Effing Michael Wilbon

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by hockey2315

Racing is in now way like bowling or billiards. . . It might not be nearly as popular as it was years ago, but the horse industry still dwarfs those "sports." It's a terrible comparison.

So 160K don't show up for the bowling championships?

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by hockey2315

Racing is in now way like bowling or billiards. . . It might not be nearly as popular as it was years ago, but the horse industry still dwarfs those "sports." It's a terrible comparison.

Its behind Nascar though. Consider the poster on here and let that hit you for a second.

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by Kasept

Wilbon may not be racist in an overall context, but when he discusses racing -- going back to Kornheiser having including Secretariat in his Top 10 of the Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century Poll -- his rhetoric is tinged with an obvious view of horse racing as a bastion of white, elitist privilege. He has no cultural tie to the game and obviously no interest in its' gambling aspect, so he simply relies on his instinct to dislike the sport because of who and what it historically represents in his mind. I doubt he knows much about how the game was dominated by afro-american trainers and riders during from the post-Civil War until the Gambling Blackout (1908-1910).

If this is his assertion, wouldn't there perhaps at least be some truth to it in the game today? Or at least, even if it isn't true, I'm not sure it makes someone a "racist" if they wanted to make that argument. Sure things were different in the nineteenth century, but so what?
For example, I think today's Republican Party is also a "bastion of white, elitist privilege." Now, during the 1850s and 1860s the Republicans were the antislavery party and the Democrats were the conservatives. But I don't see how that's a particularly relevant point when discussing politics today. Wouldn't the same be true for horse racing?

On the whole, however, I continue to doubt whether Wilbon gives horse racing enough thought to really hate it for any particular reason. A year or two ago when the topic of Zenyatta was brought up he said something about only caring about her if they were serving up some tasty Zenyatta burgers (or something like that). Now, does he really want to eat a horse burger? I doubt it.
I think its just what passes for comedy on that show.

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by dino

make the english language sound more like pig latin than english. Maybe racing needs more hip hop

Yep....its clearly Wilbon who is racist.

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by Kasept

the two of them have become such caricatures of themselves that I find it difficult to sit through.

On this point I certainly agree with you.
When it first came on I watched it two or three times a week.
Now I probably watch it two or three times a year.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by dino

Wilbon is definitly a RACIST but I think his distain for racing is more centered around it not being a "cool" sport. He is more into sports where the athletes beat their wives and make the english language sound more like pig latin than english. Maybe racing needs more hip hop

Nothing like countering racism with racism.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

hes no vince scully

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by hockey2315

Racing is in now way like bowling or billiards. . . It might not be nearly as popular as it was years ago, but the horse industry still dwarfs those "sports." It's a terrible comparison.

and its not like WWE... that industry has millions more viewers and fans.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I love the sport. That's why I stay involved in it. But that doesn't mean that I can't see that it is very low in popularity in this country. We see every year when a racing telecast is delayed because another event goes long and the racing fans scream out in horror "I can't believe that they won't switch to racing....screw college football." Racing fans are totally unrealistic when it comes to understanding how little of a national impact the sport has. That's not to say that we are different from other sports fans though. We all are passionate about what we like and don't want to see it "mistreated". As I said earlier, we can come on here and talk about how racing is a joke with it's four-horse fields, it's medication rules and applications, all of the little things that add up to big things that are wrong with the industry...........but let someone outside do it and that's a problem.

The main thing is that the truth is that racing is very, very low in popularity in this country. Even among racing fans, I have always felt that racing is not popular but gambling is. I bet if you go to just about any track or OTB and ask the fans there who won the Derby, the majority wouldn't know...even though they played the race. Ask them the conditions of the Derby (date, distance, track, age of the horses) and I'd bet that most of them don't know. Ask them what three races make up the TC and what are the conditions and I think the majority would have no clue. Maybe I'm wrong though. I know it used to piss me off when I'd be at the track and I'd hear people talking, the usual "who do you like in the 8th?" kind of stuff and it seemed like 80% of the time or more, people just answered in numbers. I hated that they'd just refer to Snow Chief or Sunday Silence or Alysheba as "the four horse."

