Major Hit Piece on Our Sport

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

The sport has obvious major problems, but if you are going to write a serious article about horse racing or do a show on it, you should present both sides and let the facts do the talking. This is major problem in journalism today. It's not journalism anymore. It's some prick with an opinion knowingly trying to influence everyone else with spin and half the story (sometimes even lies).

Not too many things get me really pissed off. But I hate one sided hit pieces and think the people that write/do them are scumbags. That covers a LOT of so called journalists today. Sorry for the rant.

Sally Jenkins is a columnist, and columnists write opinion pieces. That's literally their job. Jenkins has had a long-time dislike of horse racing, that's true. But why don't you point out all the places she outright lies in the column?

Some of us here have repeatedly said, "Wait until someone really digs into the dirt here, racing is screwed." Not sure why you're shocked people are now doing it. Most of the stuff she wrote about has been discussed here for months or even years.

[bob60566]

Maybe this is what they need for the penny to drop and see the light and Del Mar can speed along there development of stakeholders committee.

[AlsoEligible]

Originally Posted by cutchemist42

That is going to hurt big time......HBO has done one before right?

I'm at the point where I know this sport has a limited lifetime in the USA.

Twice it looks like. One in May 2008 about slaughterhouses, then another in May 2014 about drug use.

I'm sure timing both of these within the Triple Crown is no coincidence, so I'd expect the 2019 piece to drop this month as well. Wouldn't be surprised if they just reuse a lot of old footage, talk about the current breakdowns, and then make the point that not much has changed in the 11 or 5 years since they first aired those segments.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

Whom within the industry would you consider qualified to present the "other side" in a debate against these 'one-sided hit pieces' that you rail against? Who is out there to provide the "facts"...in order to refute these "lies"? Does the industry have an acknowledged "representative" whom I am unaware of?

If you are implying that racing isn't particularly organized, I agree with you.

Each of the tracks and stewards can speak for themselves. There are plenty of Eclipse Award winning trainers, owners, breeders, and riders that are thoughtful and could represent the industry well in an interview if someone asked. There are plenty of vets. Someone like the Jockey Club could probably provide plenty of data.

My problem is not with whether or not we are going to look bad. I already know there are problems. My problem is with people that decide they don't like horse racing (or whatever else) and then decide to use their position to try to destroy it instead of actually reporting in a balanced way and allowing people to judge for themselves what they approve of and what they don't.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by castaway01

Sally Jenkins is a columnist, and columnists write opinion pieces. That's literally their job.

How about this?

Even an opinion piece should be based on a balanced review of the facts. That's how I form my opinions. But if you go into it with an agenda and only give people one side of the story, you aren't doing the public a service and I don't respect what you do.

I have no use for agenda driven reporting of any type.

I'm trying to gain information, not be told what to think.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

If you are implying that racing isn't particularly organized, I agree with you.

Each of the tracks and stewards can speak for themselves. There are plenty of Eclipse Award winning trainers, owners, breeders, and riders that are thoughtful and could represent the industry well in an interview if someone asked. There are plenty of vets. Someone like the Jockey Club could probably provide plenty of data.

My problem is not with whether or not we are going to look bad. I already know there are problems. My problem is with people that decide they don't like horse racing (or whatever else) and then decide to use their position to try to destroy it instead of actually reporting in a balanced way and allowing people to judge for themselves what they approve of and what they don't.

What I am implying is that, not only isn't this game "particularly organized"...it is downright DYSFUNCTIONAL. The absence of a main governing body and widely-applicable rules bring the sort of instability to this game which disqualifies it from being called a legitimate "sport"...and reduces it to what this reporter called it; a "fancied-up vice". And...no matter who the horse racing "insider" may be...he/she would have a horrible time trying to dispute this assertion...no matter what "facts" he/she brings to the debating table.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by AskinHaskin

You start by letting everyone play with similar chances of success

(as is the case in almost every other gaming venture in our society).


