The orgy of coverage of Tuesday's Melbourne Cup in today's media is nauseating, not least the incident immediately after the race when a PR flack gratuitously assaulted the winning trainer to get a sponsor's cap on his head. Even worse, this fawning media coverage virtually took over the sporting sections of the nation's newspapers.
When will the media accept that racing -- gallopers, pacers, and dogs -- is not sport. It's a profession, a trade and a business for trainers and hoops and for a very limited circle of professional punters. It should not take up space in the sporting section. Punters who like to describe themselves as "sportsmen", as is the tradition, are fooling themselves. Have a look at your typical punter: pudgy, ruddy, unfit, gasping and chronically desperate.
Racing and punting are spectator pastimes. Much like the opera or music, or the stock market. Indeed, I can see no difference between punting on the nags and the dishlickers and punting on stocks. Both are dodgy, motivated by greed, and subject to the goodwill and bad faith of the pecunious and powerful. Both rely on the quality of information to the market, and both are found wanting regularly when dodgy operators are exposed.
Indeed, that's where turf coverage should be placed: in the Finance section, where it should be subject to listings, quotations and analysis and regulation like any other form of market punting. There is no difference between them.
Racing should not crowd out genuine sports in the nation's media.
So I take it your horse didn't finish in the top three?
ReplyDeleteDavid Helsham
os.c wrote: "Have a look at your typical punter: pudgy, ruddy, unfit, gasping and chronically desperate."
ReplyDeleteSome might say some of these are attributes of your average ocean swimmer!! Except for the gasping part, I gave those up a long time ago.
Actually I was surprised at the number of overseas "athletes" in the Swimming line-up at World Masters Games, who had to nick off out of the line for a smoke while waiting to enter the stadium.
was there a O.S.C. in Rome having a rant When the Romans were having there wine and circuses to keep the Peasants happy.
ReplyDeleteRegards the Peasant
That's a corker, O.S.C. Tell it how it is. The Melbourne Cup is a crap, boring horse race. Why waste your afternoon on a crap, boring horse race when it was a beautiful day for a swim.
ReplyDeleteLighten up.
ReplyDeleteRichard's right.
Go and have another beer and let it go.
couldnt agree more exactly the same as motor racing is not a sport they are pastimes
ReplyDeletelove god
Oh man.....i know how you feel.
ReplyDeleteI once wanted to play Water Polo but my horse Black Beauty drowned....!