Laughable Gazette 'editorial' decries Toga college day

[Kasept]

It has to be a sad new low for editorial writing... The Schenectady Gazette Sunday was "shocked, shocked" and dismayed over NYRA presenting college day in September at the Spa. Going to make 'em all 'lifelong problem gamblers' don't ya know.

It's OK for the state to sanction and sell lottery tickets left and right to generations of the poverty-striken though... (And doesn't the state regulate the sale of cigarettes and alcohol too?) And the fact that there is widespread illegal football betting going on at EVERY college campus in America obviously eludes the erudite and forward-thinkers in the Electric City as well. I also understand there's also a little binge drinking problem at a lot of these higher learning establishments, but that's just a rumor.

Note the typo in the first graph. Hey, at least it gave them a chance to let you know they know what a bursar is...


Editorial: NYRA should leave college students alone
Sunday, July 19, 2009

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/200...9/719_printnt/

Teens go off to college to learn about all sorts of things — both in and out of the classroom. Gambling may be one of them, and probably one that parents and college officials wished they didn’t learn about. But thanks to twhe (sic) New York Racing Association, the odds of them doing so in the Capital Region are about to be greatly enhanced.

NYRA announced this week plans for its first-ever College Day promotion at Saratoga Race Course Sept. 4, shortly after the school year begins for a handful of area colleges. The promotion will feature raffles for prizes that include $1,000 in “tuition money” after every race. It’s a nice prize, but one we hope NYRA will award as a check made out directly to the school’s bursar, lest any of it get diverted to the $50 window on the way back to campus.

(Please go use the link for the rest of this important and remarkable piece of journalism.)

[gales0678]

Originally Posted by Kasept

It has to be a sad new low for editorial writing... The Schenectady Gazette Sunday was "shocked, shocked" and dismayed over NYRA presenting college day in September at the Spa. Going to make 'em all 'lifelong problem gamblers' don't ya know.

It's OK for the state to sanction and sell lottery tickets left and right to generations of the poverty-striken though... (Amd doesn't the state regulate the sale of cigarettes and alcohol too?) And the fact that there is widespread illegal football betting going on at EVERY college campus in America obviously eludes the erudite and forward-thinkers in the Electric City as well. I also understand there's also a little binge drinking problem at a lot of these higher learning establishments, but that's just a rumor.

Note the typo in the first graph. Hey, at least it gave them a chance to let you know they know what a bursar is...


Editorial: NYRA should leave college students alone
Sunday, July 19, 2009

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/200...9/719_printnt/

Teens go off to college to learn about all sorts of things — both in and out of the classroom. Gambling may be one of them, and probably one that parents and college officials wished they didn’t learn about. But thanks to twhe (sic) New York Racing Association, the odds of them doing so in the Capital Region are about to be greatly enhanced.

NYRA announced this week plans for its first-ever College Day promotion at Saratoga Race Course Sept. 4, shortly after the school year begins for a handful of area colleges. The promotion will feature raffles for prizes that include $1,000 in “tuition money” after every race. It’s a nice prize, but one we hope NYRA will award as a check made out directly to the school’s bursar, lest any of it get diverted to the $50 window on the way back to campus.

(Please go use the link for the rest of this important and remarkable piece of journalism.)

steve - i don't know the paper well , being from down here , but in there sports section if the post any type of daily line for football , baseball , baketball , etc , etc a letter to the editor whould be called for to point out their hypocrisay

[Gander]

Its a smart marketing move from NYRA. Skidmore kids have lots of parental money to blow on the horses. Many of them already gamble and gamble big. I see them year round at the simulcast. A lot are probably sick of blowing their allowances on coke & booze. Why not target a ripe demographic that unlike most adults living here, actually have money to burn. These kids dont play by the same rules we did when we went to college. They dont live in dorms anymore...they own 600K condos and forget them ever picking up a vacuum cleaner, they all hire maids. Weekend ski trips, spring breaks in Maui, 60K cars...the rules have changed fellas.

I think its great to bring new blood into a sport like horse racing.

Maybe Saratoga will even hire younger bartenders this year.

[santana]

I will make sure to let my kid know of the date. he was planning on going to Toga with a few of his friends anyway...But now with the incentives, i am sure he will be able to get a few more guys or girls.

[Antitrust32]

I would hate to hear what the Gazette thinks of the Race Track Industry Program..

[Sightseek]

Don't they have one of the guys from Capital OTB write articles and post daily selections during Saratoga?

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

I would hate to hear what the Gazette thinks of the Race Track Industry Program..

Mark Cusano and Bill Heller do nice jobs covering racing for the Gazette who market the paper non-stop during the meet giving away copies daily outside the track. .

This piece is an utter joke. They didn't bother to check with NYRA about the distribution of the tuition prizes, which of course are going directly to the colleges of the winner's. And newspapers remain mystified why circulation and advertising continues to dwindle.

[Travis Stone]

Of all the things to editorialize, this would be 1,567th on the list.

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by Kasept

Mark Cusano and Bill Heller do nice jobs covering racing for the Gazette who market the paper non-stop during the meet giving away copies daily outside the track. .

This piece is an utter joke. They didn't bother to check with NYRA about the distribution of the tuition prizes, which of course are going directly to the colleges of the winner's. And newspapers remain mystified why circulation and advertising continues to dwindle.

