Photo via: Pew Trust

Horse Racing journalist Mac Davis looks to take on a new challenge following the 2022 Horse Racing season competition as he turns his focus to the greyhound industry after being named Head of Greyhound Racing Media and Marketing.

Davis joins the company following a three-year service with MILB Hub, a start-up media group following semi-pro baseball. In an interview we had with Mac this past week, he said, "I'm excited to join the Greyhound racing industry! I remember going down to the local track in Saint Petersburg, Florida, Derby Lane, with my family when I was a kid." and when asked about what he thinks about greyhound racing, he said, "it's a great spectacle filled with quick action that makes for a fun day out."

However, he joins at a difficult time as the current state of greyhound racing is low, having dropped revenue and poor attendance these past couple of years. Multiple tracks like Iowa Greyhound Park at Q Casino in Dubuque, Iowa, and Southland Dog Track, in West Memphis, Arkansas, have closed due to the insufficient revenue they have gotten these past few years. Davis said, when asked if he is worried about the lack of interest by the public in the sport, said "There is a ton of things that we can do to start gaining more and more attention via both older bettors but also the new generation of sports bettors coming into the market" he added that "(We) know that there are many new forms of entertainment like the rise of online gambling that put us in a hard sport, but we look to partner with those sites to expand the sport further."

West Virginia is currently the only state in the USA to host live greyhound racing following the outcries on animal welfare by organizations that fight for the rights of animals. "Every sport using animals will have some people frustrated as they may disagree with it, but the welfare of the animals is crucial to us, mainly in the horse racing and greyhound racing industry," said Mac when asked about his thoughts on animal welfare groups fighting for a statewide ban on greyhound racing in the united states. Mac also said, "I love animals and one of the many things I want to highlight in the greyhound industry and any industry I work in with animals, from horse racing to rodeo, is the beauty and safety of these animals."

Mac has high hopes for next year, saying, "I'd like to see a rise for the first time in three years of active viewership and attendance to the tracks, and Id likes to see a huge growth from greyhound racing to the new age of bettors not just our senior group." When asked how, Mac said, "There are many things that we can do that would be able to allow for the success of our entity to grow both through media and marketing, and my team will work heavily on accommodating for that"

So it looks like there is some hope in the greyhound racing world as Mac Davis prepares to try and bring the sport back to its peak. Follow us on our social media to stay up to date on all things in the greyhound industry.