But you’re right;
I don’t think those in control will cede power unless forced.

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Either forced by The Feds or forced into playing their last hand. I’d wager on the former. The horse racing industry is just too enormous to let the infighting between factions at the state level cause its demise.

Something is going to give in a few years. It just has to. Just take a look at the current members of Tracknet (Churchill and Magna together) in a dispute with the mid-atlantic cooperative. As a result, people like me have not wagered on Churchill Downs autmumn meet or Fair Grounds meets thus far. These kinds of disputes are way too many in horse racing and another one is always right around the corner. But I think Horse Racing needs to suffer from “The Great Depression” first.

If it does, I’m sure Congress would step in and right the ship, I don’t think that would be a bad thing because it can’t get any worse than its current plight which is the direct result of horse racing being ruled at the state level.

I’m torn on the commissioner idea. Centrally managed leagues usually favor the “few” over the “many.” But then again, you could argue that’s already happening w/ hidden agreements and backdoor deals among industry power-brokers that protect their interests at the expense of the sport and its customers. A league commish may be held publicly accountable instead of a collection of fiefdoms all blaming one another.

TKS, thanks for doing the poll. The results are not surprising given the level of general unhappiness w/ the status quo. But you’re right; I don’t think those in control will cede power unless forced.

As requested I’ve created a poll and placed it at several precincts. I’m very surprised at the lopsided-ness of this one. But it’s still very early on this question.

But that requires industry power brokers to relinquish control and for tracks, racing associations, state regulatory commissions, owners, breeders, horsemen to all cooperate.

All tall order, but not completely impossible.

As always, thanks for the comments.

But I did read these scandalous articles that are linked here.
I’ve come away feeling that there is more to this ref-NBA battle than is currently known. Until then I’m giving commissioner Stern the benefit of the doubt.

I lost interest in NBA after Pat Riley left for the Miami Heat,
so I can’t say that I’ve been following the recent doings but I’ve always been intrigued by the home team advantage over the years. That’s one of the most remarkable things in all of sports I believe.

Anyway please check your e-mail box.

I agree, the czar angle is a scary way to go but how can anyone argue with the commercial success of the NBA, NASCAR, NFL, and MLB with their commissioner style hierarchy?

Have the industry heads (breeding, race track owners, jockey’s guild, owner and trainer organizations) elect one representative to sit on the Board of Directors and have the industry elect the commissioner. The BOD is the check and balance so the commish won’t get too powerful, but the commish carries serious weight in the voting process.

Draft a constitution like the JRA appears to have in place and horse racing is right back where it needs to be, at the top of the sports landscape!

Good read!

But league commisioners tend to be shills for owner’s (“the few”) rather than caretakers for the greater good of their respective sports (“the many”). David Stern made the NBA a fairly popular and profitable sport. But it’s always been closer to professional wrestling than a legitimate sport. The same can be said for NASCAR. Both leagues stress entertainment over sport.

Bud Selig’s tenure as MLB commish is tainted by the steroid scandal. Many blame the players union but league office knew somehting was amiss and did nothing because HRs were good for the bottom-line.

So while a “racing czar” might clean up the sport somewhat (and get trains running on time); at what cost? What freedoms that we take for granted will be limited to benefit the few at the expense of the many. How does that saying go? “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutley.”

As you can tell, I’m a staunch (small “d”) democrat.

As for the need for a nationally empowered czar in horse racing. I think we do, considering we’re not making much progress at all at the state levels.

Why not a racing czar.
It can’t get any worse than it is, can it ?