If consistent, the Gazette will neither market Cusano and Heller selections to "fatten its bottom line" nor accept advertising from gambling-related interests; it will stop posting odds-lines for football and other sports in its sports sections, and it will no longer list winning lottery numbers.

Oh, and let's not forget the annual article about how racing is a "dying" sport and how NYRA needs to market it to a younger dempographic. Of course, now that NYRA implements what has been a wildly successful program at Keeneland, the Gazette criticizes the move. Priceless.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Kasept

Mark Cusano and Bill Heller do nice jobs covering racing for the Gazette who market the paper non-stop during the meet giving away copies daily outside the track. .

This piece is an utter joke. They didn't bother to check with NYRA about the distribution of the tuition prizes, which of course are going directly to the colleges of the winner's. And newspapers remain mystified why circulation and advertising continues to dwindle.

The only time I was at Keeneland it was college day (though everyday there is college day so I hear ) and they were doing the 1000 tuition prize after each race. I thought it was a great idea.

That Gazette piece was moronic.. I'd be embarrassed if I was the editor..

[ALostTexan]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

I would hate to hear what the Gazette thinks of the Race Track Industry Program..

This is basically never an issue in Tucson since hardly anyone here and at the Daily Star knows of the Program. And usually when we do get mentioned we at least we have Todd as our poster child with the Daily Star, so most of the coverage is positive.

Now, if Rillito were to do this things might be different. Might have to try that in the Spring.

[VOL JACK]

If any as ever been to Kee they know these college kids aren't at the $50 window.

I cant decide if this the funniest or the sadest thing I have ever read.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by ALostTexan

This is basically never an issue in Tucson since hardly anyone here and at the Daily Star knows of the Program. And usually when we do get mentioned we at least we have Todd as our poster child with the Daily Star, so most of the coverage is positive.

Now, if Rillito were to do this things might be different. Might have to try that in the Spring.

I thought Rillito was being bulldozed??

[geeker2]

Clearly someone lacks an understanding of Addiction.

I love the reference to Art Schlichter in the comments section as if his childhood was a perfect example of child rearing.

[2MinsToPost]

Originally Posted by geeker2

Clearly someone lacks an understanding of Addiction.

I love the reference to Art Schlichter in the comments section as if his childhood was a perfect example of child rearing.

He now covers college football for a local radio station, it appears he has really turned his life around.

[geeker2]

Originally Posted by 2MinsToPost

He now covers college football for a local radio station, it appears he has really turned his life around.

That is fantastic news -

[GenuineRisk]

What's infuriating to me about the sanctimonious "but think of the innocent children" tone of the article is that far more financial damage has been done to college kids by the credit card industry aggressively marketing to incoming freshmen who don't understand what they're getting into. Gambling at the track is much simpler- make the wrong choice, you lose your money. But let's pick on the racing industry instead, because that's easy and safe.

And yeah, as someone posted earlier, clearly the writer has no understanding of addiction.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

What's infuriating to me about the sanctimonious "but think of the innocent children" tone of the article is that far more financial damage has been done to college kids by the credit card industry aggressively marketing to incoming freshmen who don't understand what they're getting into. Gambling at the track is much simpler- make the wrong choice, you lose your money. But let's pick on the racing industry instead, because that's easy and safe.

And yeah, as someone posted earlier, clearly the writer has no understanding of addiction.

What's infuriating to me is that the Gazette just got 100 times more web hits than they do in a normal week by posting this rubbish. So what does everyone think they will post more of?

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

What's infuriating to me about the sanctimonious "but think of the innocent children" tone of the article is that far more financial damage has been done to college kids by the credit card industry aggressively marketing to incoming freshmen who don't understand what they're getting into. Gambling at the track is much simpler- make the wrong choice, you lose your money. But let's pick on the racing industry instead, because that's easy and safe.

And yeah, as someone posted earlier, clearly the writer has no understanding of addiction.

I hear you. Those poor innocent babes are binge drinking like there's no tomorrow. They have less healthy habits than gambling already.

It's been a problem for me for years. My state figures we'll all end up in the gutter if we have gambling (nevermind that there's a Harrah's down the street on the reservation). Since I can't get TVG or HRTV (again, cable company doesn't want me to use it as a gateway to, I dunno, heroin) I have to scrounge around the internet as best I can nowadays. Can't have a satellite dish in my current situation. I'd probably have trouble hanging out at a racetrack, even if we had one, without folks thinking I was a degenerate. They freak about poker as it is. I'm wary about telling people horse racing is my favorite sport because they flat out judge you, even as they plunk down cash for the NCAA tournament.

It's hard to dispute how integral betting is to the sport and how fun it can be to have an "I told you so" where you earn money, but then amongst ourselves we talk about improving the breed and things that are chalk full of romantic ideals for this sport which to me could use a different pitch maybe then strictly 'hey kids come gamble!' Is there a way we could romanticize it just a smidge? For me? I want them feeling something more than 'yes! I won $500!' when they watch something incredible, e.g. when Tiznow won the 2001 BC Classic. Something should stir in there. Let them know it will, that we don't just want their money (even though we could really use it and who are we kidding we do really really want their money). Tell them there's magic to be had, or at least mention it a bit instead of expecting them to stumble on it once they get there. Of course sometimes I wonder if enough people are into that as much as they are just getting the cash out of the college kids' wallets.