The intricacy of horse racing, its rules and peculiar language were cited by some critics as challenging to viewers. Are there some sports that defy entertainment narratives? If so, how so? If not, why not?
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The intricacy of horse racing, its rules and peculiar language were cited by some critics as challenging to viewers. Are there some sport... -
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There are some sports that defy entertainment narratives.
The conflict in “Luck” may not have been as easily understood as the drama in “Friday Night Lights”, but that did not make it any less entertaining. The criticism “Luck” faced, shows how important the general understanding of a sport is. While horse racing as depicted in “Luck” may not be entertaining, the drama that it builds and follows is. But beyond the show, the drama that surrounds horse racing is what allows it to go beyond the typical entertainment narratives.
“Luck” draws on the drama and the controversial nature of betting in horse racing to capture the audience. The author of the article mentions the beauty in the sport of horse racing and downplays the surrounding controversy, but viewers and audiences must be drawn into a sport and drama is an effective strategy. Sports that defy the entertainment narrative use elements of their individual sport that are inherently entertaining to create fans.
The criticism of the show and appreciation of the sport reemphasize how some sports can be successful and entertaining without the typical narratives at play. The author found the show overly confusing and less entertaining because of the complicated themes at play, however he still acknowledged the entertaining value of horse racing outside the show.
Ultimately, the Washington Post article, reinforced the idea that sports do not need to follow the typical entertainment narrative to be successful, and the attempt to make “Luck” shows that a sports show does not have to be successful for the sport to be entertaining.
Shash Comandur said ...
Horse racing, as portrayed in “Luck”, is a prime example of a sport that defies traditional entertainment narratives.
In most sport dramas, the underlying story surrounds the spirit of the competition; it deals with the drive behind characters striving to be the best athletes they can be. I can’t help but think of the “Friday Night Lights” pilot, which seems almost diametrically opposed to “Luck”. It builds tension through each of the participating athletes and coaches in the days leading up to one explosive game, the first of the season.
In “Luck”, however, we see that the element of betting is tied to horse racing. We get to see not only the competitors and their trainers, but the stories, motives, and lives of the people gambling at Santa Anita Park. This contrasts traditional sport stories, as gambling is not as prevalent in sports like football and basketball.
There is also something to be said about the large barrier of entry created by the writing of the show, where a fair amount of technical background is needed to fully understand the plot. As discussed in the Washington Post Review, this is another example of how “Luck” goes against the grain of traditional sports stories, in that it has a steep learning curve.
While “Luck” defied traditional sports drama narratives, it showed that the unconventional, and often incomprehensible, can still be entertaining.
The Washington Post’s review of “Luck” highlights the peculiar entertainment narratives within horse racing. However, the entertainment narratives presented in “Luck” do not align with most other sports, where the sport and athletes are the sources of entertainment instead of betting. “Luck” skillfully portrays how horse racing defies what sports fans traditionally value in competitive sports. As “Luck” suggests, horse racing draws fans because of its gambling. The show even emphasizes the venue actively informing the audience of the value of their bets throughout the races. To further emphasize this point, “Luck” neglects visualizing the winner of the race being congratulated, which would be standard in other sports, instead focusing on the massive check that the bettors won.
While not all sports share the same levels of competition, most fans watch or participate in sports because of the narrative of an athlete overcoming a challenge, whether their performance or against an opponent. Ultimately, the essential distinction between “Luck” and other sports’ entertainment narratives is that fans are drawn to the sport for the prospect of their potential profits instead of for the athletes or the game.
Some sports can defy entertainment narratives, and the portrayal of horse racing in “Luck” is a perfect example of how this can be. While the sport of horse racing may not seem particularly interesting to many, the social constructs surrounding it keep it entertaining. Even if people who tune into the terminology filled “Luck” for the first time know nothing about horse racing, they can follow the show and be entertained because of the constructs showcased throughout the show. One of these constructs is the betting controversy in our society, showcased through “Luck” when 4 men hit the 6-pick jackpot. The article cites this as one of the most entertaining pieces of the show and where people get the most invested in the show. The article also cites that the beauty of the horses brings people into the sport of horse racing. Both of these things give examples of how sports can defy entertainment narratives. Horse racing is not the most competitive or aggressive sport, unlike football or basketball, that people crave watching.. Instead, it has a lens for the beauty and the nitty gritty, the beauty of horses and gambling happening simultaneously over one event. These social constructs surrounding the sport allow Horse Racing to defy the standard entertainment narratives.
