The Polo Report
By Steve Crowder

Polo has been a hard sport to sell in Calfiornia for years, but since 2007 there has been almost no growth.  Even though someone may come up with some numbers showing I am wrong, they are clearly BS.

Most sports seem to have suffered in California.  In Los Angeles there is no longer a pro football team and they have a base supposedly of over 30 million people.  The only sellout is the Lakers and they hold  about 17,000 people, so it does not take a big % of the people.

Back to Polo … we have continued to downsize in the California polo venues. Even in San Diego, where they get far more fans than anyone else and maybe all others together, but these are fans not players, patrons or horses. Now we have Winter Polo only in the desert and it has been suffering … the Owners dreamed of Millions and milked it until it nearly buried itself.  Then the club didn’t sell to land developers.  That sent players running and the term “Graveyard” came about this was at Eldorado Polo Club.

Some people stood up and tried to make a go and it survived because of money they earned from concerts and a huge parking lot contract which kept the gates open. They went from about 140 players at the early part of the decde to 30 or so last year.  I would call that downsizing. All of a sudden we only have 3 of the actual club owners playing Polo (there are about 20 or 21 owners) as most are older than me and out of Polo. One of the owners supports teams .. . Geoff Palmer.  The others either do not show up or play practice games and support a groom and usaually stable somewhere else, off site.

Then in 2010 they decided they needed more cash, so did a private deal with concert company and now have a bigger bank, but it was not for polo support.  They did add a new Cantina (bar/restaurant) with bathrooms so that was an improvement, but nothing else  was done to reach the eye or improve Polo at Eldorado.

After all this EMPIRE POLO REOPENS and this is a blessing.  The lions are awake again so now there is a venue that makes people survive.  The polo community now has a chance to make some money  … pros, grooms, horseshoers, feed dealers, etc.  It may not be a great deal of income,  but it is a heck of a lot better than it has been since 07. Well this was short lived.

Empire is clean, has beautiful grounds and the fields were better.  More people seemed happy this past season and there was work in both clubs.  Managers worked to let pros play at both places, shoers could rush across and take care of clients on eitherside, vets were happier … damn we might be coming back!

WELL THAT IS BADDDD I GUESS?? We have to stop this growth quick … or that seems to be what is happening. I got a letter earlier this week and Eldorado is rebuilding the WALL of Berlin around their club.  I guess we cannot go to the East as into EMPIRE POLO if we are to the West (at Eldorado).  I am not sure if cell phones are being scrambled as well, but concrete barriers, iron gates are being put up to send people away, horses and I assume dogs too.

What does this mean … ?  No play at both places,  no travel between clubs and no way you can make a dime!  So why play?   Like the Doctor said a year or two ago …  it is a “graveyard now” those who stay will be burned and cremated asap.

I have been in the Desert for too long  … since 1987 and we had some of the best polo for years at both places.  Both clubs made money and we had the time of our lives and lots of friends at both clubs.  It was great for Polo. Then in the early part of this century it started going downhill, but things worked. Empire started the concerts and everyone came out on the plus side. Polo became weaker  though.  We went from 20 goal down to 18 and then on to 12 and hung on. The big Patrons were put out and left like Mannix, but he still did more than others to keep it going while he was there.  Valiente left for greener pastures in Florida. ERG and Tommy Lee Jones came and left.  Ed Pope is no longer here in the desert either . WHY?

Now we have EMPIRE who wants to build Polo and they are doing what they can to make it the WEST COAST Palm Beach and better!  All we get is a WALL in return. This is stupid and it will hurt POLO and Players.  I am not sure what the hell it could possibly help.

IF YOU KNOW PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP . I am sure the person who thought this up is smarter than me, but I have the edge on common sense I bet. I also bet than the LIONS just might eat the farmers next door as this is a little bit DUMB.

Some thoughts …

1)Who will play with little pay?  And we know it will be low wages that is the way it is here in the desert.
2 ) WHY is this being done and what is the gain?
3 ) Where do Pros get another job? Or is Eldorado Polo Club raising wages ?
4 ) Is this legal to barricade a Public right of way as I assume 51
is a street not a private drive?
5} Is the Eldorado Board in favor of this ? If so are you leaving Polo to become the local Empire concert parking lot?

I would just like to know where this war is coming from.  You might look at the U.S. Financials and see that wars do not pay anymore.

See ya where they do not fight!

Steve Crowder

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