by Bob Carson

Editor’s Note: The USTA website is pleased to present freelance writer Bob Carson and his popular “Outside the Box” features. This monthly series is a menu of outlandish proposals presented with a wink — but the purpose behind them is serious. The views contained in this column are that of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of the United States Trotting Association.

Bob Carson

No product should ever ignore an opportunity to improve. When the improvement comes at no cost, the change should be automatic and immediate.

For those who own harness racehorses, or those who seriously wager on harness racing, customers find themselves quarantined; they cannot watch the qualifying races or non-wagering races unless they physically travel to the racetrack. The Meadowlands is a merciful exception as one of the few tracks that address the travesty of not streaming qualifiers. You can find Snooker tournaments and high school soccer games posted if you are interested, but not qualifying races.

At this point in the technological evolution, enterprising individuals have made award winning full-length movies using a cell phone. The smallest minor league baseball team can stream complete baseball games with announcers and even color commentators. There may well be only miniscule audiences of relatives and friends interested, but the ballgames are available.

Costs of livestreaming and archiving events are close to zero, all it takes is effort. All of our racetracks should find a person to live stream qualifying races. Surely they have an employee on the premises that can operate a cell phone or an I-pad and post qualifying and non-wagering races onto YouTube. These races could be part of the package with the ADW operators. It’s puzzling that we do not give our customers this service.

Shutting people out from these pleasurable parts of harness racing is of zero benefit. We should not only show these races, we should use these races.

Our harness racing universe is not large. However, in our universe there may be a Steven Spielberg hopeful, people who want to get their foot in the door of filmmaking, television, social media or harness racing. Production and transmission of qualifying races would be a perfect training ground for dreamers old and young.

Right now, these races do nothing except prove that a harness horse can go fast enough to race. For hustling dreamers, each day of presenting qualifying races could be a chance to impress management with their ability and enthusiasm to earn a paycheck in harness racing.

For those of you with a negative slant, what would it hurt to have rookies in filmmaking, social media and broadcasting practice by using our qualifying races? Each time an owner in Vermont watches his or her horse attempt to qualify is a plus, it makes the ownership experience richer. Each time a gambler in Alabama studies a qualifying race in search of a new wagering angle, we are providing them a new tool and making our sport an improved option.

If we find individuals who want to take a crack at making these presentations more than a perfunctory, grudging exercise, everyone benefits. Racetracks should advertise or post the opportunity. Should they not find people willing or able to do the job for little or no money, then racetracks should live-stream the qualifiers themselves. Somehow, this service should reach the eyes and ears of owners and gamblers.

Yet another service in this same category would be live streaming of stakes races that draw short fields. These races are raced as non-wagering affairs and sometimes not available. Imagine the frustration when an owner who has paid thousands of dollars, but for reasons of geography, logistics or expense cannot even watch their horse race. One experience like this could cost us an owner. We should not risk losing a single person as we struggle to survive.

To push the envelope of opening up our racing product to non-race day events, allow me to suggest that in addition to the qualifiers, a camera be set up to have anyone who wishes watch the post position draw. The draws that take place are a complete mystery to many, but some of us who have witnessed the shaking bottle and announcement find the procedure interesting. Setting up a camera and live streaming the draw would be another little perk.

Viewing the draw is exciting when you have an entrant in the race. Opening up the process would add a bit more transparency to our sport.

You may view these issues as trivial, but the aggravation seems so unnecessary.

These are technological chip shots.

Will these baby steps “save” our sport? Of course not. However, technological baby steps like these are steps. Without steps, we stand still.