Racing Pigeons in Sports Illustrated

[Matt D.]

Well I read the whole thing... he compared pigeon lofts to a trailer park. Hmm... he sounds pretty biased.... and those darn Hawaiians!

[roxtar]

What exactly was so negative about this article Warren?
The article focused mainly on the sport, and on the dirtier side of it which I see nothing wrong with. To me, it's beyond belief how you could run a race with that much cash involved and not have a backup clock. Mr. Sittner hopefully will learn a lesson from this and put some sort of backup system in place for the next Vegas Classic - if there is another Vegas Classic. The simple fact is, when you have hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money and side bets up for grabs and something goes wrong that puts into question the outcome of the race, things can get pretty ugly.

Is this a bad article because he says that pigeons poop? Is it a bad article because of the way he portrays the fanciers at the race as slightly eccentric? Is it a bad article because he points out that there's big money riding on a lot of these races?

Good article IMO. Finally a fresh perspective on pigeon racing that isn't confined to explanations of how winners are determined, how a clock works, or how many miles a bird can make it home from. I've read all that drivel before and frankly it's getting kind of boring and tiresome I like seeing stuff like this that focuses on a different aspect of the sport. The people themselves, and their many personalities. (actually, reading about it all made me wish I were there)

[Matt D.]

Originally Posted by roxtar

What exactly was so negative about this article Warren?
The article focused mainly on the sport, and on the dirtier side of it which I see nothing wrong with. To me, it's beyond belief how you could run a race with that much cash involved and not have a backup clock. Mr. Sittner hopefully will learn a lesson from this and put some sort of backup system in place for the next Vegas Classic - if there is another Vegas Classic. The simple fact is, when you have hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money and side bets up for grabs and something goes wrong that puts into question the outcome of the race, things can get pretty ugly.

Is this a bad article because he says that pigeons poop? Is it a bad article because of the way he portrays the fanciers at the race as slightly eccentric? Is it a bad article because he points out that there's big money riding on a lot of these races?

Good article IMO. Finally a fresh perspective on pigeon racing that isn't confined to explanations of how winners are determined, or how a clock works. I like seeing stuff like this that focuses on a different aspect to the sport.

Just a question... Do you fly pigeons? or Do you have a shred of respect for pigeons at all? This was one of the most negative articles on pigeon racing I have probably ever seen.

[roxtar]

Just a question... Do you fly pigeons? or Do you have a shred of respect for pigeons at all? This was one of the most negative articles on pigeon racing I have probably ever seen.

Yeah, I fly pigeons. I was also a professional gambler from the time I was 19 up until the time I was about 28..... I know how gamblers are, and I know that they will bet on literally anything and that when things go wrong they get upset. Which is basically what this article was about - the massive amounts of cash involved as not only prize money but side bets.

The source was a shady friend of a friend who went on about international gamblers obsessed with these tiny, molting Secretariats.

I've never wagered a penny on a pigeon race but having been around these types of people it doesn't surprise me one bit especially in a place like Las Vegas.


As for whether or not I have respect for pigeons, nah I wouldn't say it's respect, I'd say it's more of a love.....

I still don't see what's so negative about the article (except for the references to poop). Care to come up with any specifics?

[k-will]

i just moved the article on to my computer and removed all the parts of the article that refer to the gambling and the mishap of the race,etc. and tried to focus on the many things this author does to mislead the readers about the sport.it is just utterly ridiculous.im not gonna even list the many examples because im very angry about this right now,and im gonna reflect on it for awhile.

me-i not only love my birds,i have a deep respect for them as well as any animal that can perform at a level such as our birds do.nuff said on that.

[zimmzimm3]

Originally Posted by k-will

i just moved the article on to my computer and removed all the parts of the article that refer to the gambling and the mishap of the race,etc. and tried to focus on the many things this author does to mislead the readers about the sport.it is just utterly ridiculous.im not gonna even list the many examples because im very angry about this right now,and im gonna reflect on it for awhile.

me-i not only love my birds,i have a deep respect for them as well as any animal that can perform at a level such as our birds do.nuff said on that.

True dat LOL

[LokotaLoft]

the only problem I can say that I saw with this article was that guy dissed pigeons every chance he got.. like our pigeons ever came close to pooping anywhere near a statue or car for that matter he even went as far as to diss the fact that they come home at all, like in the wild is so much better for them to be in a world that hates them as much as it does :s all I see was him trying to confirm the fact that all they do is dirty everything and everywhere.. we all know they can poop but so what , look at all the things dogs pee on but you never hear anything from the fire department about them peeing on every fire hydrant they pass within a mile radious do you? like they dont get enuf bad press as it is for just living

[roxtar]

I've been calling around, getting familiar. It is not hard to get racers to talk. More often it is harder to get them to stop. There is a point in a sport's evolution at which participants no longer need to do their own public relations. Pigeon racing is not at that point. Pigeon racing couldn't find that point on a map with a fleet of GPS satellites. Rather, having a conversation with an avid racer is akin to going to check out a progressive church and walking in the door to find that, uh-oh, it's just you and the preacher.

