Sunday, May 4, 2008

Kentucky Derby Parties? Seriously?

When August comes I almost always try to make my way to a college campus and catch a good tailgate party. Every year for the Super Bowl I make sure I have a ridiculous spread of food, beer and pounds of salty snacks. There is something about the manliness of football that must be enjoyed by other people as you gorge to excess. With that in mind, I couldn't help but be a little disturbed when I heard people calling in national sports talk shows all week to talk about their Kentucky Derby plans.

The only thing more disturbing than the thought of Kentucky Derby parties was listening to the talk show hosts trying to sell the event as an elite sporting event. Let me tell you something; I was offended a couple years ago when Pardon the Interruption tried including the X-Games as a major sporting event. To hear the Kentucky Derby in the mix ranks up there with the Australian Open for tennis or the MLS finals. The only people who really get into the Kentucky Derby are social elites who need a little more time on camera.

The average American really has no interest in the Kentucky Derby aside from the betting odds in hopes of making it on a 20-1 pony for $50. This year there was no bigger disappointment when Big Brown (3-1) won the Derby and made all the long shot gamblers pissed off and broke. Only people who play it safe and back their bet with the favorite really made out today and even those people would rather have seen Z Fortune or another horse charge to the finish.

I'm really not against horse racing, but what I am against is the love affair it gets with some heavy hitters in the media for the few days out of the year when they try to convince us that the sport is a big deal the other 352 days when legs of the triple crown are not being run.

If you're planning your next sports party, don't include the wine tasting, you'll just turn off those of us who are real sporting fans.

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