Gold Cup on ESPN
 

Memo to ESPN:

Zenyatta's connections were too chicken sh!t to ever run in the Hollywood Gold Cup. Why is she the subject here?

In addition, in case they forgot, the horse DOESN'T FREAKING RACE ANYMORE!

Easy toughguy, they're also doing a thing about Swaps....he doesn't race anymore either...get over it!!! She puts asses in the seats!!!

Yeah, ummm, Swaps set a course record in winning the Hollywood Gold Cup.

Asses that couldn't wager a dime and that are spending this summer at the beach. Or the mall. Or wherever 14yo girls go in the summer.

Waah

Zenyatta!!!! Justin Bieber!!!! Lady Gaga!!!! YAY!!!!!

All I'm saying is that it get's old listening to everyone hate on her. The same people that bitch about horse racing not getting enough coverage are the same people that nit pick and put down all of the "stars" of the game. We get it...no horse today is as good as horses 30, 50, 70 years ago. You know more about racing than the average person, congratulations.
The general public knows Zenyatta...if you were putting on a horse racing segment on ESPN, who would you do a piece on??? Remember, it's all about ratings and appealing to the general sports fan....not hard core racing fans.

I know exactly what you are saying, but heck, if I'm one of the "general public" tuning in, the first 15 minutes of the broadcast would make me think she was running today for cripes sake.

And these people that are not currently not betting a dime or at the mall are possibly future fans.

That's what is funny about this sport...everybody wants to bring in new fans, yet nobody is good enough to enter this world.

Yeah, let's keep dumbing down everything. Good idea.

I get that everyone who knows something about horse racing is tired of hearing about her, but she is the only name (besides the Kentucky Derby winner) that anyone knows, why not use it your advantage?

You guys are funny. You are the same people that love a band until everyone else does....and then they suck and are a bunch of sell outs!!!

I love exclamation points!!!!!

Blame.

I guess I just don't understand what the "advantage" is?

It just seemed really lazy to me. How about maybe showing highlights, race footage, commentary on the current handicap division, instead of just showing Randy and Bailey's top 8 at the very end of the show? Maybe show their top 8 at the beginning of the broadcast and then show some replays to back them up. Wouldn't a newbie watching the telecast want to find out who the best horses around the country are before watching a race involving some of them? Isn't this an opportunity to educate and bring some fans in, instead of just confusing them?

I'm eagerly awaiting Pba's opinion on all of this.

no, she doesn't put asses in the seats. now, some asses followed her once. but as you said, she's gone now. referrring to her won't do anything to get asses back in the seats. providing good racing now, and having less takeout would help far more than talking about a retired racemare. who becomes a fan because they heard someone talking about a horse that doesn't race?

you hater, you.

no, really-all good points.

I am now pissed I did not DVR this.

It didn't even cross my mind to think that ESPN would show that race.

If you're trying to attract the general sports fan...who, at this point in time, is the one name they know? You bring them in with that and then you educate them with what is current in the sport. It is such a revolving door of "stars" in this sport (with early retirements, injuries,etc.), that you need a familiar name, even if she is retired. Something has to appeal to the person watching the program before, just to get them to NOT turn the channel before it starts
.

First, it was the friends of Barbaro who reminded us how 'Barbaro is the glue that holds us all together' ....

Now, it's a retired Zenyatta?

Whatever fans we attract - they will certainly not be useful fans. They will be tards and horsey loving girls... and in most cases, both.

So, let's just let them know once and for all that they are all idiots and they do not belong here...good idea. And then in 10 years, we can all cry about how bad the horse racing industry has become. Oh, wait, that's going on right now.

All in all it was a pretty good race.

I'm not going to get into this.

However, I will offer you congrats for thinking like your typical horse racing industry person. You should be awarded weekly paychecks for your genius.

I've wasted too much of my life arguing with idiots.

No matter how hard you beat them they can't get any dumber. So you sweat and toil to give a quality effort -more out of a sense of obligation than any need to prove the stupid are stupid- but hopefully you give the crowd something to cheer about during the process. At the end of it all the idiot, bludgeoned and thrashed, still looks on with empty eyes peering out from his empty skull and laughs while his thick drool falls all over his keyboard.

And you know, you just KNOW that despite a complete and utter dismantling of your opponent -if a boxing score was used, all three judges would have it 120 to 0- that damned indefatigable clueless smile and those crooked teeth with cotton candy stains spell your doom. You simply can't win against an opponent who doesn't know how to fight back.

The idiot is numb to the beating - so ya just gotta know when to quit.

Impossible.

No 3 knockdown rule in play.

you make race fans out of horse fans(i love horses, so i got involved with racing), or you take people to the track and teach them how to bet. you take gamblers and show them how to read the form.
no horse race coverage will convert someone by talking about a retired horse that fans can no longer see race, that they can't relate to. people know that horse racing involves a winner every time. whoopie.
what's that mean to them? nothing. show them how to make money, and then you might be on to something.

good luck convincing justin bieber fans to stay tuned for john coltrane.

zenyatta was actually a very fine horse. i'd go so far as to call her a superior runner on synthetic. and worthy of mention as one of the best females of her generation. i liked her.

but most of her fans are an 8.1 on the richter scale of dunces. and they generated a 30 foot tsunami of resentful blowhard's if anyone dared mention she didn't belong in the pantheon of the gods.

if there were any actual racing fans left standing after that they were irradiated with 3x the survivable level of "but she's good for racing" nonsense.

So funny. I am fairly new to the game(5 to 7 years) and I love to watch and bet on this sport. But, when I first started going to the races, it was people like you that would sit there and throw me a look like I didn't belong. You are the same "hard core" betters that make newbies not want to come back. Or that anyone that is just there to drink and have a good time shouldn't be there.

These are the same people that may be back and put some money down the next time they come. And you, being such a superior being, will take all of their money. You should feel good about this. But, this won't happen if you, sitting there with your DRF and your pompous attitude, make them feel like they should go back to the mall. Many of these young people will come there once, and if they don't have a good time, they don't come back......ever!!!

As much as I love this sport....sometimes the hard ass gambler attitude is hard to deal with.

I know that the general Zenyatta fan is a certain "type." This is not my argument. My argument is that if you drive them away....it's just less people interested in the sport. How is that good?

Aweeeee, Did they show Zenyatta dance!?

She's so sweeeeet. Pretty girl, pretty baby. I love her!

i'm not sure why you think the hard core gamblers are such a problem. i've never encountered that.
on the other hand, i've read for years and years now how this horrible coverage is done to entice the casual fan. yet, the casual fans never seem to get serious. you'd think that rather than continue with something that doesn't work, a new approach would be needed. but no, the networks think they know best, so they keep the same tired garbage. they still don't try to appeal to bettors, because they still think that many are turned off by gambling...meanwhile, poker becomes more and more popular, as do casinos.

The most amazing thing about this thread is the experienced internet posters that can't seem to identify a troll when they see one.

DrugS just set a new low....something that is not easy for him to do.

Huh...amazing

Nobuddy cares.

It must have been for BTW to award it a career best Ragozin.

gambling is huge and has been huge for awhile now....the industry needs to scrap the "casual fan" and market to degenerates...throw some huge pots out there with a little dose of education and you got a winner....horses run 5-6 times in there career over a course of 2 years....there is hardcore gambling going on in our sport 365 days a year....much more bang for your buck going after gamblers vs. hannah montana fans

broadcast the horse betting contests on live tv...make the betting just as important as the racing....yeah it sucks to demoralize the sport but hey its about staying alive at this point

How?

Good post.

How?

He said nothing.