According to the Washington Post’s review of "Luck," the series on horse racing is a prime example of a sport that deviates from the typical entertainment narrative. Typically for sports in the media, the sports themselves are at the center of the narrative, with themes of competitiveness, resilience, commitment, and teamwork at the show's heart. This is evident in the Netflix series “Friday Night Lights.” Although the show’s plot was not all about football, the well-known sport was no doubt the center of the narrative.
"Luck," on the other hand, shows that horse racing draws in fans for a reason that is separate from the entertainment of the sport itself: gambling/potential profits. Most people watching the show aren’t experts on the sport of horse racing, yet the producers didn’t shy away from using racing terminology that makes it hard to follow for the typical audience member. For this reason, "Luck" has to use the thrill of winning big, gambling addictions, complicated relationships, and corruption to draw in the audience.
The Washington Post article provided an accurate description of the show Luck by saying it is about “the thunderous glories and moral cruddiness” of horseracing. As inferred by this quote, and the entire article, the nature of horseracing is unlike that of most other sports narratives. When thinking of the portrayals of sports in entertainment media, one could typically assume that the narrative would revolve heavily around the athletes/coaches overcoming challenges to reach a level of success. For example, in such pieces of media such as Friday Night Lights, Requiem for a Heavyweight, and Coach, the narratives were centered around their “human” characteristics and how sports impacted their lives – all of which were not difficult for audiences to understand. On the other hand, Luck did not use those such narrative elements to drive the story. It focuses very little on the “who” is playing the sport – such as the jockey or horse - but instead the “why” - how the fans, owners, and criminals control the horseracing environment. With that being said, Luck and horseracing is one such example of a sport that defies the typical entertainment narratives when it comes to sports.
"Friday Night Lights," by and large, follows a clear narrative with no real disruptions to the norm of what a sports program is. The show is understandable and easy to follow, even for those that don't watch a lot of football. It uses clear language which can be easily understood by people who may not be familiar with the language of that sport. The show's cast is exactly what a viewer would expect for a show that takes place in Texas, and the narrative therein was interesting for both those who like football and those who don't like football. In essence, "Friday Night Lights" does exactly what a sports narrative seemingly should: create a plot with the sport at the center.
"Luck," on the other hand, subverts almost every expectation for a sports narrative to the point where it's hard to refer to "Luck" as a sports narrative. The show revolves around the gambling that goes into horse racing, and if a viewer is not familiar with this very specific niche, they can very easily get lost. The vocabulary the show uses is also incredibly specific to horse racing and horse betting, meaning that someone that's not familiar with this jargon can drown in trying to decipher meanings. The cast of the show is quite large, being a diverse group distinguished from one another by nationalities, accents, and speech patterns. This cast can be hard to keep up with without taking notes. The narrative of the show, while fairly obvious, is still very specific to the niche of horse betting. While other sports shows may have the sport at the center, this show seems to be more about gambling than anything else.
For the unseasoned viewer, "Luck" can be a tough pill to swallow in terms of a first-time watch. Despite this, the show does a fantastic job of maintaining viewer retention by communicating the narratives in other ways than pure dialogue. The show makes it very clear who the "good guys" and "bad guys" are by displaying the characters' attitudes, histories, and personal beliefs, which makes it very easy to know who to root for. The show also keeps the viewers invested in the plot by burying typical sport clichés underneath layers of jargon and specific imagery. For example, viewers wanted Leon to win the race, because he is the apparent "good guy" competing. This narrative comes up a lot in sports programs, as viewers tend to like it when the characters they sympathize with win.
In essence, even though "Luck" subverts almost every expectation that a sports narrative has, it still maintains viewership by providing viewers with common themes to follow rather than specific plot points.
The HBO Series “Luck” is a prime example of a sport that defies entertainment narratives. As outlined in the Washington Post’s review of the show, the show is not centered solely around horse racing but gambling on the horse races instead. This show set up is in direct contrast to shows like “Friday Night Lights” where the plot is focused around the sport itself and the competitiveness the sport brings.
Being a TV show focuses around gambling on horse races, it is also very easy to get lost in the terminology of the show because the show does not provide any lead into the terminology of horse racing or gambling on horse races. The only way to not get lost throughout the narrative is to have prior knowledge on not only horse racing, but the specific type of gambling the show depicts as well.
Despite the show being hard to follow regarding the terminology, the show is still entertaining because the plot itself is easily followed which is why this show is a prime example of how some sports can defy entertainment narratives. The show still draws people in with the idea of “winning big,” corruption, and complicated relationships between the characters. In addition, the show “Luck” does show the struggle the jockeys have while trying to prepare to race, and in one case, the path to becoming a jockey instead of a training girl. This plot line is what draws the viewers in which is much different from traditional sports narratives.
