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takyon writes:

Drone racing is the new poker is the new athletics:

The National Drone Racing Championships start today [Friday] in New York. It's the second time the race will be held, but the first time ESPN will broadcast the event. If you're a broadcaster like ESPN, you've got options (there are many different kinds of sports, after all). So why drone racing? Well, it turns out poker plays a hand.

"I never really thought of poker as much of a sport, until you could make a million dollars playing it, and then [have] ESPN televising it," said Patrick Rishe, director of the sports business program at Washington University in St. Louis. "That just shows you, if there's money on the line, and if you have a passionate fan base out there, then you're going to have viewers."

ESPN wants those viewers. Especially young ones. Like the kind who guzzle down energy drinks while Snapchat-ing about cord cutting. They generally don't bother to subscribe to old-fashioned cable. Ray Katz, a managing partner with ROI Sports Marketing Group, notes that "banks and insurance companies want to reach consumers when they're younger. Men's and women's grooming companies want to reach consumers when they're younger."

Also at NYT. Here is the website for the National Drone Racing Championships. It will take place August 5-7 on Governors Island, New York City.

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