There are some things about slalom that make media coverage tough, make
spectating tough and make crowds look small.

1) races are long. A lot of folks wander through and spend an houror two and
leave. A Crowd spread over a whole day or two or three does not look like a
crowd.
2) Slalom is hard to watch and appreciate. To an inexperience spectator (and
many judges all racers look the same. The speed, moves and subtleties are lost
on folks that have never raced. There is no head to head competition. The only
way to really appreciate the sport is to have a leader board and post splits so
a real sense of the competition is alive with each run.
3) It takes a long time sitting in the sun to see who wins and not too many
folks care that much.
4) The stars of the sport are relatively unknown and unappreciated. In a world
of playboats, even most boaters are also disassociated from slalom these days.

These are issues, not barriers. But any event that does not address these
issues in some meaningful way will not reach its full potential or market. It
can really be helpful for a few in the sport to sit down and really think
creatively about how to best broadcast a slalom event. How to really show the
skills and technique being applied and condense the finals down to a period of
time that is within the meaningful attention span of spectators. The
leaderboard and timing issues are a matter of money it seems. There are
inexpensive systems that can be used indoors, but outdoor systems must be larger
and weather proof. So add $$$ or more creativity.

Those of us close to the sport care, but how do you get folks that think
whitewater slalom is rafting to care?