What sports or events are doing well in your opinion?

For the old timers, was offshore ever bonkers with fans? I grew up watching the Benihana races in Pt Pleasant, NJ in the early 80's and I remember the beach being packed. But they were packed every weekend, so I am pretty sure, like someone else already said, they just happened to be loud boat races going on.


Really guys, the younger generations arent into this stuff. Yes, a kid here or there likes it but that isnt mass adoption like Kardashian perfume LOL. We all know it. All the new cool boats are center consoles. Heck, it looks like all ofshore boats will have outboards soon too! There was a great show on FOX Business radio about a week ago discussing video games. Obviously its one of the biggest things out there right now. I dont defend this, nor do I support it. But the kid that just won one of the competitions received $3M. Why is this significant? The $3M is more than Tiger Woods will get for winning a Masters or what Tom Bradys bonus's are for the super bowl and these games have events like this all the time. The future for gamers is very very bright. So even as a kid, why the hell would you even want to do offshore? Again, I dont support video games, the last video game I played was Pitfall for Atari in 1983, for what its worth, I flipped it and made it back to the beginning *****es. LOL I hate my Android phone but now I wish I took more of an interest in technology. Offshore is an awesome sport, but its definitely not going to get much bigger than it has.

No offense, but you comment above shows how out of touch you are with the reality of the sport in today's world, I assume because you have an emotional attachment to the old days of the sport (which is cool)

We, as racers, in today's world rely on the race sites to be able to conduct our events. You can't just show up and have a race. You need dry pits, wet pits, places the spectators can watch. Police, Fire, EMS, Environmental are all a part of putting one of these things on. Local government has to be on board. Not to mention state and federal agencies.

With all that in mind, we need to put on a show. It is entertainment. The old way of heading out to the horizon is no longer a viable business model. The spectators want to see non stop action, or they lose interest. If they lose interest the race site loses interest. In a nutshell, we are there to help them sell beer so they can afford to pay to put the event on, so we can come and race. No beer. No race. Plain and simple.

Like it or not the old school offshore racing some long for was the playground for a bunch of drug merchants with unlimited budgets. Also along came the hanger on celebrities and their sponsors to support additional boats. That kind of money no longer exists to support that form of racing.

"John Crouse, a former powerboat race organizer and author of a 646-page book chronicling the history of that sport. "At one time, two-thirds of the people involved in offshore powerboat racing were directly or indirectly involved in drugs. You had guys running around there racing boats without any source of income - or at least not any source that was reportable."
In the 1980s, more than a dozen leaders of powerboat racing were convicted of drug charges and related crimes"

Super Bowl, FIFA world cup (soccer), NFL, NBA, English Premier League, Spanish soccer league (don`t know the official name), Tennis, Golf, MMA, Indy 500 (Indycar) F1 (auto racing) are some of the world`s most watched sports when it comes to TV viewers & spectators, and NASCAR are still one of the most watched sports on television eventhough the sport is declining.

Sattire with some possible truth: When it comes to drugs + jail, The ways things look, if you do not sell Fentanyl or Oxycodone (sp) you will not go to jail, and if in jail, be let out. Well, unless you own a legit business too and have a family that lives together. Then, your life is over.

true offshore racing died about what 98ish?

Inshore racing came alive in 99 2000 ?

inshore had a good following 100 plus boats at an event ,fans ? who really knows .looked like a lot to me.

supercat class let their ego,s destroy the influx .

didn't destroy the class .it along with svl created at same time out of old a class still are the main draw .

in shore is what you have today .

an honest club to represent them is the issue

NO MORE TIRANTS !!!! LOL

I watched the INDYCAR final at Laguna Seca this last weekend..... The grandstands & grassy hill side was 1/3 used........ Popularity is the TV viewership.
.... On another note..... I helped rig a 32' Cat, w/ outboards & canopies. Called " Captain America "...... in the mid- '80's...... During a Florida race, the driver & throttleman could not agree..... They got up on the deck and had a fist fight !! So funny........ Uh, yup..... From their use of "brick" cell phones, a "man-purse" full of cash and being from Columbia..... I can only suspect their financing !!

Those were the days...... Kinda like the Rum Runners ( boats) then Aronow improved the hulls & Booze drivers ( cars in the South) that morphed into NASCAR.

Like even now...... mostly "self-sponsored". Just have a city coordinate the show. " And they will come".

The irony that this sounds just like Bertel....