Racing boost???

[mikekay]

I'm no genius, but am a cable/racing junkie who likes to gamble. If they really want to boost interest in the 'Sport of Kings' they should show the horse racing channels for free. Whenever they show an hour or so of free horse racing (it happens sometimes on my system), i always think, "Damn, I want to get in on that sort of action, I would have had that winner". I don't subscribe 'cause I would be too consumed to lead a normal life, but other channel surfers my get intrigued and begin to follow the sport. I'm I being naive, or am I on to something?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by mikekay

I'm no genius, but am a cable/racing junkie who likes to gamble. If they really want to boost interest in the 'Sport of Kings' they should show the horse racing channels for free. Whenever they show an hour or so of free horse racing (it happens sometimes on my system), i always think, "Damn, I want to get in on that sort of action, I would have had that winner". I don't subscribe 'cause I would be too consumed to lead a normal life, but other channel surfers my get intrigued and begin to follow the sport. I'm I being naive, or am I on to something?

It is free in KY as long as you pay the cable company

[mikekay]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

It is free in KY as long as you pay the cable company

On my system it's an additional fee. I don't subscribe, 'cause it just a couple of more keystrokes to an online acount, and then all heck will/may let loose. Plus I like, no love, the on/off track atmosphere of actually being there.

[Scav]

Originally Posted by mikekay

On my system it's an additional fee. I don't subscribe, 'cause it just a couple of more keystrokes to an online acount, and then all heck will/may let loose. Plus I like, no love, the on/off track atmosphere of actually being there.

Join the compusion, I have a full fledged OTB in my basement now.....

[AeWingnut]

I have some friedns that got the Horseracing Channel on their cable for free. They stay up hours of the night and watch it. They don't even bet the races, at least not with an online account.

I don't have cable because.. I don't watch TV and I got mad at the cable company about geez 15+ years ago. They were the only game in town at the time and didn't take my business seriously and I haven't missed it until now.

I am moving in August so I'll re-up just for HRTV. The neighbors will wonder what all the shouting is about

[disappearingdan_akaplaya]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

It is free in KY as long as you pay the cable company

lol yep all hotels have TVG in KY. when i visted keeneland or when i shipped and ran@cd or tp ive watched tvg in the hotel. i swithced from the dish back to cable and i pay a measley 5 bucks a month extra for a sports package that includes tvg, comcast is gonna need to offer HRTV soon

[MaTH716]

Gallop Racer was not bad. I believe that there are two versions out there. The Breeders Cup game with Ghostzapper on the cover is absolutley awful. There is a game called G1 jockey, that is probably the best one. They were supposed to come out with a new version of it, but I have not been able to find it.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by mikekay

I'm no genius, but am a cable/racing junkie who likes to gamble. If they really want to boost interest in the 'Sport of Kings' they should show the horse racing channels for free. Whenever they show an hour or so of free horse racing (it happens sometimes on my system), i always think, "Damn, I want to get in on that sort of action, I would have had that winner". I don't subscribe 'cause I would be too consumed to lead a normal life, but other channel surfers my get intrigued and begin to follow the sport. I'm I being naive, or am I on to something?

of course you are! you'll fit in here just fine.

[Payson Dave]

Just a thought here.... when racing was really big, horses were more a part of a lot of peoples lives...kinda like Nascar is big now because cars are more a part of everyday life now....When I was a kid I had cousins that lived on farms and they had horses....my kids don't have cousins that live on farms and other than me they don't know anyone who is even interested in horses.

All that being said I've got no idea how to really bring racing back to prominence... maybe a cartoon character(sp?) super hero that is a race horse...maybe a few more TV series that have racing as a backdrop...maybe a Charlottes Web of horse racing....maybe a series of college course electives Handicapping 101...maybe playboy doing a series of issues on "Girls of the Backstretch"

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

stop pkucking over the gamblers....

[mikekay]

I think I'm kinda' addicted to "live' Tv. I can watch a live 1 to 2 minute event, that no one can predict how will end, except for the lucky bettors, and be excited, especially if I'm one of those lucky bettors. It doesn't get any better than that. Maybe that can't compete with casino gambing, or secks, but we gotta get more people involved. Hopefully secks timing might compare to a steeplecase race?

