way, even with the most exciting two minutes in sport being hotly contested.
After the race, even before the horseback interviewer reached Animal Kingdom, one of the mid-twenties-age salesmen comes up to me and asks if I minded if he changed the channel. No, of course not, I say. "Do you like basketball?" he asks, flipping back to the OKC quarterfinal series playoff game.
"Yeah, but I just wanted to watch the race," I said. "That's the Kentucky Derby."
"Oh," he replies, as if to say he's heard of it, and always wondered what it looked like. Not much more.
I guess I thought there would be a little more casual interest.