Blue Collar Sports

If you’ve been living under a rock in a third world country with no internet access, then you may have missed the spectacle unfolding around this year’s U.S. Dressage Team.  Comedian Steven Colbert got wind that Ann Romney co-owns an Olympic hopeful and the chaos ensued.  (Click Here if you missed it) There have rebuttals and butts and some pretty poor off-takes, but the heart of the matter is that an Equestrian Sport is finally in the limelight.

They’ve always said any publicity is good publicity, but when you’re fighting a stereotype, that’s not always the case.  Colbert is doing his best to classify Dressage as anything but a “Blue Collar Sport.”  In fact, he’s making a case that only the wealthy and snobbish can appreciate and participate in dressage.

May I take a moment please, step up on my soapbox, and argue the other side.

First, I’m assuming “Blue Collar Sports” include the NFL, the MLB, the NBA, the NHL, and we can’t forget NASCAR.  These are the beer drinking, foam finger waving sports touted by Colbert.  Now I won’t  comment on the entertainment value of these “blue collar sports,” I’d simply like to do a little comparison.

Let’s talk cost of admission.  You’re average Major League Baseball ticket was around $25 in 2009 (Biz of Baseball).  Basketball would run you around $48.83 in 2007 (Sports Business Daily).  For NASCAR tickets, the sport loved by all colored necks and neckwear, it was “difficult to find much for less than $50,” in 2008 (NASCAR.com).  And for the American Pastime, football, well a ticket will set you back an average of $76.47 as of 2010 (CNN Money).  These prices are for single tickets and of course these are family events so you’ll be buying more than one on your blue collar minimum wage income.  At the USEF Dressage Championship there was no charge for general admission.  This is generally the case across the horse show world.  For headlining classes you may need a ticket but they generally run $5 or $10.  For special seating at classy events, you might find yourself paying around $50.  I’ve never professed to be much when it comes to math, but I like free to $5 or $10 much better thank you.  It actually fits in my “blue collar” budget.

How about the athletes themselves?  These are the folks the “blue collar” viewers are idolizing and cheering on.  Well, in 2011 the average NFL player earned 1.9 million dollars.  NHL players earned on average 2.4 million, MLB 3.34 million and the NBA topped it off at 5.15 million.  (NBA News) The average dressage horse doesn’t earn a salary, but they do have up-keep costs.  A recent Facebook post (reliable I know), estimates that the average up-keep on an Olympic caliber horse ranges from $29,900 to $50,500.  That’s pricey, but it doesn’t touch the salaries made in the “blue collar” sports.  Even if you include the purchase price, it’s a drop in the bucket comparatively.

Finally, what about a sport's tangibility?  Can you connect with the participants or are they just dots on your TV screen, telling you what soup to buy?  At a horse show, you can meet the stars, get autographs, take pictures, feed the horses carrots (with permission only please!), and talk to the riders.  When was the last time you ended up in the locker room at a football game?

Dressage isn’t a snooty sport by design.  Sure, we wear white pants and a velvet “hat,” but we try really hard to keep our pants clean so they last a long time.  No sliding in to second in those puppies.  Horses may be tall, but that doesn’t mean we never get off our “high horse.”  In fact, most of us try very hard to keep a level head and never take for granted the gift these horses give us.  I don’t expect non-horse lovers to understand.  You’ve got to spend the time to reap the rewards.  But don’t you think horse sports deserve a Fresh Perspective?  Besides what Blue Collar families’ little girl doesn’t dream of dancing with a horse?