Originally Posted by Travis Stone
It's dominance, but it's also the underdog. People love a good underdog story.
I agree with much of what's said in this thread, but there is still a disconnect...
Zenyatta, Big Brown, Triple Crown attemps, Rachel etc. are all great, and yes, they get people to watch. But watching and participating are two different animals, especially when participation is really what we need.
I think herein lies one of racing's biggest problems, yet no one wants to talk about it because they obsess over issues like takeout: horse racing is too hard to learn, too scary to jump-in on and is perceived, by many, to be fake or dappled with cheaters (this reason being third on the list, and well below the other two).
Slot machines have historically done well because there is no barrier to entry. There is no "logic" needed, there is no special terminology needed... heck, you're trying to line-up cherries, and when you do, there's an easy to read chart that tells you how much you will (and can) win. It doesn't get any easier than that.
Pull the lever vs. key this horse in that bet and it'll cost you this much, but if you take him off then it's only this much. But I wouldn't do that because of the pace in the race, and the track bias and the furlongs and this is allowance, not claiming, and oh man, the track is sloppy not fast... etc.
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