Quote:
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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You have to walk before you can run. Hopefully tuning in intrigues people enough to want to spend a day at the track. It's much more enjoyable than sitting in a casino pulling a lever all day. Hopefully after enjoying a day there, they would want to go back soon and try betting something else, say exacta's. Maybe on a third visit, triples and or pick 3's and the cycle would continue until they had the fever and became a regular. Maybe they would eventually open an account so they could bet from home. But the sport needs to set that original hook.
I do agree that the learning to handicap obstacle is a very big hurdle for the sport to get over. Let's face it, handicapping is a very time consuming thing and that's even after you learn how to read the form or sheets. We have discussed it before, but the sport needs an easier introduction plan for novices/newbies. There is so much available information that it could become intimidating to the point where people think it's hopeless to pick up.