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A couple things lately have me wondering where the sport of professional dirt bike riders is heading. Yes, I worded it like that on purpose, this isn't specific to SX, MX or XC.
Recently, Dirt Buzz Editor Dale Spangler , wrote a great OP-ED piece talking about the censorship of personality that is growing rapidly. We hear Steve Matthes commented regularly on how much it sucks that riders just spew off a list of sponsors from a pit board. Dale expands on this even more, bringing up some new points.
"Personality and style sell product. Okay, race wins help too, but race wins without personality and style are a flatline. Ridiculous sponsor obligations have resulted in boring riders with padlocks on their personalities."
Dirt Buzz Post
This past weekend, I attended a MTB Enduro. Sure, this style of racing has been going on for years in the dirt bike world, but who cares. This event was EPIC! Friday was pre-riding, Sat and Sunday were race days. Tupps Brewery sponsored the event so beer was flowing every evening. There was no hiding it, people weren't trying ot hush up those who wanted to drink. They treated us all like adults. We could make asses of ourselves or have two beers to get our funk on.
I chatted with a few of the Pro's about having a beer or two after pre-riding or the race and they shook it off. "It's only a beer" is something I heard more times than not. The energy and vibes at this MTB Enduro were awesome. I was glad I attended and will probably attend more of these events. Even the offroad scene feels stagnant and censored, which sucks!
More from the Enduro
Any who, I hope this stirs the pot. I hope we discuss the shit out of this subject. It sucks to listen to stale podium speeches and look up to boring, plain jane racers. I want my kids to learn to be themselves by acting out their inner child, not suppressing it for those who pay them.
I'm going to get my hair cut. I look like shit. Other side of the coin though, my mustache is on point today.
Recently, Dirt Buzz Editor Dale Spangler , wrote a great OP-ED piece talking about the censorship of personality that is growing rapidly. We hear Steve Matthes commented regularly on how much it sucks that riders just spew off a list of sponsors from a pit board. Dale expands on this even more, bringing up some new points.
"Personality and style sell product. Okay, race wins help too, but race wins without personality and style are a flatline. Ridiculous sponsor obligations have resulted in boring riders with padlocks on their personalities."
Dirt Buzz Post
This past weekend, I attended a MTB Enduro. Sure, this style of racing has been going on for years in the dirt bike world, but who cares. This event was EPIC! Friday was pre-riding, Sat and Sunday were race days. Tupps Brewery sponsored the event so beer was flowing every evening. There was no hiding it, people weren't trying ot hush up those who wanted to drink. They treated us all like adults. We could make asses of ourselves or have two beers to get our funk on.
I chatted with a few of the Pro's about having a beer or two after pre-riding or the race and they shook it off. "It's only a beer" is something I heard more times than not. The energy and vibes at this MTB Enduro were awesome. I was glad I attended and will probably attend more of these events. Even the offroad scene feels stagnant and censored, which sucks!
More from the Enduro
Any who, I hope this stirs the pot. I hope we discuss the shit out of this subject. It sucks to listen to stale podium speeches and look up to boring, plain jane racers. I want my kids to learn to be themselves by acting out their inner child, not suppressing it for those who pay them.
I'm going to get my hair cut. I look like shit. Other side of the coin though, my mustache is on point today.
Golf is just a boring 8 mile walk without guys like Ricky Fowler.
Cover sponsors with personality:
Dude.....my new dunlops are why I got that holeshot, I pity the guy who was behind me because those things were digging up ruts you could plant potatoes in! HOT? Please.....my TLD vented and Bell helmet Breath like a CPAP machine on a 400 pound sleep apnea pizza eatin big gulp drinking college kid......
When we DO get an interview with personality (cough - SEELY - cough) the censors on this site nuke it.
The Shop
It's typical of a failure to see the realities of a given industry and a failure to recognize that the customers who speak the loudest are typicaly your best customers. They are the ones who love the product the most and fear it's steady demise. Instead of addressing the issues most people would rather sweep it all under a rug, right up until their lack of change and progress result in future Ringling Brothers Circuses closing their doors.
So what's left is don't worry about it, have fun and only give interviews with tons of personality and act like nothing's wrong......obviously it's what "they" want. (It's up to the individual to determine who "they" are)
Before I go on a 100% truthful rant, I'll just mention that 99% of these guys interviews are straight shit and fake as F. And extremely cringeworthy.
Especially when they plug the WRONG SPONSOR ON AIR.
"I'd like to thank Leatt" Wears Atlas. DUFUQ?
Same thing is happpening in NASCAR. Ego and personality are slowly being filtered out. Dale SR would laugh at the current under 30 drivers.
Being an atheist, it always strikes me as amusing when "the lord above" gets a mention between the bike brand and the tire brand. Guess there has to be a hierarchy
They call themselves professional, yet don't get kkawiboy14 to write their podium speeches- rank amateurs!
Personality and drama sell and there is only so much a win will get you. Look at Conor McGregor, he was drawing some of the biggest audiences even before he won a title almost entirely because of his mouth, not wins.
Being nice and scripted is fine to a point, but nerfing society so nobody gets offended or really has any feelings anymore hasn’t worked out very well in the past and we might be in early stages of something similar happening here.
IMO, MX is a family sport, with a majority participants coming from a religious background in the US. MX fans in general are a lot different than the casual SX fan.
MTB, that is a world apart from MX/SX. It's like comparing 90's snowboarders to skiers. Literally two different cultures.
As far as Nascar is concerned, who cares... Shit's ghey.
I hate when people talk about wanting to grow the sport just like Nascar. We don't need to grow it. It's just fine. Tracks are packed every weekend where I live. Maybe a little change here and there to cater to the ones who define MX..
Bottom line, everyone wants a piece without getting their feelings hurt.
The Indy car guys seem more real and relaxed in interviews. Same with the MotoAmerica and Moto GP riders
Pit Row
2) Is this part of the reason there aren't any podium interviews in MXGP/MXGP2? Having watched a few of the broadcasts, can't help but feel there's a lack of rider personality conveyed by simply standing on a stage being handed an award...
3) Tangent, but hopefully relevant: Where'd the Travis Preston like interviews go?! And KW14? And early JS7?
By the way, great post woodybepierced
http://mxworld.be/gallery/1046/11#menu
Lots of jokes, criticism and BS, yet the sport is seriously lacking personalities that anyone actually cares about. Mainstream cable won't carry the races, people are turning away from the sport in droves, people are bored with the product, and one of the personalities that fans actually care about isn't racing. Ya, real funny.
There'll be 40 vitards watching the races on their over-priced NBC apps, while the rest of the world moves on."
This forum is every bit a part of the problem as anything else.
Most professional motocross athletes are void of anything close to a charismatic personality otherwise they would be able to make even the most boring post-race interview a little more interesting.
The guys with personality do backflips.
Real money won't come anywhere near this sport other than energy drinks. And even that isn't getting even close to the money other sports get.
We need more Nicky Haydens, Cooper Webbs, Kimi Raikonnens.
1 Top F1 team gets more sponsorship dollars than this whole sport combined.
Watch some Dirt shark if you want some more emotion in interviews.
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