Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem Feb. 19, 2026

A good Thursday morning to you all! February is already flying by as we continue through the winter months. We’re supposed to get one last little chilly run of weather down here in Florida, but hopefully, that doesn’t mean freezing for everyone else! So the other day, I had Carrie Brogden on my show from Machmer Hall and talked about her life in racing. One thing she talked about was being on various boards within the world of racing. And it got me thinking about “being involved” in racing beyond just my job. 

I’ve really never been “involved” in anything, as far as leadership committees or positions. I was president of my fraternity my senior year in college, and honestly, I hated the responsibility. But I did it, and it saved me (and my mom) money on my living expenses, so that was good. But I’ve never run for office in school or government. I’ve never been on a board of any kind. I’ve always just been an employee and fan, and that’s about it. Talking to Carrie made me think about why I haven’t done things like that and why people seem either very involved or not involved at all. 

Back in grad school in 2011 or so, I remember everyone from my class was going to attend a protest of some kind. I went up to my teacher afterwards and said, “I don’t think I’m comfortable or even want to go to this protest.” I felt guilty about it, but didn’t share the same political convictions as many of my cohorts. What my professor said really helped. “I’ve never gone to a protest in my life," she said. "I prefer to initiate and create change in a more localized and individual manner.” It was helpful and resonated with me at the time. As I've grown older, I’ve gone to more large-scale forms of disruption, but I still think as a general rule my method for creating change, in racing at least, has been through my show and in-person talking. 

Many folks use social media to raise awareness of topics they’re passionate about and good for them. To me, sometimes it just feels like screaming into the void or an echo chamber of like-minded people. I was talking to someone yesterday online about an incident at Tampa, and they objected to involving a rider. Instead of complaining online about it or talking about it, I went to the stewards, inquired, and watched the video. I took the video and showed it to the person, and they seemed to accept that the different camera angle showed it was all on the up and up. To me, going to the powers that be in racing has generally been how I choose to advocate. Sure, I talk about takeout and other issues for players on the show all the time. But that’s just falling on the ears of my listeners. I don’t have any real power in decision-making for racing, but you better believe I’ve lobbied to every boss I’ve had about things I think could be better for the players and track. That’s where I think I can actually have some audience with actual power and decision-making capability. 

Many people really do care about racing and want it to grow. I could feel Carrie's passion coming through the phone during the interview. People like her and horseplayers who want to play the game and love it make me want to get involved more. Now I just have to find out how to do that. If you have any ideas, let me know! 

Have a great week, everyone!