2017 Sturgis Rally Coverage Unfairly Targets Bikers
Whether the 2017 Sturgis Rally was a total disaster or a complete success depends on which outlet you get your news from.
The stereotype which unfairly pegs all bikers as some sort of lawless troublemakers is apparently alive and well. This fact became abundantly clear over the course of the last two weekends, as the 2017 Sturgis Rally roared in and out of the Black Hills of South Dakota for the 77th time. If you believe everything you read, you’d think that it was a week plus filled with nothing more than debauchery and disaster.
But as we all learned back in grade school, you can’t believe everything you read. That’s especially true in today’s world, where the rise of the Internet and the fall of the printed press means clicks are needed for news organizations to survive. And how do you get those clicks? With sensationalized headlines and cherry picked facts, of course.
And this year’s post-Sturgis headlines certainly don’t disappoint in that department. “Fatal, injury accidents surge at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally,” reads one headline from the Duluth News-Tribune. KELO follows by declaring “2017 Fatal Rally Tally Way Up.” KELO even notes that fatalities “nearly tripled” in comparison to last year. If you didn’t know the facts behind these headlines, you might imagine mass tragedy on a grand scale. But you’d be wrong.
Both stories cite their numbers from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. And tragically, eight traffic related deaths did occur during rally week. But what they don’t mention is the fact that only four of those deaths involved motorcyclists. The other four fatalities happened as the result of car accidents. Now there were a total of three deaths during last year’s rally, so there was an increase. But the headlines read more like pure fear mongering than simple reporting.
Combine this news with the arrest of nine individuals involved in human trafficking during the rally, and you might think that the Sturgis Rally is a pretty scary place. Which is probably also why the Capital-Journal reported that this year’s rally traffic count “looks to be one of the lowest since 1990.” So surely, the Sturgis Rally is doomed, right?
Hardly so. First, let’s address that last cherry picked headline. Multiple outlets are reporting an increase in this year’s attendance – including the Associated Press. The Department of Transportation has estimated that 376,000 vehicles came into town this year, up from last year’s 360,000.
Yes, that’s lower than the average of 458,000 vehicles per year. But the DOT has only been counting since 1990. Plus, that number is inflated by 2000’s record attendance (604,000), and the 50th (528,000) and 75th (510,000) anniversary rallies. Last year’s count? The lowest they’ve ever recorded. So an increase can be seen as a good thing, right? Plus, the town of Sturgis actually ignores the DOT’s numbers, instead collecting their own tally based on an actual head county.
And one would imagine that an increase in attendance would also equal an increase in accidents, no? Despite that, DUI and drug arrests were actually down this year. Couple that with better than usual weather which officials credit with an increase in miles racked up by riders, and we’ll call it a wash.
What none of the mass media bothered to mention were all the good things that happened at this year’s rally. For one, 2017 marked the first time in history that an American Flat Track racing event took place during the rally. Casey Hart and the Good Ride came to town and raised a bunch of money for our veterans. And legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne played only his third solo show since the completion of Black Sabbath’s “The End” tour. And if all that isn’t enough, Jesse Combs became the first female grand marshal in the event’s 77-year history.
All of which is pretty cool. But the biggest benefactor of the Sturgis Rally remains, as it always has been, the local economy. To say that the sleepy 7,000 resident town of Sturgis benefits greatly from the massive influx of tourism is a huge understatement. Back in 2010, the Rally Department of the City of Sturgis conducted a study on the event’s economic impact, and determined that it generated around $817 million dollars in economic activity. It also found that many visitors extended their stays to nearby attractions including Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse.
We certainly aren’t discrediting the bad things that happened during the 2017 Sturgis Rally. But lest you think that the bad is beginning to outweight the good, think again. The world’s greatest motorcycle gathering is still going strong, and it’s still doing good things for a lot of people. Oh, and interestingly enough, the Rapid City Journal declared this year’s event to be “quiet, calm, and cool.” Sturgis City Manager Daniel Ainslie even called it “a great success.” And Sturgis Police Chief Geody VanDewater, despite the gloomy headlines, felt the same. “It’s been great. My guys are getting along with the citizens and the citizens are enjoying them. All in all, it’s been a good rally.”
How’s that for a contrast in reporting? Maybe us bikers aren’t all reckless, unlawful hethens, after all.
