There are some things that possess the capabilities to revive that which is greater than itself, of that it is no question. However, rather more questionable is if whole sports can be revived? That would be a tall order; however a Triple Crown Win by chestnut colt I’ll Have Another could very much do the trick.
While in the sporting world all eyes will be fixed on football’s European Championships on Saturday, millions of others will have theirs transfixed on the I’ll Have Another’s pursuit of the Triple Crown at Belmont Stakes.
Its significance is arguably unparalleled. Horse racing in America is a sport on the decline, with gambling dollars dwindling, along with prestige and fan interest. That Belmont Stakes has become somewhat of a symbol to the sport’s problems, serves to further enhance the significance of occasion.
Years of scandal only recently looked to be put to bed, after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo replaced the management of Aqueduct and Saratoga, the agency that oversaw horse racing at Belmont. Due to the ground holding such a high level of prominence within American horse racing, its rejuvenation correlates with that of the sport itself. Belmont stage boasts over a third of the United States’ top stakes races, generating a large proportion of horse racing’s gambling income.
The idea that horse racing, quite possible the world’s oldest sport, could cease to be but on the periphery of entertainment in the world’s most popular country is bizarre. Yet it is one that correlates with the trials and tribulations of the sport in other reputable countries, such as here in the United Kingdom. After drops in viewers horse racing will be aired on Channel 4 from 2013, and one suspects that this will be the ‘make it or break it’ moment for the sport in this country.
Meanwhile in Italy, the future of horse racing appears to hang on a thread, with protestors – made up of a contingent of jockeys, trainers, breeders and racing officials – targeting the government in Rome earlier on in the year in an attempt to gain increased funding for the sport. Italy is described by its natives as the motherland of horse racing due to its history with the sport dating back to the Roman times. Thus its death in Italy would be a sad sight indeed.
The question however is how unpopular does a sport have to be in order to be rendered dead? Is table tennis dead, or even ever alive in reflection to its extremely low levels of support when compared to the heavyweights? In essence, there will always be supporters of horse racing, just as there will always be fans of table tennis, however a sport can only be as alive as its reputation demands. For a reputable sport such as horse racing to continue declining in viewers and supporters at the rate it does so now, will indeed lead to its death.
No single event can truly revitilise a sport. Even a Triple Crown Win on Saturday would merely see horse racing rise in popularity temporarily. However, let's just enjoy the occassion at Belmont on Saturday, for regardless of how many others watch, it's going to be epic.
Michael Richards is a British freelance writer
