First, welcome to the Group's newest member, gigifoulin; thanks for joining.

Now, just food for thought. I have put forth the argument in the past that, if
the "old" Derby were to make a comeback, its best bet would be to follow the
Arena Football model. They located in smaller but still populous cities, and
play only on weekends so their players can hold down other jobs. And they've
had a marvelous 20 year run.

Until now. The Arena Football League is about to declare bankruptcy and go out
of business. And it appears to me there are similarities to the AFL's decline
and that of the old IRDL, which expanded nationwide in the early 70s. Both ran
afoul of runaway costs--in both cases, energy prices went through the
roof--coupled with an economic downturn. The major sports are certainly not
immune to these effects, but so many people have so much at stake in those
ventures that they've become too big to fail. RD, like the AFL, was more akin
to a travelling show; those, too, will simply fold their tents when the money
hemorraging becomes too acute.