What killed attendance at the race tracks, name a few.

[Run Nicholas Run]

For myself I have always felt it was simulcasting,
making it to easy to wager instead of taking a day trip
to an out of town track( this was done by REAL fans).

Letting too many low-lifes wander the grandstands
(ny, meadowlands, pha park, etc), either talking to themselves,
cursing like mental patients or smoking weed.

[statepierback]

The only time I go to a live meet is Free Friday's at Santa Anita. It kills me to pay to get into the track. The other reason is that I can't get shut out betting at home and can view all the races in comfort. Not so at the track, too many times I'll get shut by the 10 cent super players or some idiot rolling dozens of dead tickets through the machines trying to cash something.
On the other side if a track has a good contest I will try to make it out there.

[Igeteven]

Originally Posted by statepierback

The only time I go to a live meet is Free Friday's at Santa Anita. It kills me to pay to get into the track. The other reason is that I can't get shut out betting at home and can view all the races in comfort. Not so at the track, too many times I'll get shut by the 10 cent super players or some idiot rolling dozens of dead tickets through the machines trying to cash something.
On the other side if a track has a good contest I will try to make it out there.

you have a very good point what you posted

[WinterTriangle]

Originally Posted by Igeteven

What killed attendance at the race tracks, name a few.

Weren't you the one telling the poster who was attending the KY Derby to stay home?

[WinterTriangle]

Originally Posted by joanied

I can't stand not having a race track near by...God, I miss it and everything about it...I swear

Life is short, Joanied. I know you're busy working. Perhaps you can put together a christmas club type savings plan, and promise yourself 4-5 days 'track vacation' every year. It's doable, if you budget and plan for it. It's mentally and emotionally uplifting to engage in activities that you love, which as we get older, is important for our health and immune system. (see? I have turned going to the track into a health intervention, sort of like going to a spa )

[Johnny V]

Originally Posted by joanied

Over in another thread we're talking about race movies...one reason 'Let it Ride' was so great is it portrays all the characters at the track...now, I haven't been to a track in decades...Wyoming is too far from anywhere ..but back in the day...it was the folks, the ones you see everyday, usually in the same place, the camaraderie...it was like being at a family gathering...I absolutley loved it...not being able to go to the track leaves a hole inside of me that even after all these years...is still there.

It's funny but me and a few guys got together and watched Let It Ride a while back because these other two guys had never seen it. Now they had been playing the horses maybe about 15 years or so but almost exclusively at the otb or on the internet except for a few outings here and there with us. They always get reserved restaurant clubhouse seating and never watch the races right in front of them. We are all cracking up even though we had all seen the movie many times, except for these two guys. They did not seem find it that funny, maybe because they just could not relate to it like us old track war horses. There was something missing there for them.

[formula_2002]

more women are working today than years ago, keeping them away from the track

people are getting smarter and going to the casino. ( where they can lose less)

[Horseplayersbet.com]

Originally Posted by formula_2002

more women are working today than years ago, keeping them away from the track

people are getting smarter and going to the casino. ( where they can lose less)

It makes me wonder if people marrying later has something a little to do with it.

Couples used to bring kids to the tracks in the 60's and 70's. I'm sure it has a lot to do with other forms of entertainment not being abundant, and I'm sure the fact that more people came home with money was a major catalyst (not many exotics, average takeout was lower because of it, and because one was forced to play only WPS many times, all they had to do was cash a late ticket to have enough to spark interest in going the next day), I also think that people didn't develop as many hobbies back then...especially if they got married younger.

When a couple gets married later, before having a family, both the wife and husband have more diversified lifestyles to start off with, and horse racing may only be a minor part of one of two partners.

I could be totally wrong here, but I think I'm onto at least something.

[Igeteven]

Originally Posted by WinterTriangle

Weren't you the one telling the poster who was attending the KY Derby to stay home?

Yes, I going to blame George Bush for that

[BluegrassProf]

Contributing factor: negative perceptions of the industry.

The issue has little to do with wagering - let's face it, a whole lot of people come to watch racing with little interest in capping...not to say they can't learn! - but questions/concerns about the safety of the sport for athletes and animals, and about the integrity of racing generally (both of which driven by exemplars in media, from drug use and breakdowns to major incidents of deviance and fraud), have had a significant impact. After all, it's very difficult to recruit new audience members when, right out of the gate, they're looking at the sport as seedy and unsafe at best, or at worst, a fiscal liability.

For crying out loud, it's even exahusting to those of us who already have an interest in the game...ex: compare the ratio of positive or neutral/positive-leaning stories to negative/neutral or negative stories in any major turf publication. We have a depressing, depressing media. Sure, plenty of issues to deal with, but wow...way to beat it into our collective skull.

American racing has somehow - at least in the mainstream - painted itself into a dark, oft-unexplored corner of the sporting world. Of course, it's difficult to understand the industry-sweeping (mis)perceptions when watching a ground-rumbling title race at Churchill or SA, but most simply don't experience those things, and the preconceptions stick. For the niche, racing is great; it's a different creature entirely for those that haven't - or won't - experience it...IMO, something fairly unique to horseracing. And maybe hockey.

Certainly, racing is by its nature very different than many mainstream sports (ex: races are very short, and time betweens matches lengthy when compared to, say, those hockey games)...as has been mentioned, attention span probably plays a role. That said, when talking about finding a new audience, I don't think we can discount the overall perception of the industry for those unfamiliar with it...it's easier to attract someone who has no idea than it is someone who has all the wrong ones.

