Is it turning to mush?

You hate to see a great sporting event such as forcing a bunch of dogs to lug a human being on a sled across 1,150 horrible miles of snow, but the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is getting hit in the wallet because, of all things, it's having trouble selling raffle tickets and the drain of its website.
According to the Associated Press, the organization that runs this thing is facing a $600,000 shortfall in its $3.8 million budget because of the Iditarod Insider Web site and too few winter raffle tickets sold, according to the Alaska Journal of Commerce.
The Web site has daily video clips and updates throughout the race, which is important for those of us who want to know how many dogs have fallen ill and just been left for dead along the way. It also had live streaming of events, including the start and finish, virtual trail fly-bys and the option to view video archives of the race for a whole year.
The Iditarod Trail Committee typically sells 2,000 raffle tickets for a summer drawing and 4,000 for a winter drawing, bringing in $600,000. Last winter, ticket sales fell 450 short, knocking $45,000 off estimated revenues.
According to the Website, 97 dog drivers, including 36 rookies, were signed up to start for the March race. They're also holding an auction to become an Idita-Rider: That is, you get to ride the first 11 miles through downtown Anchorage, Alaska with your favorite musher, providing you start with the minimum $500 bid.
Shouldn't that be enough to keep this tradition from just melting away?
Or why not sell a few more copies of Disney's "Snow Dogs" with Cuba Gooding Jr., at the Iditarod Web store?
Or, they could just cut back on the food they buy for the pooches...