WHAT IF RACING DIED?

It is always intriguing to speculate. And in these uncertain times the topic of racing’s demise and ‘death’ pops up with almost monotonous regularity.

I personally believe that there is more chance of hell freezing over than the total death of racing but it is not impossible that racing could look a whole lot different in the future. As it does today when compared to how and when we raced a couple of decades ago; which is something we have tended to overlook in the current climate.

One of the issues facing racing today is the reality that the cheese has moved. Human nature being what it is the resultant cry has been ‘Who moved my cheese?’. Yet given the choice would we really be comfortable and happy moving back lock, stock and barrel to the status quo of, say, racing in the 1970’s? I’m not sure so I’m going to say ‘I don’t know’.

But the purpose of this post is to try and measure the developments that might arise from the total collapse of the sport.

Firstly – racing is, for most of its customers, a recreational pursuit. This is not good for racing’s survival because it is not that difficult to adjust to a different hobby or pastime. Ask the thousands of faceless, voiceless ex-racegoers, punters etc. It interests me as to why no study has ever been done on ‘Why I no longer support racing’. Maybe the operators just don’t want to know. Or care.

Secondly – A lot is made by industry insiders as to how much employment is provided by racing. This may well be so but countless industries have preceded racing into the abyss for any number of reasons without the world tilting on its axis. Humans adjust. It’s uncomfortable but they adjust.

By way of an example – I am aware that many breeders have reverted to alternative ‘crops’ once they have established that their bloodstock operations are loss making. Etc.,

The point we tend to avoid considering is this : What positive effects, if any, would racing’s demise have?

With few exceptions racing is largely a vacuum cleaner for most of its participants:

Owners – whom we are assured can afford it – pitchfork in gazillions of unrecoverable money ‘for fun’.

Punters likewise. The percentage of winning punters over a lifetime might be optimistically estimated at about 1%.

No doubt punters would probably switch to sports betting, poker or casino gambling ( which many have already done ) but maybe having one less activity where money is largely frittered away might not be such a bad thing!

Who knows – with the exception of the employed insiders we might all be better off.

As normal interesting train of thought from Garrick, in my time I watched dog racing almost dissapear from a huge spectator and gambling slice of the pie to almost zero North of the border.
I am sure the punters went to racing, and casinos (not really any sports options at that time)
Was going to say "virtually" impossible, but virtual racing has also become a reality!

Scary!

adapt or die as they say!
racing has to adapt!!
sure it won't die, will re-invent itself, there is enough to go on

I would die with it....

Very nicely written Garrick. Thought provoking too... and it is something that I do tend to spend time thinking about. Just a few thoughts off the top of my head...

My personal opinion is that it will be impossible to stop the demise of racing as it currently is. The same way I see many or all sports dying as we know them today. Cricket being an excellent example.

To me, the simple fact is that with technological advances people generally become increasingly lazy. Look at the number of kids who 60 years ago would be outside playing with a ball in some manner but who are now sat infront of a computer screen or tap tap tapping away on their ipod or mobile phone. Dad's not taking them to the football or whatever today. We also tend to forget that most sports, as we know them, are relatively new... we only think of them as having been around forever because we have known them all our lives. How old is the planet compared to the sport?? So many sports have been and gone over time, we no doubt don't even know what they were, I certainly don't know what people did for sport 300 years ago let alone 3000 years ago. And it always amuses when people refer to records as probably never going to be broken. Why should they not be if these sports are to continue for thousands or millions of years? But then again, based on history, it is very likely they won't be around that long.

Football, as we know it, has really only been around 150 years. Cricket is of similar age. Look at all the tinkering that goes on with these sports and how everyone increasingly wants to bring in more and more technology. Rugby is not a lot different. Sport is rapidly becoming the plaything of business and with business comes that technology and the more technology there is in sport the more we lose the real meaning of what sport is... something to be enjoyed, as you say, as a part of our recreational lives. And if we no longer enjoy these sports as recreation, we look for other things to fill that void. Football is pretty much a sport now for the rich in England, it is their toy, to be discarded as and when they wish. And when they tire of it, how many clubs will survive?

Racing has similar issues. The once crowded grandstands are often mostly empty on race days. If there are some in attendance then most are in the corporate hospitality tents or similar. Yes people still come out on the big race days... sometimes. And whose fault is it? Ours. How often do we go racing any more? How much time do we spend on computers instead studying the form, the betting, chatting on fourms, watching the races or listening to it? We sit here and we moan at the bosses but in truth we are equally to blame for its demise, just in a different way. People make the sport and if the people don't go the sport declines. I have said on other threads that bookmakers also have a responsibility here. People on this forum either love horse racing or love the gamble. The more bookmakers restrict those who win the more people are less likely to do it. Most people ignore it and just accept it but over the course of 10,20,30 plus years word spreads and less people will get involved when they don't see a fair playing field, ie you can win but only so much and then you'll be stopped because we only want losers. Word of mouth is a powerful "tool" not to be underestimated. But bookmakers seem to be doing exactly that, or purposely trying to replace "activity sports". It is a seriously poor attitude and if you are going to restrict people then imho it should be one rule for all and no tinkering. Punters must be allowed to win, that is the whole point of the enjoyment of doing it.

All that said, racing has one or two huge advantages. It involves a living creature that is not human and to me that always seems to hold some fascination, it is the enjoyment of watching humans (working with and) competing with and against other creatures. It also involves speed and people generally also have a fascination with speed. I would think more people in the UK would know of what you spoke if you mentioned Frankel than if you spoke of Nick Clegg. So I see horse racing being around for a very long time in some format or another and we could speculate on exactly what format forever... but lets not Of one thing I am certain though... horse racing lasting forever as we know it today, not a chance.

Dog racing deserves to be gone.

So does harness racing.

Both sports ruined by cheaters.

Our sport has cheaters and racetrack owners that by and large would rather have slot machines or table gaming than horses.

Worldwide our game is in deep doodoo.

But it is such a fabulous enterprise and presents such a great challenge to the true sportsman that it will never disappear.

Just look at the circuses now - no animals. Anything to do with animals seems to be a no-no.

Englander you put it perfectly........" PUNTERS MUST BE ALLOWED TO WIN, THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF THE ENJOYMENT OF DOING IT."(tu)