Your turn
Published April 24th, 2006
Thanks to everyone that responded to our feature article Hello, Leadership? (to view this article, you can visit this link). The responses were overwhelming, and, they came from almost every country in the world. We received many messages from people within the industry as well. Every message we received was positive, and everyone was in agreement that supercross needs effective, dynamic leadership.
Besides currently lacking effective leadership, supercross has a long way to go before being considered a major sport. Major sports have live television. Major sports have a presence in major markets. Major sports have a plan for the future. Supercross has none of those things in place right now.
As part of any premier series with the best riders in the world competing, supercross is not in any of the top thirty markets worldwide. The recently released 2007 AMA Supercross Series schedule has events in only four of the top ten markets in the USA, and, there are no events in the top three USA markets (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago). (a)
If you look at the current and long range plans of NASCAR, the NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball, and others, all have formulated a cohesive plan for growth, and to expand their presence outside the United States, reaching the entire global market.
Supercross can become bigger, better, and truly global. But will it? In our previous article, we addressed major issues of leadership, including the establishment of a Commissioner, Riders Union, Collective Bargaining Agreement, and more.
Will anyone ever lead and unify all the fractured elements (riders, promoters, sanctioning bodies, manufacturers, etc.)? Is there a plan in place for the future of supercross? Think back to February 2004, when the largest current promoter of supercross in the USA abandoned their entire Formula USA National Dirt Track Series. Are there any safeguards in place to deal with such an occurrence happening in supercross?
Supercross needs effective leadership for it’s future growth and viability. Additionally, a strategic process for it’s future growth must be implemented, with all major parties involved participating. Until these things happen, supercross will remain as is: lacking leadership, no real plan for it’s future, and a minor sport to many people that are not familiar with it. Riders, manufacturers, sponsors, advertisers, and fans deserve better.
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What would you do if you had leadership of supercross?
You certainly had many ideas! So, now it’s your turn … tell the world how you would lead supercross. What are your ideas? What changes would you make? How would you unify those four major parties? What structure of leadership should supercross have? Where do you want supercross to be in 25 years? Would you like to see Ricky Carmichael and Stefan Everts race together every week? Shorter schedules? Longer schedules? How many events? Where would you have the races? Larger purses and more money? Team racing? Playoffs? Tougher tracks? Longer motos? Pit stops? Would you have a global, two discipline (supercross and motocross) series that produces a real world champion?
You can post your ideas here. Any idea is welcome. Big ideas start with big dreams. Dream big.
(a) Top 30 most populous cities in the world
1. Tokyo, Japan – 28,025,000
2. Mexico City, Mexico – 18,131,000
3. Mumbai, India – 18,042,000
4. Sáo Paulo, Brazil – 17, 711,000
5. New York City, USA – 16,626,000
6. Shanghai, China – 14,173,000
7. Lagos, Nigeria – 13,488,000
8. Los Angeles, USA – 13,129,000
9. Calcutta, India – 12,900,000
10. Buenos Aires, Argentina – 12,431,000
11. Seóul, South Korea – 12,215,000
12. Beijing, China – 12,033,000
13. Karachi, Pakistan – 11,774,000
14. Delhi, India – 11,680,000
15. Dhaka, Bangladesh – 10,979,000
16. Manila, Philippines – 10,818,000
17. Cairo, Egypt – 10,772,000
18. Õsaka, Japan – 10,609,000
19. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 10,556,000
20. Tianjin, China – 10,239,000
21. Jakarta, Indonesia – 9,815,000
22. Paris, France – 9,638,000
23. Istanbul, Turkey – 9,413,000
24. Moscow, Russian Fed. – 9,299,000
25. London, United Kingdom – 7,640,000
26. Lima, Peru – 7,443,000
27. Tehrãn, Iran – 7,380,000
28. Bangkok, Thailand – 7,221,000
29. Chicago, USA – 6,945,000
30. Bogotá, Colombia – 6,834,000
info by worldatlas.com
Top 10 most populous cities in the USA
New York NY
Los Angeles CA
Chicago IL
Houston TX
Philadelphia PA
Phoenix AZ
San Antonio TX
San Diego CA
Dallas TX
San Jose CA
info by infoplease.com
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