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I just kinda looked at it, scrolled to the bottom where we can discuss the real message…………..whatever the real message is.

Many of these issues regarding safety could be addressed with a riders union like @stull33 had suggested a few weeks ago. The culture among motocrossers is the biggest hindrance towards the longevity of the sport. We’re our own worst enemy and a riders union can help to shape the optics of how we see ourselves and how others see us. The culture of motocross needs to change. We need to police and organize ourselves before some asshat steps in and forces us to do it by law which will be the end of motocross as a competition and participation sport...

I don’t believe you read past the first sentence of my post. I’m advocating for a federation that represents and advocates for participants of all levels throughout the sport. Which would include the professional riders. They’re the most visible riders, and who little Johnny looks up to, and who little Johnny’s dad wants him to be. With them setting an example as a small group (within the larger organization) who value common sense, than you get common sense solutions. They send the signal and those down the line, fall in line. With a little bit of solidarity and respect we...

That they have agents also underscores the fact that it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for a lone rider to negotiate a decent deal with a corporation. But to your point about the real world, I largely agree. There’s only a tiny universe of marketable talent at any given time, the audience is also relatively small, and the promoters and organizers intentionally keep the number of events limited to maintain their control. I just think that change is only possible if one is willing to consider changing.

I'm not sure about that with respect to agents. I guess it depends what talent level the rider has in the sport. The more elite a rider is the more leverage he has to attract sponsors and play them off one another for the best deal. What agents can do, and may help some mid level talent, is connect riders to opportunities and apply some expertise to refining terms. A good agent also allows the rider to focus on rider prep rather than churning deal opportunities. There's an inherent value to having an agent or business manager mind the store...

FTE, I will also agree with you that a good lawyer (or perhaps even business manager) might be able to get as good a deal, or even better deal for a sought-after racer than some of these agents out here. But my point is that the racer benefits from having someone on their side negotiating on their behalf, and the racer will pay for that “middle man” and be glad they did. I’m just kicking the chair out from under the “no middle men” argument against rider representation. An aspiring professional racer would have to be an idiot not to...

Unions can work, if they are organised and run appropriately. Here in Australia in the 70’s and 80’s many unions went off the rails when they decided to use their influence to start interfering in how companies were run. Couple that with corrupt union leaders and it went downhill fast.

Tell me you an npc without telling me you an npc.... lol... ya sure... no problem... you work your ass off, risk your life on the daily, for pennies on the dollar... so that people in suits who don't ride, make brinks truck after brinks truck of cold hard cash, off your broken bones and destroyed mind... Will say you are one well programmed worker bot rd... standing up for your masters like a good slave... lolll

For those of you concerned about “middle men” taking money away from any riders involved in a collective bargaining agreement, do you also oppose the rider agents that currently represent, negotiate for and take quite a bit of money from every star racer currently?

You need to take a history lesson, union are responsible for most all the labor laws from the 1910s. The iaff and ups has a crazy good union. There's a reason most corporate interests and corporate owned media are anti union. No it would not be good for the sport but it would be good for the racers

So who is actually running this 'new organization' and how much of the riders' money are they taking off the top for running it?

“Anonymous”

I have some questions. Many of the factories/teams are based in CA. In CA we have something called AB5 (thanks (please note sarcasm here) to Lorena Gonzales) that says if an independent contractor is integral to the operation of your business (who can argue that a rider is not integral to a race team) then that rider HAS to be an employee unless they are incorporated and you are contracting with a corporation. That being said, if the riders are corporate entities, and they collectively make demands, would that not be illegal? As corporations are not allowed to collude? Just...

Absolute power corrupts. You all know this, and you clearly know corruption exists on both sides of the Labor/Management divide. But claiming unions are automatically corrupt is as asinine as claiming management is always criminally crooked too. Just like our system of governance, there needs to be checks and balances to keep a semblance of social order. That this is being disputed is remarkable.

Damn, you had a pretty awesome amateur career in one of the best eras of MX, IMO!! Thankfully you've came out ok after all the injuries! Good luck on the new adventure!

If we're going to indulge in fantasies based on events and conditions almost 100 years ago, the creation of United Artists might be a better goal.