Harness: Do we need a Standardbred Racing Backstretch Rumble?

Over the past decade, sports and sports entertainment have evolved and adapted to the world that surrounds it. Beyond just win-loss records, drama has become a part of sports and not just the drama that takes place on the field or on the court. Whether it be baseball, football, mixed martial arts or professional wrestling, there seems to be a change in the culture of how the participants carry themselves when the camera is hot or through social media.

But when it comes to harness racing, this kind of culture really doesn’t exist. Sure, there are some spats and opinions on social media. But nothing like we see in other sports and there is a reason for that. In many instances, in these other sports, the participants are playing a role. Those in harness racing are not playing a role. They are not trying to sell tickets or ad-buys. They are being professional and I am certainly not going to suggest that is a bad thing. But I think a fair question can be asked. Is that boring?

If you observe other sports, we are seeing a lot less of the standardized responses to questions and a lot more in the way of drama and opinion. The interesting aspect of it all is we don’t know where the line is actually drawn. We don’t know what is real and what is theater, and that makes things kind of exciting.

Many people watched the Deontay Wilder – Tyson Fury fight on February 22. In the week leading up to the fight, there was a war of words between the two boxers, pushing and shoving at the final press conference, threats of what each competitor was going to do to the other, etc. But the fight was a professional boxing match, with a clear winner and after the fight the two men embraced, congratulated each other and showed a great deal of respect for one another. In other words, the events leading up to the fight were a show. It was scripted. It sold more pay-per-view buys.

If you follow the U.F.C., Connor McGregor in particular, you know that all of his fights include a dramatic buildup filled with insults being hurled, punches being thrown, and a litany of other tools that are used to help promote the next fight. McGregor himself has gone on the record as saying that all of that is just business and it serves a purpose to improve that business.

Recently there was an incident where McGregor hurled an object at a bus containing several U.F.C. participants while in a parking garage. He was arrested for that act. But McGregor has become so good at selling his fights that people, including the media, were legitimately asking whether or not those actions by McGregor were real or just theater to sell a feud for his next fight.

World Wrestling Entertainment has become so brilliant at this promotion that not even its most avid fans know what is real life and what is kayfabe (their term for the act of presenting something that is staged as genuine or authentic). Backstage reporters for professional wrestling report real-life feuds that are taking place behind the scenes. In the weeks following that report, there are stories speaking to the validity of that report, while others suggest it is a rumor or just part of the show.

In Major League Baseball, the biggest story every day for the past week has been a star player speaking out about the Astros, at times launching personal attacks against other Major League players. Sometimes the reaction of these players has gotten more coverage than the cheating itself. The back and forth between these players and members of the Astros has been highly entertaining.

So, my question is this, would harness racing be more exciting if a certain aspect of these theatrics was present in racing? If a paddock reporter conducted a post-race interview with a driver who was irritated by another driver for something that took place on the racetrack, would that bring about more interest than the standard response most drivers give? If the drivers all got together and agreed to take those kinds of shots at each other, all the while knowing amongst themselves that they were just doing it to get some attention for the sport, would that be entertaining?

I know there are regulatory factors in play here and nobody is going to be doing a shooting star press off the top of a paddock stall, but would some theatrics even on a small level make things more interesting? If Yannick Gingras was “unhappy” with a move Tim Tetrick made in a major stakes race, feeling it cost him the race, and took to twitter to call Tetrick out, that subsequent back and forth would be a major story in the industry. All the while Gingras and Tetrick planned this out and it is all just theatrics, but we don’t know that.

In the grand scheme of things, do I think this is something that will be a shot in the arm for harness racing? No, this is a small item. But we spend so much time talking about serious issues, I thought this topic would be a little fun. After all, in the 2010 Breeders Cup, before any report on who won the Classic, the mainstream media reported on a scuffle in the winner’s circle between Calvin Borel and Javier Castellano (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZHjiPtbivA). My point is that in this day and age, society latches on to drama. Social media, television shows like The Bachelor having millions of viewers, and the following of scripted fighting like the W.W.E. are all examples of what entertains people today. Maybe harness racing could use a little kayfabe in its life.