Originally Posted by Parkview_Pirate
Racing will continue to decline, as the economy declines, since it's an entertainment business. There are many other factors in play, but the trend is clear - the masses just don't have the disposable funds for expensive hobbies in the same quantities as in the past, and it affects many other forms of entertainment - NASCAR, NFL, NBA, eating out, new cars, pricey cell phones, pricey TV packages (cord cutters, anyone?). With just the cost of staying alive and employed or on government handouts getting more difficult each day for many in the middle and lower classes, the squeeze is on.
This forum represents an older and wealthier demographic that's, to be blunt, dying off, and I think many here are sheltered (for the moment) from how bad things really are out there. The younger generations behind those of us who are boomers are saddled with college loan debt, declining wages, and with entire career fields that are disappearing. Their opportunities are limited. With the rise in socialism and growth in government and more and more of the masses wanting handouts, I don't see racing getting any tax breaks to lower handle and help grow the game. It will be labeled as an "evil boomer hobby", and the younger folks will avoid it.
Racing will survive in some form though. If I had to guess, I'd say 20-30 years from now, horse racing will be in two venues - a very small circuit for the wealthy owners, who will race their limited stock for very short meets at Sar, CD, Kee, Bel, GP and maybe Del Mar. The races will have small fields, decent purses, and will be unaffordable for most. It will be the sport of kings, in a sense. The other form will be at the other end of the economic scale, with cheap local horses competing for very small purses at county fairs, or blocked off back roads again in Louisiana. Even then, it will only be the relatively affluent who will be able to own the horses, as the rest of us will be scrambling for a slice of moldy bread and a cup of cold gruel....
That's my two cents.
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