Lord, give us a sign! So the world prayed in Robert Silverberg's novella "Thomas the Proclaimer", and in response the sun stood still in the sky for twenty-four hours. But no sooner had the sun started moving again then people began arguing about what the sign really meant. That's human nature. For most of us, even the most obvious sign needs interpretation. And yet I suspect that the sign the NBL sent its members in September of this year was fairly unambiguous to even the most fervent NBL apologist - and the message was "F the membership". Let's recap for those of you who came in late:
Within hours of the cancellation, the NBL groupies were out in force on message boards, assuring everyone that the National had been canceled for "unavoidable" reasons, fibbing about the condition of the track and equipment (perhaps most memorably, an NBL groupie post on Vintage BMX about the condition of the track was flatly contradicted by three different other board members who were also present at the event) and trying to convince people that the NBL had tried its best, and that the National had not been sacrificed to the downhill event.
Any fool can see such was not the case. Consider the facts. The NBL had to prepare two tracks. (More correctly, Woodward and the NBL had to prepare two tracks.) You might think that a downhill track would be more difficult and time-consuming to create than a standard National track, and you would probably be right. So why was the DH track ready on time despite the weather? Why are reliable witnesses telling people that the gate of the National track wasn't even ready? The answer is simple: priorities.
At some point, the NBL and Woodward decided that their circus event for thirty-some Pros was more important than their regular National. This should shock and offend everyone who holds an NBL card. As I have pointed out in the past, Pros are freeloaders in the BMX universe. They do not contribute money to the sport; rather, they suck it out through salary and awards. Very few of them promote the sport at all, and the ones who do are ineffective at best. The only compelling reason to have a Pro class is that it gives new riders something to aspire to.
Given the choice between inconveniencing a few dozen Pros and a TV crew and wasting the time and money of hundreds of contributing families and riders, the NBL decided to screw the members. Some people are blaming it on Woodward, but dealing with Woodward is like dealing with the devil - you should keep both eyes open and know what you are getting into. Woodward is a for-profit organization that has shown itself to be remarkably unsentimental about earning income through "xtreme" sports; the NBL is supposed to be looking out for the average racer.
Combine this disturbing turn of events with the announcement that our fearless leader, Bob Tedesco, is retiring next year, and even the calmest observer may be permitted a moment of disquiet. Mr. Tedesco has many critics, this author among them, but he is generally acknowledged to have a mild interest in preserving parity and fairness among the various parties in our sport. Imagine, for a moment, Alice Bixler, Darryl Carr, or a giant stuffed halibut mounted on a walnut plaque, in the President's chair. I only mentioned the stuffed halibut because, given a choice between Bixler and Carr, I'd rather have a giant stuffed halibut, mounted on a walnut plaque, running our sport. Taking the fish, rather than the aforementioned individuals, to meetings with potential outside sponsors would at least allow the NBL to retain some dignity.
Speaking frankly for a moment, I cannot think of anyone who is both even remotely qualified to run the NBL and remotely likely to be offered the job. My personal choice would be former AA Pro Billy Harrison, who has BMX experience and also possesses a striking resemblance, from some angles, to Eric Stoltz. Perhaps the best we can hope for is that the Board will hire an "outsider" to run the NBL, someone with organizational experience but without much, or any, BMX knowledge.
The choices are grim. Either we will get someone who knows nothing about BMX, or we will get someone who knows something about BMX, that "something" most probably being how to lie to, cheat, and deceive the membership. In the fervent wish that the former choice will come to pass, I am presenting a blueprint for fixing NBL BMX. If Mr. Tedesco's sucessor were to follow this blueprint, I believe that the NBL could shake off the mantle of shame which it has traditionally worn and perhaps even grow our sport a bit, which would be a good thing. So, without further ado:
Action Item 1: Clean House. Everyone in the NBL, at all levels, must "reapply" for their jobs. In some cases, incompetents have been permitted to rise quite high in the organziation. These people must be rooted out and replaced with qualified, competent people who are capable of moving the sport forward.
Action Item 2: Rebalance the National/State/Local schedule. The National schedule must be limited to a defined "season" of March to November and consisting of no more than twelve Nationals including the Grands. Three of these dates should be distributed Regionals, taking place in different areas on the same dates.
A certain amount of participation in Local races must be mandated for would-be National ranking contenders. Dates must be reserved for legitimate State championships in each state. The State Championships should be short and sweet - three qualifiers and a Championship.
Action Item 3: Operate 300 Local Tracks. With the National monkey off their backs, local track operators should be encouraged to open tracks. All possible assistance should be provided. Currently, the NBL spends too much time building and promoting National tracks. This time must be reallocated to creating and maintaining local tracks. The NBL should retain legal counsel to assist local organizations in clearing hurdles to track ownership and operation. An absolute minimum of these "new" tracks should be ABA conquests.
Action Item 4: Profitably Regulate Equipment. How can a twelve-National NBL pay its bills? Simple: by requiring equipment used in National competition to be NBL-stamped. The NBL stamp should represent approximately ten percent of the purchase price for major components. The money from this program can go back to fund local events, creating new riders who will eventually be interested in Nationals and want to purchase NBL-approved equipment. Heck, the SCCA makes you pay for a copy of its rulebook - why not pay a little extra for an NBL-approved frame, fork, and wheels?
Action Item 5: Create A Joint Sponsorship Venue With ABA. The ABA has a proven ability to obtain out-of-sport sponsorship, but this ability is hampered by the small-time "two sanction" nature of BMX. With unified sponsorship, outside companies could be assured of reaching the entire racing audience and not becoming involved in political gains.
Action Item 6: Consistent Negotiation with ABA. With the success of Action Item 5, relations with the ABA must be "normalized". The ABA and NBL should agree to stop scheduling same-area Nationals against eachother. Territories should be laid out and agreed upon, permitting each sanction to focus on attracting new riders, not stealing the other sanction's people. More than one hundred million Americans are eligible to race BMX; about forty thousand of them do. There's plenty of room to grow the sport without indulging in tooth-and-claw competition.
Action Item 7: Prepare For Olympics. Right now, the NBL has managed the neat trick of using a distant Olympic event as an excuse for ignoring more pressing problems. This is unconscionable and must stop. Once we have fixed our house, tripled our local track numbers, and increased our rider count correspondingly, then we can worry about the Olympics.
There's the Blueprint. It doesn't contain any rocket science, any unattainable goals... just a strong determination to focus on the basics and rebuild the sport. It's time to make it happen. Once upon a time, the NBL was respected, even loved, by its members; today, it's the gang that couldn't shoot straight. Let's fix the problems. Mr. New President, it's up to you to lead this sport out of the Slough of Despair and into a new BMX era. 'Cause if you don't, we're replacing you with a giant stuffed fish.