Controversial Opinion: MX/SX is Usually Boring

Yamamoto Son
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Seattle, WA, USA
Edited Date/Time 8/3/2022 4:33pm
Hear me out. A lot of the time, if not most of the time, SX and especially MX are actually really boring to watch. When you have the fastest guy riding around out front it’s basically a dog and pony show.

Yeah there are also some good “battles” and crashes from time to time, but more often it’s just the fastest rider out there riding around out front.

I’m thinking about the 250 class this year with Jett Lawrence. I understand 450 has had much better racing. But the 250 class this year brings back some serious Ricky Carmichael era vibes. The fastest rider just out front riding around and the camera doesn’t even bother showing any battles further in the pack because the lead rider is so popular.

Again, makes me question how popular “supermotocross” 40 race weekend a year schedule will be with common man
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tobz
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Adelaide, AU
8/2/2022 8:56pm
“ I’m thinking about the 250 class this year with Jett Lawrence. I understand 450 has had much better racing. But the 250 class this year brings back some serious Ricky Carmichael era vibes. The fastest rider just out front riding around and the camera doesn’t even bother showing any battles further in the pack because the lead rider is so popular. ”


Jett didn’t win either moto in the most previous race. What are you on about.
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Yamamoto Son
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Seattle, WA, USA
8/2/2022 8:58pm
tobz wrote:
“ I’m thinking about the 250 class this year with Jett Lawrence. I understand 450 has had much better racing. But the 250 class this year...
“ I’m thinking about the 250 class this year with Jett Lawrence. I understand 450 has had much better racing. But the 250 class this year brings back some serious Ricky Carmichael era vibes. The fastest rider just out front riding around and the camera doesn’t even bother showing any battles further in the pack because the lead rider is so popular. ”


Jett didn’t win either moto in the most previous race. What are you on about.
Ehh, he’s won most of the races pretty easily. Honestly I didn’t even watch washougal because the YouTube link got taken down. But I basically stopped watching the 250 class because it’s been so boring. Reminds me of back in the day when RC would get up to the lead and my Dad would turn off the TV
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tobz
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8/2/2022 9:04pm Edited Date/Time 8/2/2022 9:04pm
He hasn’t holeshot and ran away most times and he hasn’t won em all. I’ve enjoyed watching him race methodically and time his passed throughout the moto. If you’re not enjoying watching this then maybe moto isn’t for you.
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Yamamoto Son
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8/2/2022 9:10pm
tobz wrote:
He hasn’t holeshot and ran away most times and he hasn’t won em all. I’ve enjoyed watching him race methodically and time his passed throughout the...
He hasn’t holeshot and ran away most times and he hasn’t won em all. I’ve enjoyed watching him race methodically and time his passed throughout the moto. If you’re not enjoying watching this then maybe moto isn’t for you.
No you make a good point. I do enjoy watching a race every once and a while, but I think seeing the same 4-5 fast riders every weekend, the same story line, week in week out and year after year after year. I’ve definitely lost my love for this sport. Now that they announced an additional three races I started to get worried about losing another three Saturday nights of my year watching this garbage . But then I remembered I can just fall asleep and watch the Crash reel / summary on YouTube the next day
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The Shop

8/2/2022 9:16pm
You're not technically wrong, but your example is dumb. 250s this year have actually been pretty good battles with the Lawrences and Shimoda at least...
Chase and Eli have battled pretty hard too.
Not controversial, just not a great year to make the claim.
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Yamamoto Son
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8/2/2022 9:28pm
Chopsalot wrote:
You're not technically wrong, but your example is dumb. 250s this year have actually been pretty good battles with the Lawrences and Shimoda at least... Chase...
You're not technically wrong, but your example is dumb. 250s this year have actually been pretty good battles with the Lawrences and Shimoda at least...
Chase and Eli have battled pretty hard too.
Not controversial, just not a great year to make the claim.
You know. I haven’t even been watching most of the races. That’s how burnt out with it I am. Maybe there’s been some good moments. The clip of him taking down forkner was good entertainment I suppose
30
thewrizzle
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Rochester, WA, USA
8/2/2022 9:32pm
Chopsalot wrote:
You're not technically wrong, but your example is dumb. 250s this year have actually been pretty good battles with the Lawrences and Shimoda at least... Chase...
You're not technically wrong, but your example is dumb. 250s this year have actually been pretty good battles with the Lawrences and Shimoda at least...
Chase and Eli have battled pretty hard too.
Not controversial, just not a great year to make the claim.
You know. I haven’t even been watching most of the races. That’s how burnt out with it I am. Maybe there’s been some good moments. The...
You know. I haven’t even been watching most of the races. That’s how burnt out with it I am. Maybe there’s been some good moments. The clip of him taking down forkner was good entertainment I suppose
Good entertainment?? He ruined Forkner’s year… lame take.
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Yamamoto Son
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8/2/2022 9:34pm
thewrizzle wrote:
Good entertainment?? He ruined Forkner’s year… lame take.
Feld and youtube seem to agree that it was good entertainment. I saw it replayed enough times. Sucks someone broke bones, but others just charged ahead and made money off the incident. That’s the nature of the beast I suppose.
10
Dirt.Squirt
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8/2/2022 9:42pm
Stfu noob
16
1
8/2/2022 9:49pm
Chopsalot wrote:
You're not technically wrong, but your example is dumb. 250s this year have actually been pretty good battles with the Lawrences and Shimoda at least... Chase...
You're not technically wrong, but your example is dumb. 250s this year have actually been pretty good battles with the Lawrences and Shimoda at least...
Chase and Eli have battled pretty hard too.
Not controversial, just not a great year to make the claim.
You know. I haven’t even been watching most of the races. That’s how burnt out with it I am. Maybe there’s been some good moments. The...
You know. I haven’t even been watching most of the races. That’s how burnt out with it I am. Maybe there’s been some good moments. The clip of him taking down forkner was good entertainment I suppose
“Haven’t watched races, but they are boring……..”
Maybe you should just take some time away from moto all together, including this forum.

