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Is Speedway Classed As An Entertainment Or A Sport?


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Interested article in the latest 'Classic Speedway' Magazine.

 

During the days of the 'Entertainment Tax' that hit speedway hard during the fifties speedway was apparently classed as an entertainment along with other forms of motor sport, horse and greyhound racing rather than 'sport' on the premise that it was a 'test of speed not skill'. It was also considered to be 'non-live'!

 

However both football and cricket were considered to be sport and therefore attracted less than half the levy. Football paid 15 per cent compared to speedway's 48 per cent.

 

Interesting analogy.

It's a competitive sport

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It's an entertainment business. The sporting part of it and equipment used means is not a level playing field for it to be considered a genuine sport.

Well that's cycling out of the Olympics

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/10860674/Sir-Dave-Brailsford-hails-Team-Skys-12000-Jaguar-designed-bike-as-a-game-changer.html

 

and as for bleedin' horse dancing...

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To the majority of 'promoters' its a sport, hence they spend hours arranging fixture dates to be able to bring the best guests in, hours more suggesting rules that they have worked out will being them an advantage as they have already spotted the loopholes, and even more time doctoring their tracks to ensure as big a home advantage is achieved as is possible...

 

All to win a Championship akin in status and kudos to the local Pub Darts Leagues dotted around the country...

 

Fans, in the main, want to see entertaining Speedway on a track prepared specifically for that task alone, the League ran with integrity and a Championship that carries credibility...

 

A huge dichotomy that somehow needs bridging I would suggest...

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And just this morning is see that GB could well be the first Country to recognise jumping around buildings i.e Parcours as a sport!!!!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saG4EdyAgUQ

I am going to see my Solicitor. I never gave permission for my morning excercise to be filmed and put on here. :mad: :mad: :mad:

 

:nono::rofl:

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been watching speedway for a few years and I always thought it was a sport but that changed a few years ago.

By pure chance, about 15 years ago, I got to know one of the best promoters and managers in the business. From his indoor ice speedway show to a very wet meeting at Sheffield, when he told me they had to get the 'show on' for sky, I realised that there's a lot more 'show' involved in speedway than I ever imagined.

From what he told me about the GP, that's definitely sport, he was seriously worried that too much was at stake and the riders where pushing it too hard, but domestic speedway? It's sport but show comes into it more than I ever imagined.

I never get the saying that the riders risk there life to entertain the fans.

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It's solely the riders enjoyment of racing a bike at speed and beating the other riders.

Surely if that were true - there would be no disputes about money.

 

We know there are disputes from time to time.

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Surely if that were true - there would be no disputes about money.

 

We know there are disputes from time to time.

a lot of the disputes are about promoters not paying riders or Johnny Foreigner thinking British speedway should pay them more than others,Aussies being the worst.

 

However many just want to race

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