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20 Comments
- atcdev, on 05/12/2008, -5/+12Just a thought. How long would horse racing last if you couldn't bet on it?
Weeks?
Months? - daleok, on 05/12/2008, -5/+9Each to his own. Personally I find horse racing boring as hell.
- aflaks, on 05/12/2008, -3/+6who cares what time zone this sport is stuck in, its not like basket ball is modern, it just uses a ball and a hoop, baseball is old as ***** too; bat + ball=run around a sack. I dont care for it but some people really love the horses and good for them.
- inactive, on 05/12/2008, -5/+8This article does a great job of commenting on the practices of the horse racing industry without becoming preachy. It simply states facts, and allows you to come to your own conclusions. Loved the article.
- krc1, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1I agree, and the same comment could be made about the NFL.
- rblancarte, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1They don't have numbers, but they are speaking the truth. You want numbers?
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/05/06/kentucky-derb ... - inactive, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Without the benefit of on property betting, most horse tracks would close down. Also, if you go to most tracks on a normal day, its the dregs of society spending their paychecks
- theculchie1, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Horses for courses
- rblancarte, on 05/12/2008, -1/+2Pretty good read. And as someone who follows just about all sports at some level, I feel is pretty spot on.
Horse racing is hurting right now. Some people question it, but all you have to do is look at the numbers - http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/05/06/kentucky-derb ... - declining television numbers tell the story. True NBC has worked some to improve them (not the increase in 2001). But still the sport had already suffered.
What makes it worse is that once the Triple Crown possibility is gone, so are the viewers. No more interest. Horse racing doesn't have any rivalries, nothing that will draw you once the big prize is lost. Had Eight Belles not been injured and subsequently euthanized, then maybe people would like to watch chapter 2 and 3 of her vs Big Brown, but if she won the Preakness, I bet that viewership for the Belmont would suffer just as it has the last decade+, no one really caring about their rubber match.
On top of that , that when you have a sport that gets 3 big viewer hits, the casual or non observer is going to take what they see as the overall trend. People see 2 deaths in 6 races and think it is a problem. However, in fact, fatal injuries of this type are quite rare however, 3-4 per 2000 races. (see - http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=horse& ... ). And they think it is time for a change. They don't have all the facts, but in this case raw emotion is much greater than that, and can sway the field.
Overall, I hope that Horse Racing can do something to reverse its fortunes. It is a very entertaining sport. But without some re-working, it won't last. - konamicode, on 05/12/2008, -3/+4This is ludicrous. Go visit horse stables in Kentucky, those horses are treated better than the laborers who care for them. Get off your high horse...pun totally intended.
- nbcaffeine, on 05/12/2008, -2/+3seconds
- robthom, on 05/12/2008, -3/+3Meh, New York is an out of touch and insular financial and media regime.
In their minds if THEY dont go to the races then NOBODY must be going. They'd probably tell you that everybody loves broadway plays if you asked them.
***** that place, like we really need the rest of the country to look like new york city. - tsotha, on 05/12/2008, -0/+0Well, yeah, but that isn't my criticism. I can believe horse racing's share of the overall entertainment dollar is slipping. But would it kill the writer to put numbers in the article so I get a more precise view of subject under discussion?
Thousands of J-School grads are unable to find journalism jobs every year, and the NYT is supposed to be the flagship newspaper in the US. There simply isn't any excuse for such poorly written articles. - tsotha, on 05/12/2008, -5/+4What a terrible article. It makes a bunch of assertions, but backs nothing up with anything resembling numbers. The racing industry has "fallen behind"? Oh? On what basis? By how much? And what does it mean for entertainment to be "relevant"? That's one of those adjectives that sounds profound but is, in the end, meaningless.
The quality of NYT articles has really fallen in recent years. I don't know if this is a reflection of staff cuts or just sloppiness, but it's pretty sad. - cnads, on 05/12/2008, -4/+0why is this on the front page of digg?
- diamondbigdog, on 05/12/2008, -11/+8I like horse racing and think that those horses are some of the best kept animals in the world.
Besides, one could gamble at a casino where the odds favor the house or bet at the track where it is paramutual - BelatedHero, on 05/12/2008, -7/+1*****!!
- Carsonauto, on 05/12/2008, -9/+2This is stupid.
- KLowD9x, on 05/12/2008, -9/+2NYTimes, STFU.
- n8f8, on 05/12/2008, -11/+3define: LIBERAL