I'd gladly pay an extra $9.99 a month if Ken Rudolph would talk like Buckwheat.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Payson Dave

Just a thought here.... when racing was really big, horses were more a part of a lot of peoples lives...kinda like Nascar is big now because cars are more a part of everyday life now....When I was a kid I had cousins that lived on farms and they had horses....my kids don't have cousins that live on farms and other than me they don't know anyone who is even interested in horses.

All that being said I've got no idea how to really bring racing back to prominence..

It was pretty big in the 60's and 70's and I dont think the milkman was delivering by horse then.

Racing does not need to be brought back to prominence, just run it right, treat your customers better, understand where you stand in the marketplace and fight for lower taxation and we would be just fine.

[Payson Dave]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

It was pretty big in the 60's and 70's and I dont think the milkman was delivering by horse then.

Racing does not need to be brought back to prominence, just run it right, treat your customers better, understand where you stand in the marketplace and fight for lower taxation and we would be just fine.

Not sure that you get my point... and I'm guessing you are not real interested in even trying to.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Payson Dave

Not sure that you get my point... and I'm guessing you are not real interested in even trying to.

I get your point. I have heard it many times and think it is crazy. Horses have not been an important part of American culture for at least 75 years. Just have a hard time understanding why people not being associated with horses would keep them from betting on the races

[ceejay]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Racing does not need to be brought back to prominence, just run it right, treat your customers better, understand where you stand in the marketplace and fight for lower taxation and we would be just fine.

Novel concepts.

[Payson Dave]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

It was pretty big in the 60's and 70's and I dont think the milkman was delivering by horse then.

Racing does not need to be brought back to prominence, just run it right, treat your customers better, understand where you stand in the marketplace and fight for lower taxation and we would be just fine.

All that is well and good but it would not hurt to be bringing a few more new "customers" into the game....and racing may have been bigger in the 30's and 40's when the milkman did deliver the milk by horsey

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Payson Dave

All that is well and good but it would not hurt to be bringing a few more new "customers" into the game....and racing may have been bigger in the 30's and 40's when the milkman did deliver the milk by horsey

Dave
Outside of the few big events of the year and special meets like Saratoga and Del Mar, no one is going to see the horses. They are going to bet on them. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but if you are a fan and don't bet, you are of little value to the industry. We dont have tickets sales or merchandising or TV contracts as a source of revenue. We only have betting handle as our sole revenue source.

[Zippy Chippy]

Originally Posted by mikekay

I'm no genius, but am a cable/racing junkie who likes to gamble. If they really want to boost interest in the 'Sport of Kings' they should show the horse racing channels for free. Whenever they show an hour or so of free horse racing (it happens sometimes on my system), i always think, "Damn, I want to get in on that sort of action, I would have had that winner". I don't subscribe 'cause I would be too consumed to lead a normal life, but other channel surfers my get intrigued and begin to follow the sport. I'm I being naive, or am I on to something?

Fifty years later and we are still having this same debate: is it better for horse racing to lose a few bucks but gain much more exposure by giving the product away for free? Or should the industry squeeze every last penny out of its existing fan base and HOPE that a new generation will somehow become rabid about a sport it has largely been denied access to?

Fifty years ago, major league baseball and the NFL decided to "give their product away" and the short-term revenue they "lost" was made up by a massive increase in their sports' fan bases. It's crazy to think that the horse racing industry refuses to learn this lesson of history. The industry is making the same bad decision it made back in the 1950s despite all the proof that it was a bad decision

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Zippy Chippy

Fifty years later and we are still having this same debate: is it better for horse racing to lose a few bucks but gain much more exposure by giving the product away for free? Or should the industry squeeze every last penny out of its existing fan base and HOPE that a new generation will somehow become rabid about a sport it has largely been denied access to?

Fifty years ago, major league baseball and the NFL decided to "give their product away" and the short-term revenue they "lost" was made up by a massive increase in their sports' fan bases. It's crazy to think that the horse racing industry refuses to learn this lesson of history. The industry is making the same bad decision it made back in the 1950s despite all the proof that it was a bad decision

I think you make good points . However I think that TV was a new medium then just as the internet is now and even as Congress gave us internet betting on a silver platter the greed of the tracks has screwed that up. The insistence of a few of the bigger racetracks companies to do things their way on their terms with no thought to the longterm health of the industry (or shortterm for that matter) will cause disharmony for years to come.