“Luck” is a primary example of a sport that defies traditional entertainment narratives. Popular traditional entertainment narratives are typically simple for viewers to understand follow. However, sports such as this make the plot much more difficult to understand. Some entertainment narratives, such as that seen in “Friday Night Lights” are extremely easy for viewers to understand and be captivated almost immediately. This is due to the sport being mainstream with most individuals understanding the mainly simple core rules.
However, due to the intricacy of horse racing, “Luck” is much more difficult to understand than typical movies or shows. Most viewers are not as familiar with the sport and its ins-and-outs, causing viewers to often be confused for the first few episodes. In horse racing, there are countless elements to understand, such as the relationships between trainers, owners, jockeys, etc. and the high stakes that are associated with the sport causing this to be more difficult. It is extremely important to understand the betting culture surrounding the culture, morphing it into a high-stake money sport.
The Washington Post article describes the pilot episode as feeling that you have “joined a drama already several episodes in progress”. There are so many components weaving into the story that it is difficult to understand what is truly occurring unless you are very familiar with the sport and industry. Because of the information asymmetry, it is more difficult for viewers to be engrossed and be able to absorb the concepts of the show.
In many sports-oriented movies and television shows such as Friday Night Lights and The White Shadow, the focus is on overcoming challenges, teamwork, grit, and hard work to achieve goals. However, as the Washington Post puts it, Luck focuses on “the thunderous glories and moral cruddiness” in the sport of horse racing. We do get to catch a glimpse of glory as a new jockey, Leon, is able to win a race at a major event, and although morally questionable, we can see the triumph of bettors cashing out big. However, we also get a glimpse at the darker side of sport. The show opens with Ace being released from prison after serving a 3 year sentence thanks to his business with the shady side of horse racing. We also see that in Leon’s second race, his horse breaks its leg mid-stride. Because these horses are bred for racing and a horse with broken legs is no longer seen as profitable, the horse is killed on the spot - another harsh reality of the sport. The show also takes a new approach at the typical narrative of entertainment by relying on a lot of sport-specific terminology that may be familiar to some, but are unfamiliar to most, making it a bit difficult to follow at times.
Overall, Luck defies a lot of what sports shows are about, and instead focuses on corruption, gambling, employer/employee relationships, and profit-induced tunnel vision, showing a deeper, darker side of sports. This side typically revolves around events such as horse racing where the event itself is less of a focus than the profit to be gained from gambling or owning horses.
The Washington Post’s review of Luck by Hank Stuever highlights how Luck’s learning curve for viewers can be considered a “double black diamond” in skiing terms. Stuever explains what he means by this phrase by elaborating that Luck, though filled with impeccable acting and incredible scenes—including expertly captured horse details—risks losing viewership due to its advanced terminology and division away from standard entertainment narratives.
Luck is centered around the world of horse racing, specifically the gambling atmosphere in this world. In the pilot episode, four gamblers win a major jackpot close to three million in the pick six, something Stuever even describes as being Luck’s most engaging and easiest-to-understand entry point.
Luck defies entertainment narratives in that instead of focusing on the actual players of the sport—each individual horse—Luck concentrates on the stories of the people making up the audience such as Chester, Gus, Marcus, or Renzo. On the other hand, sports such as basketball don’t necessarily focus on members of the audience as much as they do on players such as Stephen Curry. Even though betting is also involved in sports such as basketball, the focus of the game is more on the skills of each individual player on the court, rather than betting, thus representing Luck as a unique division of normal entertainment narratives.
Horse racing is not considered one of the most popular sports in America. Despite the history of fanfare surrounding events like The Kentucky Derby, many US sports fans are unaware of the intricacies and nuances of the sport itself. Horse racing involves several components that contribute to the overall success of the sport, including the training, the jockeys, and the entire aspect of betting. All of these parts have to be shown working in conjunction to be successful, leading to many terms and events that may be difficult for the common viewer to understand.
Despite this, I do not think that the sport of horse racing defies entertainment narratives. Even though I knew nothing about horse racing or the business behind it, I found that there were still many dramatic events in this first episode of the show that peaked my interest. "Luck" was able to highlight the many intricacies of the sport itself while still providing an interesting, dramatic narrative to those who were unfamiliar to the sport. This shows that despite many people lacking knowledge on the sport itself, shows about more niche sports can provide the same level of entertainment as a show about football or basketball.
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