This year has been one of the best for racing action that I can recall. SX and MX.
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zehn
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Anchorage, AK, USA
8/2/2022 9:50pm
Yeah another fan of the sport that actually hates the sport. Solid
15
8/2/2022 9:58pm Edited Date/Time 8/2/2022 9:59pm
I could see how your "opinion" could be true for some especially for casuals.
However for the real moto fans, even without battles, just watching the professionals race around the track is pure art.
11
8/2/2022 10:05pm
Welcome back...now you are once again a Noob. The racing in both classes this year has been pretty effing awesome and you need to pay more attention.
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Roczoff
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Missoula, MT, USA
8/2/2022 10:06pm
Maybe someday we'll get access to all of the camera feeds, and we can go back and watch whatever battles we want to see. That would be great.

RacerX used to do a story comparing lap times during critical parts of the races. Whatever happened to that, and is there someplace we can see those times? It's nice to be able to see who turned it up, and who fell off.
1
8/2/2022 10:13pm
F you, Yamamoto son.

Arigato, sons of Pearl Harbor.
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Yamamoto Son
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8/2/2022 10:19pm
F you, Yamamoto son.

Arigato, sons of Pearl Harbor.
Ok, Mr (((Rosenberg)))
8
Magoofan
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8/2/2022 10:43pm
The only thing about SX that's boring is the cookie cutter track obstacles from one week to the next. They are practiced to death all week long. I refer to it as motorized aerial gymnastics.

At least Atlanta and Daytona are a somewhat unique.

It's time to mix up the obstacles to ones that cannot be practiced all week long on.


That said, when it's a run away race, it can be somewhat boring....but there are usually battles to watch further back off the leader.

2
Endrism
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8/2/2022 11:13pm Edited Date/Time 8/2/2022 11:15pm
literally made an account just to post on this take.

I half agree, half don't. To say that SX/MX is boring is a terrible take, but there are times where not much is happening. However, you need these calmer points to break up chaotic points. If every moment is constant action and excitement, none of it will feel special, and it'll feel like a cluster of madness. The times where things get really spicy in the middle or especially the end of a calm race is what makes those moments memorable and special. Watching the pressure build as the timer ticks down as you watch 2nd place slowly close up to the leader is so exhilarating, not because the action that's about to happen, but because of the buildup to the climax.

Racing has boring moments, that's just how it is sometimes, but it gives you time to relax before the next insane moment that you won't forget.
5
BAD10
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San Diego, CA, USA
8/3/2022 12:06am
tobz wrote:
He hasn’t holeshot and ran away most times and he hasn’t won em all. I’ve enjoyed watching him race methodically and time his passed throughout the...
He hasn’t holeshot and ran away most times and he hasn’t won em all. I’ve enjoyed watching him race methodically and time his passed throughout the moto. If you’re not enjoying watching this then maybe moto isn’t for you.
No you make a good point. I do enjoy watching a race every once and a while, but I think seeing the same 4-5 fast riders...
No you make a good point. I do enjoy watching a race every once and a while, but I think seeing the same 4-5 fast riders every weekend, the same story line, week in week out and year after year after year. I’ve definitely lost my love for this sport. Now that they announced an additional three races I started to get worried about losing another three Saturday nights of my year watching this garbage . But then I remembered I can just fall asleep and watch the Crash reel / summary on YouTube the next day
I bet you’re fun at parties.
Juck
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Fantasy
8/3/2022 12:37am
F you, Yamamoto son.

