Supercross and TV

Philly215
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3/20/2021 10:42am
Do you guys think Supercross suffers from growing a bigger fan base because of how it translates to TV at all?

It definitely doesn’t capture the speeds, size of the obstacles, etc. and I have to imagine that makes it tougher to pull in casual fans.

Sort of like hockey. That translates to TV awful because it’s probably the coolest mainstream sport live but I know it’s always been an issue for them and growing the sport.

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jambalaya
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3/20/2021 10:46am
Philly215 wrote:
Do you guys think Supercross suffers from growing a bigger fan base because of how it translates to TV at all? It definitely doesn’t capture the...
Do you guys think Supercross suffers from growing a bigger fan base because of how it translates to TV at all?

It definitely doesn’t capture the speeds, size of the obstacles, etc. and I have to imagine that makes it tougher to pull in casual fans.

Sort of like hockey. That translates to TV awful because it’s probably the coolest mainstream sport live but I know it’s always been an issue for them and growing the sport.

It an awesome sport but the truth is it isn’t that competitive. It’s not common for a truly great battle and not knowing who will win on a given night. 2011 comes to mind as an aberration. Look at the final results and the names in that field. The 2010 Yamaha and james’ struggle with it really allowed anyone to win. But even then it took RV not qualifying for a main to really get interesting and that is so rare.
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C.Worthy
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3/20/2021 10:58am Edited Date/Time 3/20/2021 10:59am
No, I think it suffers from obtaining a larger fanbase for a few reasons. (just my opinion)

1. It's easier to enjoy a sport if you can relate to it. Most people don't ride dirt bikes like we do so they don't have that connection to the sport like we do. We understand the speeds, size of the jumps etc. because we ride the tracks! Your average fan is probably hoping for someone to do a backflip or crash.

2. Barriers to entry are too high. Your average new fan isn't going to watch super cross, get hooked, and go buy a 10k dirt bike with new gear and a trailer. Riding areas are limited so that's another issue. People can go watch a baseball game then go to the store afterwards and buy 2 gloves and a baseball for $50 or less and go play catch anywhere. Can't do that with our sport.

3. Risky. This sport is riskier than others. Sure you can get hurt playing football, hockey, etc. but the consequences from riding a dirt bike bike can be a lot higher (death, paralyzation, broken bones,)

4. Our sport has a higher learning curve. Anyone can go buy a soccer ball and learn to kick the ball and find a league to play at any park. When people buy a dirt bike after becoming a new fan will they even know how to start it? Will they know how to shift? Change the oil? clean the air filter? know how to ride?

5. Eyes on the sport. Right now our sport is only available for 4.99 a month on Peacock. This limits the amount of people who can watch it to those that already pay for peacock. Like DV said on pulp, if we want more eyes on the sport (not grow it) we should make all the races free and live on youtube. That'll be your biggest reach. Until then, no one is staying inside on a saturday night to watch a sport they could care less about. Am I going to stay home on a saturday and watch curling? No, I'm changing the channel or out spending my saturday doing something.

In short, our sport will ALWAYS be a niche sport and will never be mainstream. And thats totally fine! I don't ride because I want this sport to be huge. I ride because it's fun. Whether or not this sport "Grows" doesn't change the fact that I'll keep riding and enjoying it. This sport being big or small has no effect on how I have fun.
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Philly215
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3/20/2021 11:16am
^^^ I get what you are saying but look at NASCAR. I mean, you can’t do that sport even if you wanted to. So it’s even less relatable than Motocross and it’s still a huge sport.

I’m not saying TV is the sole reason Supercross isn’t more popular but was just wondering how much you think that may or may not contribute to bigger success.
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