Bikes without brakes - documentary

[arnieg]

Of course everything was so much better before Chapman came along 

 

[GWC]

Just to add to the general level of gloom there’s another video on YouTube - ‘The future of British speedway’ - in two parts apparently.

 

[IainB]

13 hours ago, arnieg said:

Of course everything was so much better before Chapman came along 

 

Alex Harkess was the one for me, he was the one sat in charge during the Sky years and ran the sport into the ground

[Speedtiger]

2 hours ago, iainb said:

Alex Harkess was the one for me, he was the one sat in charge during the Sky years and ran the sport into the ground

Fair point iainb but they are all to blame really for letting speedway irreversibly decline into a Micky Mouse sport. I no promoters at times do have there differences but Im told that Chapman and Godfrey are even disliked and not trusted by there fellow promoters. So no wonder uk speedway is in a terminal mess. 

[moxey63]

2 hours ago, Speedtiger said:

Fair point iainb but they are all to blame really for letting speedway irreversibly decline into a Micky Mouse sport. I no promoters at times do have there differences but Im told that Chapman and Godfrey are even disliked and not trusted by there fellow promoters. So no wonder uk speedway is in a terminal mess. 

I read somewhere that speedway often flourishes during Labour governments.

I gather speedway today resembles the current party we have in charge.

[cityrebel]

On 12/23/2021 at 2:01 PM, moxey63 said:

I read somewhere that speedway often flourishes during Labour governments.

I gather speedway today resembles the current party we have in charge.

The Tory's must have been in power since 1981. The loss of Wembley was the start of the decline. The 1970's was a pretty decent decade for speedway, definitely my favourite.

[moxey63]

46 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

The Tory's must have been in power since 1981. The loss of Wembley was the start of the decline. The 1970's was a pretty decent decade for speedway, definitely my favourite.

You are right. Speedway's decline began in 1981... the second year of the Tory rule. But the sport's fortunes gradually picked up in 1997, when Labour won power, and two years' later it had a live match on TV every week. I believe public awareness increased.  

In the last 13 years of Tory rule, going back to 2010, I believe the sport has suffered a rapid decline.

I know it's merely an opinion... even a coincidence. But I remember someone mentioning it once, reading it somewhere, that speedway prospered during Labour governments.  

[cityrebel]

2 minutes ago, moxey63 said:

You are right. Speedway's decline began in 1981... the second year of the Tory rule. But the sport's fortunes gradually picked up in 1997, when Labour won power, and two years' later it had a live match on TV every week. I believe public awareness increased.  

In the last 13 years of Tory rule, going back to 2010, I believe the sport has suffered a rapid decline.

I know it's merely an opinion... even a coincidence. But I remember someone mentioning it once, reading it somewhere, that speedway prospered during Labour governments.  

I don't think any government could save it now. The sport is unfashionable and out of the public eye. It's virtually dead here in the South East.

[moxey63]

2 hours ago, cityrebel said:

I don't think any government could save it now. The sport is unfashionable and out of the public eye. It's virtually dead here in the South East.

I think you could be right. The sport is just being patched up now, just to get the next match, week or season complete. No long term plan. Stop trying to attract new fans without worrying why the old ones have vanished. The old ones more often than not used to introduce the old ones. You couldn't sell the sport on Dragons' Den the way it's set up at the moment. Imagine trying to explain the team set ups, or what is the top league and what is the second tier. Why have so many riders riding for different teams have the same name? It is pathetic. It's like that parrot in the Monty Python sketch.

Edited January 7, 2022 by moxey63

[GWC]

On 1/7/2022 at 1:13 PM, moxey63 said:

I think you could be right. The sport is just being patched up now, just to get the next match, week or season complete. No long term plan. Stop trying to attract new fans without worrying why the old ones have vanished. The old ones more often than not used to introduce the old ones. You couldn't sell the sport on Dragons' Den the way it's set up at the moment. Imagine trying to explain the team set ups, or what is the top league and what is the second tier. Why have so many riders riding for different teams have the same name? It is pathetic. It's like that parrot in the Monty Python sketch.

Will it ever end ? er no the ‘thin end of the wedge’ has now brought in a system where riders can earn good money by just having 2 teams. I’m sure the current stock of riders will be concerned if the U.K. was ever to produce more riders to fill all their teams.

The alternative is obviously money - to pay riders enough to ride in just one league but as mentioned it’s maybe too late now.