"Damon,

You and everyother non-mainstream sports participant wants their sport's coverage on ESPN"

Ever see some of the "non-mainstream" activities that get airplay? Once I saw a sheep-herding contest..you know the kind where the trainer has to command the doggie(s) by whistle to gather the sheep and then corral them.
Anyhoo..I could not help but wonder how this could get airplay but catsailing could not.
Then again, now-a-days, if you include an animal in whatever you are doing it is a crowd pleaser. Maybe we should start including our pets in racing. We'll have the TV stations flocking to regattas to see life-jacket sporting dogs barking commands on the water.

All joking aside, I think money is bad for the sport, though I don't believe we will ever see cash prizes be the norm in your run of the mill event.