Now whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy hasn't anyone ever implemented that before???


[/b].

I totally agree with this much of your post!

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

What I am implying is that, not only isn't this game "particularly organized"...it is downright DYSFUNCTIONAL. The absence of a main governing body and widely-applicable rules bring the sort of instability to this game which disqualifies it from being called a legitimate "sport"...and reduces it to what this reported called it; a "fancied-up vice". And...no matter who the horse racing "insider" may be...he/she would have a horrible time trying to dispute this assertion...no matter what "facts" he/she brings to the debating table.

Right now we have the tracks, the horsemen, and the state governments running horse racing so adding a main governing body would make things less dysfunctional? I cringed watching Randy Moss on Saturday say that racing needs to have the Federal government get involved to solve its problems. What could possibly go wrong there? People who know little or nothing about racing making all the rules and regulations.

Racing is a game of gambling and shouldn't be put in the "sport" category. If many people would still pay to go watch races even if they couldn't bet then I would call it a sport.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by AndyC

Right now we have the tracks, the horsemen, and the state governments running horse racing so adding a main governing body would make things less dysfunctional? I cringed watching Randy Moss on Saturday say that racing needs to have the Federal government get involved to solve its problems. What could possibly go wrong there? People who know little or nothing about racing making all the rules and regulations.

Racing is a game of gambling and shouldn't be put in the "sport" category. If many people would still pay to go watch races even if they couldn't bet then I would call it a sport.

As I've said in another thread...you can't call this just a "gambling game", and then justify the fact that so many horses die every year on the track just so some gamblers out there can get their kicks. So...you call it a "sport", and lend it a little more legitimacy...until the public catches on, that is. And that day may be coming sooner rather than later.

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

As I've said in another thread...you can't call this just a "gambling game", and then justify the fact that so many horses die every year on the track just so some gamblers out there can get their kicks. So...you call it a "sport", and lend it a little more legitimacy...until the public catches on, that is. And that day may be coming sooner rather than later.

I agree with that viewpoint.

[classhandicapper]

I think it would be nice to have some kind of governing body, but I think asking the government to get involved would be a terrible mistake. Then you'd have a bunch of corrupt incompetents that know nothing about racing making corrupt political decisions instead of informed people making decisions based on what's best for racing. Getting there may be more idealistic than realistic though because so many states are involved. It would probably be tough to get them to agree on anything.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by AndyC

I agree with that viewpoint.

I finally got you to agree with me. I can now retire my posting career in peace.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

As I've said in another thread...you can't call this just a "gambling game", and then justify the fact that so many horses die every year on the track just so some gamblers out there can get their kicks. So...you call it a "sport", and lend it a little more legitimacy...until the public catches on, that is. And that day may be coming sooner rather than later.

I agree with what you are saying, but people in Dubai could easily counter that it's obviously a sport also because they don't allow gambling on their races yet they still spend enormous sums breeding, raising and racing horses because they love the "sport" and animals.

I don't know if any horses ever die during polo matches, but I'm going to guess it happens from time to time. And I'm also going to guess that somewhere in his world someone is gambling on the results off shore.

[Robert Fischer]

it's good business for everybody

there's a relatively small but significant 'spike' in interest. Everything related to the industry (even the hit-and-run artists) are pumping out content.

bull market

[The_Turf_Monster]

The sport can take hit piece upon hit piece on breakdowns imo, there are corrective measures that can be taken to at least appear that the industry is trying. What it cannot survive is what will happen when people start digging around and writing pieces on what happens to the overwhelming bulk of the 20,000 thoroughbreds foaled every year once they are no longer racing. The data is out there to watch a horse competing at the highest levels pass from the industry's leading trainers from allowance and stakes races into the claiming ranks and all the way down the ladder to some of the industry's worst states and tracks and eventually into kill pens.......all the while being drugged to get one more race out of the horse