Macedonio: The revenue sharing approach

Do you remember last week’s article where I basically said we should all be launching flaming arrows at each other? Below is the other end of that spectrum.

Ryan’s Awesome Option #2

Revenue Sharing! What a novel and revolutionary idea right? I mean, it only works in every other sport. The business model is there, literally right in front of our faces being proved every day that it works. Yet, here harness racing stands slumped over, not even trying to start the wheels rolling on this one.

The biggest part of any revenue sharing deal has now become the TV deals, which are worth Billions! Harness Racing still has trouble with post times going off over the top of each other. If we all had the same goals, and worked together to put on a 24/7/365 product, Harness Racing would have a future.

Imagine if we actually laid out a stakes schedule that didn't overlap, or racing days where each track gets the spotlight. Everyone could carve out a specialty and cater to it. One track could be the place where claimers raced exclusively, or the best 2-year-olds, or the track that races in the mornings starting at 4am to cater to Europe, Australia and Las Vegas!

Now I can go on and on about how revenue sharing works, but I don’t need to because it works. I’ve laid out two options that are on the opposite ends of the business spectrum on how companies and industries ultimately become successful. I’m not partial to one or the other yet, but clearly our industry lacks vision and a long term approach on how we want to portray our product.

Hesitation accompanied with a lack of understanding in environmental and sociological changes ALWAYS leads to death. It would be absolutely great if Yonkers and The Meadowlands figured out post times, stakes schedules, cross promotions, unified testing policies, purse structures, etc. I also think that if The Meadowlands declared war on Yonkers, that war would be a long drawn-out process that could result in some of the greatest media coverage we’ve ever seen!

ANYTHING is better than where we are stuck now. There is minimal conflict with minimum revenue generated and minimal cross promotion. Harness Racing is in a slow descent into complete apathy and I wonder how many even care enough to think about that.