Brno race - POTENTIAL SPOILERS

But there lies the conundrum: non aficionados are unlikely to be drawn to
the sport without the interest/support of the media. Unfortunately the
sports media and programmers seem to want to remain blissfully ignorant of
sports that don't involve a ball. Even soccer hasn't made it to the
mainstage and you still have national sports media personalities who malign
it to the adolation of the 'traditional' American sports. The mainstream
sports media are generally afraid to take a risk and promote/cover
non-mainstream sports for fear of losing viewership/readership and the
ensuing advertising dollars.

Interest in bicycle racing grew hugely in the first half of this decade due
to Lance Armstrong. But generally, the interest was in him, rather than the
spectacle so American interest has already begun to wane. Americans perceive
bicycles as toys for kids and adult riders as annoyances on the road.

Motorcycle racing has an image to overcome, too. Mainstream thinks of it as
crotch rockets and loud Harley pipes, not as the art that we see on
racetracks.

Speed is a niche channel showing a niche sport in America. If you want it to
become more popular, you should be thanking ABC for broadcasting the Laguna
race at all.

Is Ulrich still promoting the two-up racetrack rides for local media like he
has in the past a la Mamola/Ducati? It's a good start.

 

I don't know, they were showing the WC games live in the USA, even after the
USA got booted.

It is a conundrum alright, but that's where a federation needs smart
marketeers to manage a sport. I still find it hard to believe that the USA
produced some of the greatest legends of the sport, ever, within the last 20
years, too, and yet they are utter unknowns in the USA and the sport does
not command enough public interest to enlist sponsors. It is undeniable an
opportunity was lost there.

On the other hand, they *create* sports. The whole poker crap that's swept
TV, come on, who really wanted to watch it on TV, but now it's a fad. TV has
power, it does create interest where it previously wasn't. It's marketing
101. And motorcycle racing doesn't have any marketing in the USA. The AMA
somehow doesn't see it as its job.

But then, don't you think the public ought to have caught on to motorcycling
after, let's see, Roberts, Spencer, Mamola, Rainey, Lawson, Schwantz...
we're talking a truckful of world championships, some of them won in the
most memorable racing ever? There's more than just an American winning to
it, somehow. Although indeed it seems a prerequisite. I don't object to the
latter, heck, that'll work in most countries. tennis got huge in Germany
with Becker and Graf. And say what you want about 125cc, but I am not sure
the sport would be as massive as it is right now if the Nietos and Reggianis
and then the Pons and Biaggis hadn't inflamed the racing passion in those
countries where motorcycles were popular anyhow. Which didn't mean that
people didn't go apeshit over the 500cc races they had no representation in
for the longest time. My objection merely is with the hypocrisy on the
matter that creeps up in this newsgroup with some regularity. The argument
is always about manipulative evil forces in Europe that control the rides
and TV and everything... not about the pathetic lack of support moto racing
has in the USA itself... people ought to be thankful for the fact a few Euro
sponsors keep the sport alive and growing as a world event. The sport has a
looooong way to go when it comes to sponsorships, but to criticize the ones
that actually engage is backward provincialism.

I will next year, when they supposedly do it live. I didn't get the setup
this year. Those who were interested already saw it, and the event didn't
seem all that marketed.

....pablo

 

Surely the powers that be in the front running teams would be able to
spot his talent (as if they haven't already) riding his bike to its
limits, without having to ride it beyond its limits.

I'm sure I've seen comments predicting Stoner -> Ducati. I can easily
see that happen. Pedrosa and Rossi are still (relatively) young guns on
Honda and Yamaha. And I think Ducati would be better off, in the long
run, with Stoner rather than Gibernau.

 

While I agree, that fact still needs to be marketed. Contrast is with Greg
LeMond, who won his Tour with pellets from a gunshot in his body, but
somehow never was as popular despite being the first American (I think) to
win it. So it takes a committed sponsors that spends the marketing bucks and
finds an angle the public buys into. I think we're ultimately saying the
same thing.

....pablo

 

Yeah, I don't think there was a Discovery channel or team back then.

--
Andrew
00 Daytona
00 Speed Triple
71 Kawi H1
05 Toddler

 

And sappy personal stories sell well in the USA. The masses love
vulnerability and imperfections in their chosen superstars these days. All
the actors and singers that come forward with sappy stories about how they
got abused, shot as teenagers, forced to sell drugs on their way up... I bet
90% of it is made up sh*t. Just helps grab the spotlight where the public
has thousands of options to turn their 10 second attention span to...

