Quote:
Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage
Breakdowns on the biggest stage happen often enough that the hardcore fan continues to wring his hands thinking about the next one, but are rare enough that the general public won't be turned away from the sport forever.
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I'm NOT arguing that racing should avoid primetime for that reason, but to say breakdowns in high profile events are "rare" certainly is debatable.
Barbaro in 2006 and Eight Belles in 2008 mean there were two horrific incidents in the last 12 Triple Crown races. That's 17%. I would term it "uncommon," but certainly not rare. And a high enough incidence to be concerned about the risk/reward of raising the profile of your sport's marquee event.
For the record, I am in favor of the move but if it happens, the sport must take extra precautions. For example, make sure the tracks are not "souped up" for the occasion with rock-hard surfaces aimed to produce fast times.
Also, the TV coverage should be "softer" with more human interest features designed to attract the casual or non-racing fan. Funny Cide's story got a lot more interesting once we learned about its owners. Of course racing can't control the networks' coverage.
This is the age of marketing. We must make "rock stars" out of the horses AND the people involved (horses get hurt a lot more than the people).
Rags to riches stories, overcoming hopeless odds, quirky and endearing characters as well as emphasizing what great athletes these animals (and even jockeys) are: That's what the sport should present to America in primetime.