My house looks like a Hallmark store projectile vomited on it, so I guess this is my clue that another season of rapacious and maudlin exploitation is upon us. Happy Festivus.
In what is a long overdue acknowledgement, Thoroughbredbrief has joined the ranks of the TBA. A law students' speculation on the shyster shenanigans suffusing the system. A must read on the Empirical list.
An Anonymous commenter posted this on my site a few posts ago:
Anonymous said...
Pain, by definition, hurts. Most people try to avoid it at all costs. The difference between acute and chronic pain can be immense and misguided individuals will choose to deal with the comparatively easier chronic pain rather than endure the short but intense acute one. They will muddle through life, debilitated and dulled because they don't want to confront the reality of decisive action.
The game is hurting and it needs to be remade. It is bloated and hemmorhaging. Cut off the diseased flesh and start the recuperative process.
It sucks. It is arguable whether it is fair or not but it is necessary. Pandering and false comfort ill serves those who have a genuine stake in the game. While bettors make the game go round, those who provide the product actually have a dog in the fight and deserve to know the truth. The only thing bettors have to do is change the channel. Racing is global and there is a race on at any time. Keep raising takeout and decreasing quality and the players will go away.
Great sentence, heard on the the Slate Culture Gabfest: "In addition to loving Jimmy Fallon, young people are also illiterate."
The death of the printed word and the newspaper coverage of racing is marginalizing this sport even more. Why not create some Web 2.0 app with streamlined PP's? Casual bettors don't follow trainer angles and pedigree. They don't know about bias or pace pars.
Market to the crowd you have, not the crowd you wish you had.
This game is corrupt and in the hands of people whose morality would have raised eyebrows in the court of Caligula. They are either incompetent or so wrapped up in the con that they have no interest in instituting change. The public is blindly supporting this game, in spite of the known deficiencies.
Buttressing it all is the horse, and if we can remember that then all is not lost.
Enjoy whatever pretense you celebrate in this season where the only horses running should be in SoCal or Hialeah.
Posts
A fine idea, but on the flip side - how about putting a face on those who are the bane of the sport? Would it possible to arm twist the powers that be by targeting the names and faces of known violators? I'd like to see poster waving protesters at major races. Owners who still employ the likes of Biancone, Mullins, and other riff raff can reap their full reward - they may be winning with dirty trainers, but they also have to accept that "everyone knows" how they win.