Should We Care About the Preakness?
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a huge horse racing enthusiast, but having lived in Baltimore for a number of years now, I can appreciate what Pimlico and the Preakness Stakes means to the local community and its economy.
Still, I don’t see a legitimate reason why anyone should be fired up for this year’s race beyond nostalgia and the prospect of public drunkenness.
The company that owns the rights to the Preakness is broke, Mine That Bird is not the favorite, as everyone expected, and getting lit up before you hit the infield will be slightly more difficult than in years past.
Add in the fact that they are marketing Stacy Keibler as the biggest draw to the race, and you’ve got yourself a humdinger of a wack time at the track.
To be clear, that’s not to say that people won’t attend Preakness, but there’s nothing to draw new fans to the races. Unlike hockey, golf or NASCAR, there’s no sticking point to the sport or the local culture surrounding the sport that makes me say, “Gotta be there.”
And sure, they don’t need a 28-year-old married black blogger spouting off about what’s lame about Preakness, but if there’s a chance that just a percentage of people agree with this feeling, there’s a chance that the sport will be in danger into the future, even if Maryland horseracing manages to survive beyond this weekend.
So, I’ll pose the question to the readers. Beyond the tradition and inclusive of the stricter drinking laws, are you amped about Preakness this weekend?
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