Arigato, sons of Pearl Harbor.
Ok, Mr (((Rosenberg)))
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
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ando
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8/3/2022 12:42am
Sorry to disappoint you but your opinion is not controversial.
Richy
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8/3/2022 12:50am Edited Date/Time 8/3/2022 12:50am
If you don't like it, don't watch it, fair enough, but calling it boring when you haven't even been watching it is pretty weak.

I've enjoyed the racing this year, like most years, personally.
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8/3/2022 12:51am
I watch it just to see a show case of talent, I love when one guy is in that absolute pinnacle of his abilities just destroying the track and I enjoy seeing if anyone can hang with said dude, I also just like studying athletes mental game I watch all sports in the same fashion maybe I'm weird.

I also rate athletes by their talent and ability not how many trophies they have however having trophies is a plus.

From the championship perspective the first half of the season is enjoyable for a "title" fight.
1
8/3/2022 3:36am Edited Date/Time 8/3/2022 4:24am
I have been racing motocross consistently for over 40 years now and pay to watch both SX and MX on TV and completely agree. I’m also a fan of MotoGP, and the racing on asphalt is much better. Unfortunately a big part of what makes racing on pavement more consistently exciting can’t be duplicated on dirt. The management of tire wear is what causes road races to consistently have more exciting finishes.
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wreckitrandy
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8/3/2022 3:43am
Wow. Good luck in your pursuit of happiness.
2
davis224
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Cornland, IL, USA
Fantasy
8/3/2022 4:08am
Jett and Hunter battling at High Point was one of the best races I've ever seen. Chase and Eli are pushing the pace to a new level. I'm not sure what else you want. This years 250 is the most exciting since (2011-12?) when Barcia, Wilson, and Baggett always seemed to have a battle royale in every moto, even if Jett is winning all the overalls.
3
ShipLap
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Moab, UT, USA
8/3/2022 4:36am
Hear me out. A lot of the time, if not most of the time, SX and especially MX are actually really boring to watch. When you...
Hear me out. A lot of the time, if not most of the time, SX and especially MX are actually really boring to watch. When you have the fastest guy riding around out front it’s basically a dog and pony show.

Yeah there are also some good “battles” and crashes from time to time, but more often it’s just the fastest rider out there riding around out front.

I’m thinking about the 250 class this year with Jett Lawrence. I understand 450 has had much better racing. But the 250 class this year brings back some serious Ricky Carmichael era vibes. The fastest rider just out front riding around and the camera doesn’t even bother showing any battles further in the pack because the lead rider is so popular.

Again, makes me question how popular “supermotocross” 40 race weekend a year schedule will be with common man
Translation:

'Someone I don't particularly like is winning.'
3
Landonious217
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555
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Grapevine, TX, USA
8/3/2022 4:50am
Magoofan wrote:
The only thing about SX that's boring is the cookie cutter track obstacles from one week to the next. They are practiced to death all week...
The only thing about SX that's boring is the cookie cutter track obstacles from one week to the next. They are practiced to death all week long. I refer to it as motorized aerial gymnastics.

At least Atlanta and Daytona are a somewhat unique.

It's time to mix up the obstacles to ones that cannot be practiced all week long on.


That said, when it's a run away race, it can be somewhat boring....but there are usually battles to watch further back off the leader.

Definitely need to put some unique and challenging obstacles/rhythms. For whatever reason they seem to think that means "let's go huge bro" (see Atlanta this year). One of the better races I remember was St. Louis 2009, Travis Pastrana designed the track and it was awesome.
Mr. Afterbar
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Green Bay, WI, USA
8/3/2022 4:57am Edited Date/Time 8/3/2022 4:59am
Respectfully, don’t watch it if you don’t enjoy it. I am 37 years old and I tune in to every single race live if I’m not riding or racing myself. I’ve been watching since before I can remember and I don’t share the same feelings.
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LoudLove
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USA
8/3/2022 5:10am
For the true fans, it’s been a great season, especially with the revolving door of guest commentators. For the casual sports fan, MX (and racing in general) quickly becomes a bunch of dirt bikes ridden by dudes in strange clothing.

F1 changed their demographic with “Drive to Survive”. How long they can maintain that momentum is TBD, but the folks at Netflix did a tremendous job with making the teams and their drivers interesting to casual viewers. And played a role in the US picking up not one but two more races.

So the question is: how can we propel SX/MX to that next level? This year’s broadcasting woes are due in no small part to motocross’ stagnant viewer base. The fierce competition for content distribution pushed MX to streaming-only, so our sport must grow to regain greater relevancy.

Or maybe we focus on SX, which takes place in stadiums configured for live broadcasting. While many prefer MX (including myself), it’s much more challenging to broadcast, and perhaps more expensive. You don’t need to be a CFO to understand the direction of our sport.
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