OK, I'll concede that this part of the article could be seen as insulting to some, but I find it funny because is some instances it's true (myself included).

[MaryOfExeter]

I've only read a few lines here and there, other than what was in the first post. I'm thinking I'm not going to like the way this is written.

[hillfamilyloft]

I think we should just take it as it is. I do like Elvises comment at the end of the article. "The things people do". Also knowing of Sittners antics and meeting the netorious partying Jones Boys, I would not expect much less from the author. This is pigeon racing at its worst. If you have ever been at a pigeon auction and watched grown men spend their monthly mortgage on a bird and then his car payment, it is easy to understand. Many think they are going to strike it rich with pigoens. Many of these races are like gambling is, you only hear about the winnings and not the investment.

One of these days, I will have to enter the race, just to see for myself. The difference will be that I unlike some of those racers and the author will not purposly exploit the birds, but enjoy their ablilities.

Randy

[george simon]

Well I have read the article twice and there are things that pigeon flyers most of whom in all likelyhood had one to many to drink. Most were shooting off their mouth quoting hear say and half truths.Enough said there is one thing that I feel that the writer miss that is how sorry he felt for SITTER let me quote "In his office Sitter slumps in a chair ,an untouched glass of Jack Daniels in front of him.He is sunburned and has pork juice on his Vagas Classic t-shirt. I feel bad for him.This is obviously a labor of avian love.( here is the kicker) HE MAKES LITTLE OR NO MONEY OFF THIS RACE". now thats a load of pigeon s... We all know that 15% of all thats comes in is Sitter's cut and that aint Pigeon Feed. .GEORGE

[Matt D.]

Originally Posted by george simon

Well I have read the article twice and there are things that pigeon flyers most of whom in all likelyhood had one to many to drink. Most were shooting off their mouth quoting hear say and half truths.Enough said there is one thing that I feel that the writer miss that is how sorry he felt for SITTER let me quote "In his office Sitter slumps in a chair ,an untouched glass of Jack Daniels in front of him.He is sunburned and has pork juice on his Vagas Classic t-shirt. I feel bad for him.This is obviously a labor of avian love.( here is the kicker) HE MAKES LITTLE OR NO MONEY OFF THIS RACE". now thats a load of pigeon s... We all know that 15% of all thats comes in is Sitter's cut and that aint Pigeon Feed. .GEORGE

Yeah... that is what I thought the man lines his pockets with gold once a year on this race. And it is his job to make it run, smoothly. Someone that doesnt know much about a sport and a race he thinks he knows everything about when in actuality these races have much more than the one "emotional" layer that he saw. Ignorance is fused into many public forms of media. And second, I agree he read drunk pigeon fliers like a book.

[k-will]

i still say the article is garbage-period.whether the guy makes money or not,he should have had a back-up system in place.that said,as i said before this writer goes out of his way to bring a negative impression on pigeon racing from the very start of the article.i believe he also took advantage of the fact he had plenty of drunks to interview.what about the many people that were there that i bet when they talked to him gave a very favorable impression of pigeons.not once does he mention anything favorable.i know a number of people in the sport that i believe were at this race,and i know had he spoken to any of them,he wouldnt have been given a bunch of garbage like he wrote.
i believe it was his intention being as he was there in the first place because of a "shady" character.in my view the "shady" character was him.

[Lovebirds]

Well, I'm pretty much done with the discussion. It certainly isn't worth argueing or fighting over. I have my opinion and all everyone else has theirsand that's your right.
I still don't see what the fuss is all about and if someone can pinpoint specific quotes, and show me I'm wrong, I promise, I'll be the FIRST one to apologize and agree with you.
Outta here...............

[Barn Pigeon]

I have read the article and I think that the writer was sent on a 3 day trip in which he wish he was somewhere else. He really had a way to fill in space with all those unnessary words of colorful ( do u get the picture ) or u picking up what I am putting down. Sometime in the writers life he may have been looking up when something was falling from the sky. I quess this has left a bad taste in his mouth for all feather friends. I think that this could have been a great article if his Editor would have re-read and made a few edits. Because how many kids read this magazine. I agree this article will get a lot of attention for the sport. Due to fact people just don't know that much about racing pigeons. Next time Sport Illustrated please send a woman writer with a big heart for the birds. We have a few on PT that could have done alot better JOB.. I am done now.
Rick