[Igeteven]

Originally Posted by BluegrassProf

Contributing factor: negative perceptions of the industry.

The issue has little to do with wagering - let's face it, a whole lot of people come to watch racing with little interest in capping...not to say they can't learn! - but questions/concerns about the safety of the sport for athletes and animals, and about the integrity of racing generally (both of which driven by exemplars in media, from drug use and breakdowns to major incidents of deviance and fraud), have had a significant impact. After all, it's very difficult to recruit new audience members when, right out of the gate, they're looking at the sport as seedy and unsafe at best, or at worst, a fiscal liability.

For crying out loud, it's even exahusting to those of us who already have an interest in the game...ex: compare the ratio of positive or neutral/positive-leaning stories to negative/neutral or negative stories in any major turf publication. We have a depressing, depressing media. Sure, plenty of issues to deal with, but wow...way to beat it into our collective skull.

American racing has somehow - at least in the mainstream - painted itself into a dark, oft-unexplored corner of the sporting world. Of course, it's difficult to understand the industry-sweeping (mis)perceptions when watching a ground-rumbling title race at Churchill or SA, but most simply don't experience those things, and the preconceptions stick. For the niche, racing is great; it's a different creature entirely for those that haven't - or won't - experience it...IMO, something fairly unique to horseracing. And maybe hockey.

Certainly, racing is by its nature very different than many mainstream sports (ex: races are very short, and time betweens matches lengthy when compared to, say, those hockey games)...as has been mentioned, attention span probably plays a role. That said, when talking about finding a new audience, I don't think we can discount the overall perception of the industry for those unfamiliar with it...it's easier to attract someone who has no idea than it is someone who has all the wrong ones.

Good points, for the race tracks across the nation, it's going to be very hard to gain the confidence of the player or re-building a fan base.

The tracks across the nation must take a hard look at the customer, not the horsemen.

I would like 5 reasons why the player should trust the track, the trainers, the jockey's, If a new player comes on board, and loses his first day and drops a bundle, he will not be back, What we need is a top office to tell the tracks and get the rules straight and be enforced.

75 percent of the people don't trust the Federal Government, do you? Why in the hell should the player trust the track to runs things right. No track in the U.S. doesn't have problems.

This is why we need a top office to enforce and sanction any track for violating the rules.

[Foolish Pleasure]

Everthing is an excuse manufactured by the racing industry.


People still go to the track for the first time and are in complete awe of the proceedings,

interest has dwindled to next to nothing because of people running it,


there is not one other legitimate reason-

some holes for the most popular ones-

1)Competition-face facts here, gambling is much more socially acceptable now than at anytime in the history of the USA. Competition has done nothing but bring legions of people into gambling in the first place,
the tracks losing to the machines and poker is only possible thanks to mismanagement.

2)ADHD society, races go off every 5mins and are available on most hand held devices-what more could possibly ask for?

3)People just don't care about horse racing-except that in some states like MD a horse race is the single largest sporting event of the year. WHy they make major motions pictures, why they doing a new HBO miniseries abt racing if people just don't care?

4)Negative perception? Racing has had a negative perception for 1000yrs that is a constant. HArness racing corruption was front page news in the early 70's and racing boomed subsequently.



Many more reasons why racing should be doing well than the inverse,
just a few,

open space-somehow the outdoor sports have boomed in the last 30yrs except for horse racing.

demographics-the population is aging and likes to gamble.

technology-horse racing benefits immensely fr high definition technology.



Racing should be doing well, instead it is doing poorly and the reason is wholly on the people running the show everything else is an excuse.

[jamey1977]

Promote the product. These oldies live like our grandpas. They think they're doing us a favor and they treat us like crap. 5 dollars for parking, 10 dollar beers, checking packages for security but also they want the beer and food ,they will confiscate it. Tellers treating us like crap. Smokers all over the place. Chain smoking. They even give out free lung cancer , stop that smoking. No promotion. Everything should be free. The tracks would get it all back in take-out anyway. Just think if general admission was free. Clubhouse and Turf, there is a charge. But parking and general admission free. Everyone will go there. Food and drink prices reasonable, but free admission and parking. There you go ,old fogies. Give out gifts every 2 or 3 weeks and promote. Promote the parimutuel wagering system . People are so dumb they waste their money on exactas and lose everything. Promote Win -Place- and Show wagering. I bet to Win. But I know many who bet Win and Place and do great. Promote, promote,promote. The smokers are dying every day. Every day a few old smokers drop and there goes several race track fans. They're not being replaced. Because there is no promotion. Swim or drown. If a product is not promoted, it will not sell. Basic Business Administration 101.

[brdman12]

Make the track smaller, make it noisy, lots of lights, lots of winners, make it easier to win, ten minutes tops between races Our culture for most part lives idoors( house to car to arena to restaurant to house), and doesnt read, and likes things fast...tough for horseracing. I can go to Arlington and pay a little more for an owners box and sit at the finish line...they dont even go to the races...

[kenwoodallpromos]

his is the 60th post to this "Live TBred Attendance" thread and no one yet has posted thje total live TBred track attendance figure for the entire USA. What is the number?In 1985, nationwide attendance at thoroughbred racetracks totaled 73 million; in 1990 that number fell to 57 million; and in 1993, in the wake of simulcasting, attendance dipped to 45.3 million.