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My thoughts on the monster truck industry


CarCrusher

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2 minutes ago, CarCrusher said:

I actually don’t believe it’s not “real”. Obviously, I know that when two trucks pull to the line, they’re actually racing each other. I’m also not trying to disparage the monster truck industry. I just think it focuses too much on being a “show” than being a race. In the eyes of the general public, it’s not a legitimate sport. It is generally viewed in roughly the same way as professional wrestling. Yes, the entertainers are talented at what they do, yes the maneuvers require skill, but it’s only nominally serious, and mostly just a show. I’m only speaking for myself personally. I would like to see monster trucks treated like a real motorsport. I would like to see a successful racing-only series with purse money (on top of a flat booking payout of course), and real competition. Ultimately, I would like to see the sport given some much due credibility.

How exactly is Monster Jam not "real competition"?

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37 minutes ago, CarCrusher said:

I actually don’t believe it’s not “real”. Obviously, I know that when two trucks pull to the line, they’re actually racing each other. I’m also not trying to disparage the monster truck industry. I just think it focuses too much on being a “show” than being a race. In the eyes of the general public, it’s not a legitimate sport. It is generally viewed in roughly the same way as professional wrestling. Yes, the entertainers are talented at what they do, yes the maneuvers require skill, but it’s only nominally serious, and mostly just a show. I’m only speaking for myself personally. I would like to see monster trucks treated like a real motorsport. I would like to see a successful racing-only series with purse money (on top of a flat booking payout of course), and real competition. Ultimately, I would like to see the sport given some much due credibility.

So you want money to be on the line for it to matter?

First of all NOBODY has money to offer as prize money, all money goes to fixing the trucks so they can, ya know, start. Second of all, points series' and event championships have points associated with racing, so when two trucks are on the line they're racing for points.

Is prize money what you want to make the sport "legitimate"? Monster trucks were always invited for entertainment. If you want "real racing" go watch stadium super trucks.

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49 minutes ago, monsterjamcod0329 said:

How exactly is Monster Jam not "real competition"?

Like I said, it’s only nominally a competition. I would say it could be described as a family show that’s got some competition involved, but It’s more so a show than it is competition, and I don’t think that can be denied. In other words, i t’s more Disney on Ice than it is NHRA. The vast majority of trucks are owned by Feld. The drivers are more like actors casted into acting roles than they are like racecar drivers. This is patently obvious if you go to the shows. There is more of a focus on thrills and freestyle than there is racing. Sure, it might be judged objectively, and the racing might be real, but at the end of the day, the focus is on family entertainment and not on true racing or competition, and this is just an obvious observation.

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2 minutes ago, CarCrusher said:

i t’s more Disney on Ice than it is NHRA.

So go watch NHRA. Monster trucks are for entertainment along with competition, not competition sacrificing entertainment. You want something the sport wasn't designed for.

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4 minutes ago, EightBitMS said:

So you want money to be on the line for it to matter?

First of all NOBODY has money to offer as prize money, all money goes to fixing the trucks so they can, ya know, start. Second of all, points series' and event championships have points associated with racing, so when two trucks are on the line they're racing for points.

Is prize money what you want to make the sport "legitimate"? Monster trucks were always invited for entertainment. If you want "real racing" go watch stadium super trucks.

Once again, I never said that the racing itself wasn’t real. I’m just saying that the focus is not on the racing, but on the show. And yes, prize money is pretty much the thing that separates monster trucks from other real motorsports like NHRA or NASCAR. The teams have a real goal, which is to win. Winning means money. Money means a better funded team. Obviously the title, the recognition, and the glory that comes with winning is paramount too, but nobody goes that far into something if there is not money involved. Hence, why most indie monster truck teams take it easy on the track so as not to destroy their limited budget. No one ever paid the bills with points.

 

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5 minutes ago, EightBitMS said:

So go watch NHRA. Monster trucks are for entertainment along with competition, not competition sacrificing entertainment. You want something the sport wasn't designed for.

I disagree, and you’re being unnecessarily hostile, when there’s no hostility being directed at you. I don’t want to watch NHRA or Super Stadium Trucks. I like monster trucks. I want to see monster trucks have the same stature and credibility as those other motorsports. There’s no reason they can’t have a real racing series just like every other motorsport.

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13 minutes ago, CarCrusher said:

Winning means money.

