ESPN flashes their racing acumen and affinity..

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Depends on who you are talking about. The owner of the horse in question has no issues with it. Go to any track and you will hear people talking about glue factories and alpo. The point I was making is that the sport and people in it feel free to rip it and expose dirty laundry (even stuff that isnt really dirty) at the drop of a hat so dont be shocked when those outside the game do the same.

The guy was trying unsucessfully to be clever. It didn't work. I would think that we should be more concerned that a sports reporter (or whatever they are called) who obviously doesnt follow racing would buy so into the sterotype of the game he tried to joke about it. No different than Wilbons anti-racing/horse rants each year. The game does a terrible job of presenting itself. Until that changes nothing else will either.

It was the characterization of "gleefully" that I disagreed with. Have people involved in racing always talked about the "glue factory" and that type of stuff? Sure.

However, do you really think the game presents itself as a slaughter fest where horses who are retired are either sent to stud or killed? That was EXACTLY what Stan Verrett said and it made for what at least audibly seemed like a weird exchange with his co-anchor.

There's no publicity of organizations like Old Friends and/or Remember Me Rescue because people don't give a s.hit in the mainstream media. It's easier to take the position that racing is full of horse killers and heartless bastards who have no regard for the animals that they simply wager on and use.