The 135th Kentucky Derby was run last weekend, and quite frankly, it is
the most ridiculous event in all of American sports. After watching the
latest incarnation of the event on Saturday, it is time for the public
to call time on the Derby.
The arguments for the Kentucky are simple and one-dimensional. The
event makes a lot of money, and there is tradition involved. Aside from
those two things, there are no redeeming qualities.
There have been plenty of items in history that made money and had a rich tradition but lost usefulness over time. One will struggle to find rotary phones or medical products ending with the word elixir for this very reason.
When the Kentucky Derby started, horses were the fastest way to travel and played a major part in society. I highly doubt anyone in attendance at Churchill Downs traveled to the event by hopping in his or her buggy led by a reliable steed.
Horse racing is obsolete, just like leather helmets in football or baseball managers wearing suits in the dugout. However, I get the sneaking suspicion those in attendance at the Derby would argue both sports would be better off going back to those traditions.
Speaking of uncomfortable traditions, the Kentucky Derby broadcast made the event seem like a giant social event for middle-aged white people. The commentators kept tossing out words like “pageantry” and “spectacle” to describe the Derby, but that hardly legitimizes the proceedings. Those Ben Hur Roman chariot races were definitely a spectacle but no one in Italy is clamoring for those to return.
There is an incredibly sleazy element about the Derby that cannot be hidden by horses running around a track for two minutes. While defenders of the Kentucky Derby claim it is about horse racing, it is most certainly not about horse racing.
The only people who care about horse racing are those directly involved in the sport and those make their living placing wagers in off track betting parlors. I would hazard a guess and say all of the people at the event, and watching on television, probably did not fall in either category.
I understand people love stories that involve animals, and there is something majestic about horses that captivate the public. Still, you get the feeling racing horses are the jerks of the horse community.
A lot of them are using steroids, they get preferential treatment and some of them look downright vicious. I know if for some reason I became a horse these would not be the horses I chose to eat my oats and hay with.
If it is the case of people wanting to see animals compete, then why not try to exploit the market by making cuter animals race?
You would think someone would start racing puppies, baby sheep or polar bears because the public would just eat that up. Cute animal racing is an idea with some potential.
That is, of course, if horse racing is about people being interested because animals are involved. While there may be a percentage who tune in for that reason but the real reason for the Kentucky Derby’s population was unspoken and rather disturbing.
At the core, the Derby is an event were the Southern gentry get to dress funny, get hammered and have the public marvel at how lucky they are. It would seem the first Saturday in May is not a sporting event but a propaganda vehicle used to convince those who attend and watch that their way of life was not so bad.
I understand race is a sensitive subject in this country, especially places like Kentucky, but when a bunch of dudes are dressed up like Colonel Sanders and Colonel Reb, the comically inappropriate former mascot of Ole Miss, at a sporting event, there are some problems.
If those in charge of horse racing see their sport as necessary, then perhaps it is time the showcase event removes the alarming traditions in which it is currently steeped in. Watching the Kentucky Derby serves as a reminder of just how far sports in America have come since the draconian era of segregation and exclusivity.
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