Everyone loves the races, maybe for varying reasons but for the most part, everyone loves the races.
The horses, the cheeky $50 you lay down, the champers, the costumes, the stupid head thing you or your misses wear and you've got no idea why. Yeah, you know the ones.
Everyone loves the races, but probably not as much as these guys. This week we sit down with two guys doing their best to revolutionise the racing industry by bringing it back to the (young) people. Through culture, creativity and a good old bit of monetised motivation, let us introduce you to Luke and Ben, the founders of Boys Get Paid. They're here to tell us why a day at the races can be so much more than getting far too boozed and donating $100 to the TAB - maybe even, dare we say it, actual sport.
Warning: May contain some coarse language and adult themes, recommended to ages 18+
Listen to "Stoked Ep 31: Boys Get Paid; Why the races are cool" on Spreaker.
The racing industry isn't in the world's best shape, in New Zealand specifically, we know that and it's being addressed.
The Messara Report was recently released, a crucially important paper detailing where the sector has failed and offering a weighty opinion on where and how the better times could come back.
You can throw stones all you like about the industry and the people involved, old, white, boring, cheats, rich or really poor, washed up, whatever... there might be a slither of truth in that, but really, it's a nasty perception.
Young, normal people do love racing, just like you might love footy or Cardi B (surely not if you're a classy Stoked Pod listener). There's a bunch of folk that don't just go to cup day to get obliterated and lose their suit jackets or end up with their skirt around their belly button. We know, dare to imagine!
It might not be mainstream and it might not be obvious but horse racing is on the up, why wouldn't it be, it's perfect for millennial's. Hell, the race is over in under 3 minutes not even we are convulsing needing to check the 'Gram in that space of time.
To us, it looks like an industry ripe for the picking, in need of a kick up the arse and someone to be brave enough to fly the flag.
We, here at the stoked podcast reckon we've found them.
Let us introduce you to Boys Get Paid - The People's Racing Club.
What the hell is boys get paid? According to their Facebook group they're "just a community of like-minded people who love a collect. Their aim is to be the most successful tipping service for sports and racing."
That undersells them, though.
With over 11 thousand members on their Facebook group and an international network of young people who share a common interest in racing, these guys are changing the game.
In January they collected $58,000 to run a nationwide punters club and inputted who paid what into a spreadsheet. Yup, a free google spreadsheet. These like-minded individuals we speak of put their own money into a kitty and were updated during race day through Facebook Live.
BGP now has its own set of race day colours - designed by a member of the group's partner, and voted for by the members.
