Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128023
Becker interview I WISH THE AMA WAS MORE RECEPTIVE TO EMBRACING THE GOOD OF THE SPORT AND ITS FUTURE. [pause J If the AMA thinks that it can control title sponsorship in supercross, we will never do business. I can't invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into events and not control the inventory. [Becker refers to owning title sponsorship of an individual series]. In the past few years, I've invested over $1.2 million in the tracks. I will also have three semi-trucks and a 14-man crew out on the road this season. All of these things contribute to the growth of the sport. These things would not have happened without the help of EA Sports. Without them, and all of our sponsors such as Parts Unlimited and Toyota, all this would be impossible. Ticket prices have not been going up that rapidly, and we have been trying very hard to put money in the riders' pockets. EA has continued our growth. Here's another example of investing: I had to buy a transponder system for the new season. It cost a lot of money, and why did I have to buy it? Why didn't the AMA purchase it? I bought it because I'm investing in the future of the sport. A Q What goals you have for the series in the year 2000? I would like to have another great ABC show and a bunch of competitive races. Hopefully, the two Anaheim rounds will sell out and the Chicago race will work out. I would like to have the new Las Vegas Stadium sold out and to crown the champion there. You have to be realistic with goals, but if things were perfect, I'd like to sell out every event and have a different rider win every A night. However, if we sell a lot of tickets, the fans are exposed to great racing, and very few riders get injured, I'll be real happy. Motorsport has become a major industry in this nation. Would you like to see supercross go the way of NASCAR, CART, IRl and the NHRA? Hopefully, it goes in that direction. However, we need more network TV hours in the future. Our sport has been generating 3.2 to 3.7 ratings for each network broadcast [The rating numbers are calibrated by the A.C. Neilsen company], and they can't ignore us forever. We have received a tremendous amount of interest from the gaming companies; now we need the interest from the major TV networks. We also want to receive more acceptance from the press - not you guys, but the Sports IIlustrateds and USA Todays. We are now going into our 26th season with supercross, and we've been kicking the shit out of other forms of motorsport without ticket sales and TV numbers. Q A Q While the Supercross Series has been flourishing, two events - the Summercross and the Pasadena World Supercross - floundered. What's your take on that? lt's hard for me to tell you why. You just can't throw something against a wall and think it will stick. I've got two guys working for me, Charlie Mancuso and Ken Hudgins, that I think are the two best promoters in the USA. You have to sell tickets, A Recently dropped into place for the fastapproaching series will be a new TV production contract. Chet Burks Productions has been designated as the production company for the 2000 series. The races will once again air on espn 2, and the roster of on-air talent will remain the same, with David Bailey, Davey Coombs and Art Eckman. Says Jendro, "Chet has an open line of communication with us and an ear and is willing to change things and go beyond the box as far as production is concerned. We feel his presence will enhance our TV production tremendously." Jendro also claims that two races will air on ABC TV during the 2000 season. Although the events are not yet etched into marble, it is highly likely that the ABC TV trucks will show up in New Orleans, Chicago or Atlanta. JANUARY 12, 2000' eye I e n e vv s and to do that you have to spend money and work very hard. I think the promoters of those races counted on one guy, and that was Jeremy McGrath. What they found out is that one guy does not sell supercross. As great as McGrath is - and he is great - he is not bigger than the sport. These guys did not promote the sport. The Pasadena race had everything going against it. There was a major USCs.-UCLA football game going on; it was an afternoon show; and it is the absolute worst time of the year tp hold a race. The event had so many negatives going into it! I think these guys would look at our shows and think: Supercross is great, and we can take it to Southern California and it will work. It didn't work. We work hard at this. I have my job to look at the bigger picture and the future, and to support the sport and the company I'm part of. I have Todd