I guess I just feel that we are very defensive and very unrealistic when it comes to understanding horse racing's popularity among sports fans and the public in general.

The sports popularity is a moot point when the topic is brought up on the show. In many area's of the country horse racing is more popular than hockey which is supposedly one of the big sports. Wilbon always has an opinion on boxing which has fallen even behind horse racing in terms of popularity. He and William Rhoden are the 2 mainstream sports writers that always go out of their way to bash horseracing. Both of them being black may be coincidental but more likely isn't.

[munster705]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

So 160K don't show up for the bowling championships?

160K dont show up for horse races either except for the Derby and Breeder's Cup. If it wasn't for Racinos, there would be horse racing in 3 states tops.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by munster705

160K dont show up for horse races either except for the Derby and Breeder's Cup. If it wasn't for Racinos, there would be horse racing in 3 states tops.

There was 11 billion bet (legally) on horse racing last year.

[Port Conway Lane]

I don't know if racism has anything at all to do with Wilbon's disdain for horse racing but I think the guy is a radical when it comes to black athletes and their place (or lack therof) in sports.
Maybe Kerwin John could get a derby mount next year on a son of a Northern Wolf broodmare so Wilbon could be reminded of the only time he had any rooting interest in a horse race.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by Port Conway Lane

I don't know if racism has anything at all to do with Wilbon's disdain for horse racing but I think the guy is a radical when it comes to black athletes and their place (or lack therof) in sports.
Maybe Kerwin John could get a derby mount next year on a son of a Northern Wolf broodmare so Wilbon could be reminded of the only time he had any rooting interest in a horse race.

Radical? Do tell.

[SCUDSBROTHER]

I think it's difficult to have a sports reporter be objective about racing. It's a form of gambling (for most who watch it,) and we all have our subjective takes on the various forms of gambling that exist. He grew up in Chicago. He lives in Maryand, and Arizona. None of these 3 areas have much quality racing. It is sort of a joke there.

[Port Conway Lane]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Radical? Do tell.

like black panther radical

[Port Conway Lane]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Radical? Do tell.

and hypocritical. Stand up for Tiger Woods under any and all circumstances while pointing out how white athletes get away with crap that black athletes could never get away with.

Anyone who has read his articles in the post and seen him on channel 4 in Washington for 25 years should know this.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by SCUDSBROTHER

I think it's difficult to have a sports reporter be objective about racing. It's a form of gambling (for most who watch it,) and we all have our subjective takes on the various forms of gambling that exist. He grew up in Chicago. He lives in Maryand, and Arizona. None of these 3 areas have much quality racing. It is sort of a joke there.

hey Rillito Park is a blast to go to!

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by munster705

160K dont show up for horse races either except for the Derby and Breeder's Cup. If it wasn't for Racinos, there would be horse racing in 3 states tops.

NY, NJ, KY, CA, CO, NM etc. etc. etc.

A bit of a stretch no? $11B is a lot of money, granted a lot of that it is concentrated but nevertheless, the money is there.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Clip-Clop

NY, NJ, KY, CA, CO, NM etc. etc. etc.

A bit of a stretch no? $11B is a lot of money, granted a lot of that it is concentrated but nevertheless, the money is there.

dont forget FL... and I'd put PA before NJ

[munster705]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

dont forget FL... and I'd put PA before NJ

So maybe 5 states then. That is why the ESPN hacks do not give horse racing the attention. Isn't NJ close to shutting down horse racing all together? I thought that the Meadowlands was having issues re-opening? I love horse racing, but I have never been at a good racetrack. It is slim pickings in the Boston area. Horse racing is not thriving all over the country. My home track Suffolk Downs will be shutting down soon if we can't get a bill passed to bring a racino to Boston. My whole point is that horce racing is more of a niche sport than a widespread sport.