Harness: What happened to giving credit when it is due?

There was a time when giving oneself credit for personal accomplishment was considered conceit. In today’s racing world it appears as if many of the players consider patting themselves on the back a ritual that’s necessary.

Why wait for someone else to give you a compliment if you can take one on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram?

It was somewhat rare that Yonkers horsemen were looking to take a bow this week in the wake of multiple $1 million betting handles. Sure, there is reason to be happy anytime the betting public takes extra notice in the product, yet at the same time, did anybody stop to ask themselves what exactly the horsemen had done differently to attract added attention?

The answer is plainly no.

For those on social media it matters little if one is responsible for his or her own success, what matters more is to quickly take credit and pass it along. With enough re-tweets or “likes” at the end of the line there will be no way to distinguish who deserved the credit from who took it.

It was impossible for me not to recognize why so many of our handle numbers have escalated over the past few weeks. The loss of Santa Anita as a viable betting location had to send shock waves in the direction of every betting hub in North America. The reality for many of the hubs is that lost betting handle of such significance can cause a company to lose incredible sums of money that won’t be recovered. Each day that goes by with a substantial loss of action is money down the drain.

Would it be so hard to fathom that these outlets would go to any extremes necessary to give Santa Anita player’s options where large rebates are put up. Essentially, if the question is how or why a Santa Anita player would consider Yonkers as an alternative, it’s just about the math not about the breed. Give the player (or organization) a more attractive rebate and it becomes a win-win for the hub and the player.

It did not come as a shock to me that betting hubs, or the large players some service, were not out in force on social media giving indication of the location of their play or the inducements received to make it. Thus the airwaves were wide open for others to take instant credit for work beyond their scope.

There are horsemen on social media who simply thank others for taking notice and then there are those who congratulate their own horses when a race is won. Perhaps this is a natural conclusion in a sport where the horses don’t have online accounts and therefore can’t thank the trainers and drivers for their part in the victory.

It would be interesting to find out just what the horses would say if they could answer what exactly they were doing over the last 24 hours to prepare for the races. With the horses sworn to silence, credit for their success can be splintered in any direction humans choose to point.

This is where we stand today and it’s impossible to cast blame on those willing and eager enough to utilize the media of the day. You can like a bit of information and pass it along and perhaps that in and of itself will create a following and a positive impact on the sport.

At the same time we live in incredibly dangerous times. All it will take is one misstep by any person with a following to bring it crashing down. Just this week a celeb’s daughter became the chief story in a “College Entrance” scandal that rocked the nation. This “influencer” had gained a robust following on social media and really didn’t need a college education since she was already quite successful in the business world. Needless to say the news of the scandal combined with previous video feeds pretty much wiped her out in less than 48 hours. The same brands and followers she had attracted prior to the scandal quickly ran to the exits for risk of backlash.

On social media news travels incredibly fast these days. It also means negative news travels with more intensity and drives the noise level to “11” for those fans of Spinal Tap. It’s that negative news feed that scares the life out of me. It’s amazing how a few words said or actions taken from the past can derail the lives of people before they have time to react. There are no escape hatches when bad news hits. There’s no net to be brought in to save a life. Once the negative feed catches momentum, all of those in its path are doomed to retreat from public life and go into a shell.

Many good lives have already been ruined to a degree and it would be wise of those followers of this breed to take closer inspection of the kind of forces that we face. If the folks at PETA do a better job of investigating the behind-the-scenes aspect of this industry than the established State regulatory bodies have, the results could be catastrophic. Remember, bad news travels at hyper-speed, and this sport as an institution would be powerless to stop it.

Harness racing is currently reaping the benefits of its attachment to casino gambling and sports wagering. Those relationships have been garnered from years of dedication with horsemen effectively convincing politicians the need to preserve this industry and its many employees. What we don’t need at this time or any other time is any kind of “viral” scandal that suggests those in this industry are undeserving of those relationships and the benefits that come from them.

What we need to be wary of is just because people “follow” you on social media by no means does it make them your friend. Some may even be planning your demise in quest of a larger share of the pie.