 

Who provides this "prize money"? Teams get paid no matter if they win or not in Monster Jam and I would assume other indie shows, but indie companies have no money to offer as a prize because they barely make ends meet as it is. Again, you wan't something the sport can't do and won't do

 

10 minutes ago, CarCrusher said:

I disagree, and you’re being unnecessarily hostile, when there’s no hostility being directed at you. I don’t want to watch NHRA or Super Stadium Trucks. I like monster trucks. I want to see monster trucks have the same stature and credibility as those other motorsports. There’s no reason they can’t have a real racing series just like every other motorsport.

Who will go to a monster truck event to not see freestyle other than you. World Finals racing the past years was never sold out but Freestyle was. Do you want the sport to go in a horrible direction? It seems so.

 

Edit: Not trying to be hostile, and haven't cursed or insulted at all. If this is hostile to you you should probably just stop talking to me 😂😂😂

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8 minutes ago, EightBitMS said:

Who provides this "prize money"? Teams get paid no matter if they win or not in Monster Jam and I would assume other indie shows, but indie companies have no money to offer as a prize because they barely make ends meet as it is. Again, you wan't something the sport can't do and won't do

Why not? Other motorsports do it. What is different about monster trucks that make it so you can race them in the same format as other vehicles? 

 

6 minutes ago, EightBitMS said:

Do you want the sport to go in a horrible direction? It seems so.

Yeah, that’s it. My main goal is to send the sport into a horrible direction and ruin it. I’m glad you now get it.

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3 hours ago, CarCrusher said:

Why not? Other motorsports do it. What is different about monster trucks that make it so you can race them in the same format as other vehicles? 

Running costs, lack of sponsors, the fact monster trucks are more entertaining during freestyle... It's unethical to have just racing and prize money when bragging rights is even more important. Nobody talks about how much money athletes/drivers make. They talk about how many CHAMPIONSHIPS they have.

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2 hours ago, EightBitMS said:

Running costs, lack of sponsors, the fact monster trucks are more entertaining during freestyle... It's unethical to have just racing and prize money when bragging rights is even more important. Nobody talks about how much money athletes/drivers make. They talk about how many CHAMPIONSHIPS they have.

I’m sorry man, but nothing you say here makes a lick of sense. I understand if you don’t like the idea of a racing-only series, but the objections you raise about it are pretty silly, and honestly, the reason I called you “hostile” earlier is not because I think you’re a jerk or an a**hole. I meant that in the sense that there is no reason for you to be as staunchly confrontational and combatively opposed to my idea as you are. Right out of the gate you just came out swinging as if my ideas had triggered you or insulted your beliefs somehow. 

How is it unethical to race for prize money? That’s got to be the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. You think I should start a racing series that tells drivers “Hey, there’s not going to be any money guys. Y’all are just racing for ‘bragging rights’.” You think that would be more ethical? Do you know anything about how the profit motive in a free enterprise market works? “Bragging rights” is not a tangible commodity that someone hands you on the podium when you win a race (like a check or a trophy). “Bragging rights” is just a term given to a racer’s status among his fellow racers when he is successful. Yes, it’s important, but it’s not a tangible thing that can be handed out as a prize, and the sanctioning organization or promoter does not issue you your bragging rights. That is something that happens orgaincally between you and your fellow racers, and that will always be there no matter the circumstances.

And finally, the idea that freestyle is more entertaining than racing is, at the very least, debatable. Monster trucks, I find, are much more entertaining when racing each other side-by-side on a track that allows for the engines to be revved to their limits, allows the trucks to reach high speeds, and contains high jumps that produce big air and photo finishes. If done right, racing is unquestionably better than freestyle, which is aimless. I don’t believe you are giving the ideas I’ve proposed a fair hearing. If you could see what I am imagining in my head for racing courses, I feel you would change your mind, or at least see why I believe the way I do. But the idea that freestyle is necessarily more entertaining than racing is a trope that is not true in the least.

 

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15 hours ago, EightBitMS said:

Brother you just explained stadium super trucks. Here's a clip, you'll like these more trust me.

 

I’ve watched them. They’re certainly awesome. But that’s beside the entire point I’m making. I love monster trucks, and would like to see them enjoy the credibility of a serious motorsport. I don’t know how else to say it.

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On 2/2/2019 at 11:42 AM, CarCrusher said:

I’ve watched them. They’re certainly awesome. But that’s beside the entire point I’m making. I love monster trucks, and would like to see them enjoy the credibility of a serious motorsport. I don’t know how else to say it.

You want it to be seen as a serious motorsport and if they do what you're saying the sport would die from lack of funding. There isn't a proper answer and never will be, but prize money, just racing shows, and complex, overly lengthy racing courses is not what anybody (referencing regular people that don't have opinions about monster trucks) wants to see.

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