Mike Muye Interview: Feld Director of Operations
October 13, 2024
We had the pleasure of chatting with Mike Muye (Feld Director of Operations) earlier this year in St. Louis about choosing the Supercross schedule. With the new schedule out, here’s some of the factors that go into it.
Okay, well, if you don't mind, I'm just going to go through some of the cities one by one. So, like Anaheim—that's always going to be the opener in your minds? There's no changing that?
Yeah, we feel Anaheim is a staple of the sport. It's been the opening round for many years, and we hope that continues.
Would you ever do back-to-back races in Anaheim? I'm curious why you have the weekends in between where you go to different venues.
We've considered it. If you remember when we had Anaheim 1, 2, and 3, there was a week in between. But we also have the Monster Jam property during those weeks, and we try to intermingle events. It also gives us the ability to step out of that market, go to San Francisco or San Diego, then circle back. It gives people a little breather—it's tough to have back-to-back weekends and expect fans to attend both.
Why no more Anaheim 3?
We really want to expand into other markets, and that gave us the flexibility to try new locations.
Alright, moving to San Francisco—why the decision to go back there instead of staying in Oakland or going to Santa Clara?
San Francisco's Oracle Park is a beautiful venue, and we played there many years ago. Some major construction in our pit lots at the time forced us to move to Oakland, where we had a great run. But once Oracle Park became available again, we decided to go back and reestablish our fan base there.
Do you think that’s going to be a permanent move?
It’ll be an option moving forward. We were excited about the event. The weather could have been better, but overall, it was a success.
And what about San Diego? Why move to Snapdragon instead of staying at Petco Park?
It came down to logistics. Petco has a beautiful downtown setting—everyone agrees it was a cool location. But our pit setup was challenging, and the area is growing rapidly, making things even tighter. Snapdragon came online as a great venue, with people we’ve worked with before. It offers a fantastic pit area, making logistics easier for fans, teams, and riders. We could also add more activations and experiences for fans that we couldn’t at Petco due to space limitations.
That makes sense. I'm going to skip Detroit and Glendale. What about Dallas—would you ever consider the new baseball stadium in Arlington?
We've spoken with them—great people—but our relationship with AT&T Stadium is strong, and it's a fantastic venue. It would be hard to justify a change when we’re already in a top-tier facility that fits the spectacle of Supercross.
When choosing between baseball and football stadiums, what factors come into play? Is it mostly about scheduling?
There are advantages to both. Baseball stadiums typically have bigger floors, while football stadiums have more seats. The challenge with baseball stadiums is that we can only get in during the winter months—by spring, most have natural grass that needs time to be ready for opening day.
So does that put a max date of mid-February?
Yeah, we can push into late February, but it's rare. One year, we did, and the groundskeeper was very accommodating, but most aren’t eager to have us tear up their grass.
What about Seattle? Have you considered moving to T-Mobile Park earlier in the year?
We have, but the weather is challenging. Our relationship with Lumen Field (the football stadium) is great, and the biggest issue at the baseball stadium is a lack of space for pits. The halls we use are owned by the football stadium, and there aren’t good parking options at the baseball venue. Our fan fest in Seattle is one of the strongest of the season, and we don’t want to give that up.
Would you ever push Seattle back later in the year, like it used to be?
The current timeframe was suggested by the venue. They found that weather patterns were better during this period. In the past three years, we’ve only had one bad rain race.
That’s interesting—I wouldn't have thought that. A couple of new venues this year. How do you select new cities and stadiums?
We collect data from various sources—ticket sales, where fans travel from, and trends from other events. Philadelphia, for example, was chosen based on ticket data and interest from the venue. We’ve done Monster Jam events there, so we understand the market. Our goal is to expose new fans to the live Supercross experience, which is different from watching it on TV.
So, you have a team that researches new markets and venues?
Yes.
What factors go into those decisions? Attendance? Venue capacity? Soil conditions?
Yes, all of that. Pit setup is a big one—we need space for fan fest. Soil matters too—where do we own dirt, and where do we need to buy it? Geography is also key—we aim to cover the country evenly, but also consider routing. Moving heavy equipment cross-country isn’t cheap, so we plan routes carefully. Some stadiums may have open dates, but if they don’t align well with others, we might look for a closer alternative.
Do you consider alternating between venues, like MetLife Stadium and Foxborough?
Yes. With New York City in between, East Rutherford draws from the south, while Foxborough pulls from the north. Alternating allows different fans a chance to attend.
What about open-air versus domed stadiums? Why aren’t Minneapolis, Toronto, or Houston on the schedule every year?
Houston is part of a rotation. It’s a strong market, but interchangeable with places like St. Louis. We also prioritize domed stadiums when possible. There aren’t as many as you’d think, and we already play in most of them.
Last question—what about Las Vegas? Will it be back on the Supercross schedule, or is it more of an SMX Finals thing now?
We’re open to anything. Allegiant Stadium is beautiful, and we’d love to play there at some point. We spent many years at Sam Boyd Stadium and did some great events. The industry is excited to return to Las Vegas. But we also have a great relationship with the Utah Sports Commission. The Salt Lake City finals are family-friendly, while Las Vegas offers more of an adult destination. Right now, we feel like we’re in a great place—Salt Lake City for Supercross, Las Vegas for SMX—so we’re covering all the bases.
