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Ok I added it all up and they are making $1.5 million per event!
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He's not good enough to be a PROFESSIONAL by definition and evidence that this thread even exists. It aint about my standards. It's the reality of the situation. He wasnt able to race for a living and that's why he's upset. The question is does his argument have any validity? And the answer is no. A union would be worse for a guy in his situation and to be fair, he's lucky he's allowed to even enter into pro events while not racing for a professional team. This aint personal. I actually agree with some of what he says, I just know what he wants to change wont help a guy in his position.
Chad Reed is a TOP 15 guy in a premier class and he's paying to go race right now. But this aint even about the racers IMO. It's about the teams. If change is going to happen, the teams need to get organized and force it. They stand with the most to gain and the least to lose. Racers are easily replaceable, teams are not. If Chad Reed organizes a boycott, Feld wont take it seriously. If all the teams throw down the hammer, the show doesnt go on without them.
Getting teams to organize for the greater good should be easier but it's not. They're all pretty cutthroat and look to the sanctioning body or promoter to referee things. And nobody knows the economics of the sport better than the teams. If they think there is money to be made by organizing and sticking it to the promoter, I'd hope they'd do it. But if they dont, what does that tell us? That this sport isnt as profitable as it seems.
In looking at some of the contract stuff from the NJSEA, it seems that a lot of promoters seem to have clauses that preclude the venue from holding a similar event 90 days before or after their event. Concerts don't have this sort of clause, but the types of motorized and circus events that Feld promotes do seem to. So that does limit the qualify of facilities available for a competing promoter.
Just for reference, the advertising for the Feld circus events are listed on their settlement sheets for their Meadowlands shows. It looks like they spend over $500K on advertising for those things. They do go for over a week, though. But I could see advertising going up to $50-$100K for a Supercross event, and perhaps more if you count all the promotional/free tickets in as advertising expense.
Those contracts are partly what really broke them and allowed CCE/Feld to win
Allow these riders to sell merchandise and gather a following. Like when Peick smashes Friese in the back of the head he gained likes from fans. Like it or not those fans would buy his jersey and wear it.
Monster jam is a big show. But sx we are too prestigious to try and put on a show. That’s beneath us.
Mayweather and mcgregor talked so much shit back and forth and what did that do? Enticed people to watch that fight. I’m not a fight fan to he least but I watched that fight.
These guys gotta market themselves. Make an image for themselves. And sell merchandise to supplement whatever they think is terrible pay.
I bought 2stank shirts. And hats....these other riders need a personality if they can’t win.
There are people who buy based on contingency program
Pro level is different thing
Pit Row
No Mufucker forced almost any athlete (all sports) to pursue the sport they pursued. Most of them did it out of the love of ______________ (insert name of sport here) However, in most pro sports, when the performers realized they are the product, they are the show, they are the reason people put their asses in the seats, they said "give me my fair share." Many, if not most, of the players in all of the pro sports leagues around the world LOVE what they do, but they ain't about to do it for free.
There is no reason why at least the top 30 or 40 riders, shouldn't be able to make enough money to:
Earn a living and put some money away for when they can no longer race. (because a moto career is short usually)
Have enough money to build or access a practice facility as good as the top guys have.
Have enough money to acquire equipment that has a fighting chance against the top level or factory equipment.
Have enough money to access training at a level close to what the top guys use.
The days of privateer Joe, pitting out of his van and going out on the track to give the points leader a run for his money are long long gone. Most likely he finishes towards the back of the pack, nobody takes any notice and the promoter says "thank you very much for paying your own money to ensure we have a full field event to offer the fans." Then after doing a couple of events, he runs out of money and has to quit, or more likely he crashes his brains out trying to keep up with factory tuned equipment and athletes because that is the only way anyone takes any notice.
A bunch of you are addicted to the story of the family that mortgages everything they have to give their kid a fighting chance at a motocross career, only to have them come within an inch of making it to a factory team, but fall short and leave the whole family in financial ruin.
I believe strongly that the market dictates what is fair, and for that reason believe the payouts are about right. Flame on I guess. Yes, the sport is dangerous, and yes, other people besides the privateer are making a lot of money. But if it wasn't fair, don't you think we would have seen maybe once - just once - a time when the gates weren't full? I've been watching SX/MX since I was 4, and I'm 30, and I've never seen a main or a moto with less than the full gate. The show always goes on. Hell, they even added 2 spots recently. Why do the riders keep signing up and paying these entry fees, and risking it all? Is FELD also into some kind of mind control that I don't know about?
And now for the heart of the issue - the fans. I think the fans are the only ones with any leverage here. The factories need FELD (throw in any other promoter here) to market and sell their product. The privateers need FELD so they can chase their dream. The fans - now the fans don't need FELD. They, dare I say 'we', could stop attending races. We could stop watching and stop buying merchandise. We are the only ones who matter that can speak up. But, we don't, myself and all of you included.
You all, or I assume most of you, watch and attend the races voting 'YES' with your dollar. And then in a confused fit come here trying to get your vote back. I mean, does FELD have a business without your eyes and wallets? I don't think so.
So - I don't think that gets us anywhere collectively. I too will continue to watch and get caught up in this paradox, but I'll feel a little better believing that it's fair. The guys keep showing up, making some money, living the dream of going factory. I know it. My cousin little cousin has been trying since he was 4. He's been mid-20s at LL in Pro Sport/A the last few years and now trying to qualify at Unadilla while my uncle drives the motor home, fixing all the burned out clutches this kid tears through. This kid is smart though, and he's going to college and starting to realize the dream is coming to an end - just like this rant.
the market changes, or put another way - it is changed.
There was a time that NHL players used to have to have a second job to pay the bills on top of playing hockey professionally, then it changed. More to the point it was changed by people who saw that it needed to be changed.
Bobby, yes - agree, but in all honesty Baseball, hockey, football, soccer, tennis etc can all be quite fun as well.
Most of esse guys are week-to-week though, so that alone will keep it from happening.
I didn't make any reference to a union or what was best for the riders/promoters/sport. I simply commented on your view that he was basically an amateur who bought his way into a professional sporting event. I do not feel the same way about that. If Joe Football plays in the NFL as a back up for 4 or 5 years and then doesn't get signed and has to move on with life, was he just an amateur without the skillset to be professional?
Dean Wilsons equipment worked fine last year as did Malcolm Stewarts. Others this year too.
Nobody is saying riders should do it for free, but it is their responsibility to build the value rather than expecting the promoter to do it for them.
The football player analogy is a poor one. Obviously someone felt that he was worth paying a (relatively high) salary to for 4-5 years to be a football player.
SX/MX is obviously pretty different as you can enter events without being paid by an employer, so that it certainly can be effectively a hobby that you'd like to be a profession, without it ever really paying the bills.
I'd be interested in hearing exactly how much this young man (who I don't have any ill will towards!) thinks he should have been renumerated for in his past races and seasons. That'd be an interesting topic. Does he think that his results 'deserve' a payout of $50K? $100K? $250K? And after that, how much should those who finished far higher than him should be paid.
Unfortunately that sort of discussion would devolve into name calling, personal attacks, etc. But it truly would be a genuinely interesting thing to discuss as long as you weren't going in to 'school' him on the economics of things or try to change his mind.
Post a reply to: Jesse Wentland draws the line