Promoting the game (with a shiny new catchphrase)

[pmayjr]

Originally Posted by Danzig

i know what works, and have posted it more than once. you take people who haven't been to the track and show them a good time. it works. not cute ads. i haven't had someone go with me yet who went 'ugh, that was awful' or boring...they say they can't wait to go back. and they go back.

Exactly... what I said in my reply about the Canterbury Park grandstand on a Thursday or Friday night. It's actually fun all weekend that they run (but Saturdays and Sundays are a more family-oriented). People are in the grandstand, just having fun, people watching, betting on the shitty live races just hoping to win enough to pay for their beers. A part of it here in Minnesota is also the short meet because our summers aren't very long, so people probably go as a another way to enjoy the a nice day in the summer. But what I'm saying is, it's usually a bunch of 20/30-something minimum bettors that end up making a fun night of it. They don't see mint juleps and ladies all dolled up in expensive dresses and hats (but I'm not talking Walmart casual either).

Does this translate to getting the masses into the sport more? No. But if people have a fun experience with it, you will get a small percentage of that bunch that might wanna dive in deeper. Learn a little more. Start paying attention to other big races beside the TC and BC days. Go to the occasional betting education seminars that some tracks/websites offer. Etc Etc Etc. A good experience at the track will at least keep most people occasionally coming back. And from there you find ways to get them wanting to become more educated.

It will also help if I'll Have Another wins the Belmont and runs through at least the Breeders Cup.