am a big believer that we stand on the shoulders of those who’ve gone before us. It is an expression that I first heard while going through a fire academy, but it’s a truth that applies not just to the fire service, but to our military, government, business, and certainly professional sports. The simple fact is that each generation builds off the hard work and sacrifice of their predecessors, and that is something to recognize and honor.

At one of the races earlier this year, I was thrilled to bump into my old friend Greg Albertyn. Albee, a three-time world champion and national motocross champion, was there enjoying the races with his son and his friend. Over the course of our conversation, he mentioned something about the price of his tickets, to which I said, “You had to buy tickets?” He didn’t want to bother anybody at Feld, which is respectable, but I thought it was something that should be addressed by race promoters around the globe. I know AMA Pro Motocross offers lifetime credentials to every past champion (unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to those who finished on the podium a few times and won a handful of 125 supercross races. Dangit! Wait, I get a media credential though! Touché, MX Sports!), and I think that’s great. Why does it matter? Well, because it shows respect for the history of the sport. Do you think Michael Jordan has trouble getting tickets to come watch a Bulls game? I’m guessing they reserve him a suite, buy him a box of Cuban cigars, and open up a betting room just for MJ if he wants to show up. I’m guessing Richard Petty can get a hard card to Daytona quite easily, and Joe Namath, well, they still have Joe hand out the Vince Lombardi trophy at the Super Bowl, so I know they honor their past heroes.

I use the baseball analogy quite a bit because I think it works. You can ask a young baseball fanatic about legends like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, and they’ll not only know who you’re talking about, they’ll spit back some stats about each player: RBIs, homers, zippity doo-dahs, diggity whatzits—they know it all. (Sorry, I don’t really understand baseball.) I don’t think a young motocross fan could tell you much about Roger DeCoster, Brad Lackey, or Bob Hannah, and that’s a damn travesty. I had the pleasure of interviewing DeCoster on the very first episode of The Whiskey Throttle Show, and the three hours we talked with him didn’t begin to scratch the surface of what he’s seen and done. Roger has 50-plus years of motocross knowledge packed away in his head, and it is fascinating to listen to him speak. When I was working on an ambulance as a paramedic, my favorite patients were men and women in their eighties and nineties because of the stories they could tell. From World Wars to the revolution during the 1960s to other historical events around the globe, it was amazing to listen to them pass along tales of their past. And it’s important we take the time to sit and listen to those historical yarns while we have the chance.

I understand that Greg Albertyn can afford to buy passes for his family to come watch the races; that’s hardly the point. I believe we should do everything we can to encourage guys like him to come to every race possible, even if they don’t want to bother anyone by asking for passes. I can tell you firsthand that it’s thrilling to see and meet a rider you’ve always looked up to, especially a rider from your childhood. I nearly wet my shorts the first time I met Jeff Ward in person. Making sure that past stars of the sport show up and feel welcome should be a priority of every series promoter. Let’s do everything we can to get young riders to embrace the hard work and dedication of former champions who put it all on the line to elevate the sport year after year. Cheers to all of those who’ve gone before us.