The key is that it's not about natural appeal or talent. It's about
*marketing* the heck out something these days. Motorcycle racing has
absolutely no marketing machine behind it, it is still based on an utterly
arcane"natural pull" marketing approach, i.e. "those who like this stuff
will find it", as opposed to the forced push that is used all over the
place, i.e. "you're pathetically uncool -and an unsensitive human being to
boot- unless you get into this, pronto etc etc". many people claim the
pendulum is swinging back into buzz marketing that grows organizally, but
that approach still has a huge miss-ratio, force feeding the public is what
works in sports. Why do people think the NFL or NBA are so damn huge? The
marketing machine to keep them like that is beyond imagination, there's
nothing "natural" about it. How did wrestling become huge? Or Nascar a
growing sport again? Marketing campaigns.

....pablo

 

I must try and keep up!

Though I was thinking of the long term. I suspect that Rossi and
Pedrosa will stay put for years, with an opportunity in the next few
years sometime for someone to take over from LC.

 

On cable. In midday. During the workweek.

True, but there would have been a lot of finger pointing at who was going to
take the initiative. It would have been a daunting task for the AMA to
promote a non-American series, even if the 'stars' were American, but in the
long term, it would have been the smart thing to do. But, as shown by the
end of the Armstrong era in cycling, viewership would have gone in the
dumper during the dry spell after Schwantz packed it in.

It's also cheaper to create and produce your own 'reality' poker series than
to pay for the TV rights to Dorna

That seems to be true. But on the other hand, all things being negotiable,
what's keeping the race promoters from paying the AMA a token amount,
organizing and marketing the races themselves? Done properly, TV revenues
would far more than compensate for lost ticket revenue.

No, somebody has to hold their hand and show them the way. Like I said about
Americans and ball sports...

There's more than just an American winning to

Partially because Americans don't identify with motorcycles as a viable
means of daily transportation.


I don't object to the

Small steps...

I didn't get the setup

 

It takes a big marketing effort. True. But bycicling did it. Wrestling did
it. Nacar did. Friggin' televised *poker* is now doing it. It's not that
hard. It just takes commitment, and sorry, but the AMA has no valid excuse
for at least not trying,.

Like the Poker guys make no money out of TV. Come on. MotoGP via Dorna shows
on public TV channels in Europe, a sure indication they have by far not
priced themselves too highly. They are clearly still in the mode of building
the sport in Europe. And doing well there, thank heavens. It remains to be
seen whether their investment into developing other markets pays off. But
every true motorcycle racing fan ought to root for their effort. It is not
yet proven it'll pay off.

....pablo

 

The US cycling equivalent to the AMA had very little to do with the rise in
popularity of the sport, believe me. They were in a cycle (no pun intended)
of cutting budgets and programs, not spending on marketing programs to
promote the Tour de France. The sport has changed very little domestically.

"How to become a Millionaire" or whatever it was called, was created because
it was _much_ cheaper than your typical sitcom.

Come on. MotoGP via Dorna shows

The very nature of speculative investments.

 

Mark N suggests:

That already exists and been on the tube a number of times.
It's called AMA Grand National and while not 180, it looks like
it from the sidelines. And it is well over 120 at the mile tracks.


Carl ?? (I think) points out:

And this is why in the US the coverage/sponsorship/marketing/etc
are slim if anything. Amerikans don't watch motorcycle racing. Even
if they ride (the Hardley guys) they are more interested in Nascar than
MotoGP. And more interested in the Cleveland Clowns or Pittsburgh
Feelers than Nascar.

Is it chicken/egg situation? I doubt it but there may be some of that.
Supercross is doing pretty darn good at getting live audiences but
still doesn't get regularly scheduled live coverage on the tube.

I'm happy we get what we've got. My 9 year old is used to me yelling
at the tube when they cut to the leader, all by himself, and there's a
fight for 2nd thru 6th. Might as well resign myself to this scenario
for the
forseeable future.


Go fast. Take chances.
Mike S.

 

T3 knows:

You know if they ever use radar and get real numbers?
I know that they average over 100 at Springfield, at least.


Go fast. Take chances.
Mike S.

 

T3 opines:

I'm with ya. And joe round ball watchin guy next door won't
watch it on the tube because.... I wish I knew.


Go fast. Take chances.
Mike S.

 

Because there are no rapists/drug abusers/gangsta's/steriod abusers in
MC racing. It doesn't make for a good backstory.

--
Andrew
00 Daytona
00 Speed Triple
71 Kawi H1
05 Toddler

 

Hey, show some respect for Gobert's accomplishments in that area!

 

Oh yeah I forgot about Aaron. I met his brother a few weeks ago at the
Seattle 100. I rode with him, Hayes, Holden and Yates.

Yates is hysterical, we had a charity auction/dinner and I had Yates
laughing and dancing around like Tony Fania at Daytona, flipping me off
with both hands!

--
Andrew
00 Daytona
00 Speed Triple
71 Kawi H1
05 Toddler

 

Oops change Aaron above to Anthoy. I got the brothers mixed up.

Aaron I rode with. I shot up with Anthony.

--
Andrew
00 Daytona
00 Speed Triple
71 Kawi H1
05 Toddler