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Why is there more public buzz about the Triple Crown this year?
Granted, Smarty Jones and Funny Cide generated quite a bit of attention, but it all seems different this year. I spent Tuesday with a pair of Canadians who know nothing about horse racing but when I engaged them about the Triple Crown, it was like sparking a fire.
“I’ve seen the daily updates on SportsCenter with the progress of Big Brown. Do you think he can do it?”
Of course I do, I replied unsurprised.
This is why it is good to have the Belmont Stakes on ABC.
The 140th Belmont Stakes will also be the first Triple Crown chance in the modern history of the ESPN family of networks. With a barrage of coverage on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNNEWS even a theatrical reference to “The Ocho – ESPN8,” the average viewer who catches a few minutes of one of these stations is almost guaranteed to know something about Big Brown. ABC was the sole network for the Triple Crown races even as late as Charismatic’s chance in 1999, but ESPN ten years ago still didn’t carry the same cache as they do today with as much programming.
Add in a few segments on Cold Pizza, Around the Horn, PTI, and some other loud blabberfest, and racing is getting more coverage and hype by the most powerful sports network in the world. Kent Desormeaux tossed the first pitch at Sunday’s Mets/Dodgers game – which was, of course, featured on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Brent Musberger lent his voice to a host of promos about the history of the Triple Crown and Big Brown’s potential win. It’s massive – and I find it incredibly successful in lending more coverage and more awareness of this year’s run for the Crown.
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Granted, Smarty Jones and Funny Cide generated quite a bit of attention, but it all seems different this year. I spent Tuesday with a pair of Canadians who know nothing about horse racing but when I engaged them about the Triple Crown, it was like sparking a fire.
“I’ve seen the daily updates on SportsCenter with the progress of Big Brown. Do you think he can do it?”
Of course I do, I replied unsurprised.
This is why it is good to have the Belmont Stakes on ABC.
The 140th Belmont Stakes will also be the first Triple Crown chance in the modern history of the ESPN family of networks. With a barrage of coverage on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNNEWS even a theatrical reference to “The Ocho – ESPN8,” the average viewer who catches a few minutes of one of these stations is almost guaranteed to know something about Big Brown. ABC was the sole network for the Triple Crown races even as late as Charismatic’s chance in 1999, but ESPN ten years ago still didn’t carry the same cache as they do today with as much programming.
Add in a few segments on Cold Pizza, Around the Horn, PTI, and some other loud blabberfest, and racing is getting more coverage and hype by the most powerful sports network in the world. Kent Desormeaux tossed the first pitch at Sunday’s Mets/Dodgers game – which was, of course, featured on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Brent Musberger lent his voice to a host of promos about the history of the Triple Crown and Big Brown’s potential win. It’s massive – and I find it incredibly successful in lending more coverage and more awareness of this year’s run for the Crown.
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What we have to hope that ESPN views their involvement with horse racing this week and all year as an investment towards where horse racing could be in five or ten years. In other words, they are helping to expand the sport. The problem? The sport itself is its own worst enemy.
Yeah - true. My brother has said for years that if horse racing was made to be more viewer friendly and exciting that he would be more willing to engage it. He loves the exciting Dubai World Cup night camera shots on the truck, right in the action.