« Non-breaking news: Carolina Panthers are not moving to Los Angeles | Main | Carolina Panther QB Cam Newton live like you've never seen him »

Punches are up, but NASCAR's ratings won't be

    Everybody watched the pit road MMA festivities between the crews of Jeff Gordon and Clint Boyer. That doesn't mean they're going to watch Sunday's race.

     There's nothing wrong with NASCAR. Ratings and attendance are down but not dramatically. Popularity isn't going to suddenly spike or fall.

     Years ago NASCAR's Sprint Cup became one of the majors, up there with the NFL, almost, and with baseball and basketball. The sport was fresh and featured clean-cut stars who did not belong to a union. Work stoppages weren't going to intrude.

    Reality did. Racing faded about to where it should be. It does not attract the audiences football, basketball and baseball do, and is not about to.

     We cling to images. Some fans consider the NHL one of the big four sports. It hasn't been for decades and, after the most recent work stoppage, won't be again.

      I get criticized when I write things such as this about hockey, or racing. But television ratings, the most accurate barometer of interest in a sport, don't lie.

      Besides, if I like a sport, I don't care if others do. Thus, boxing.


 

 

 

 

 

 

November 13, 2012 |

Comments

J

NASCAR rose dramatically for these reasons, and for the novelty of it. North of the Mason-Dixon line and Ohio River, and west of the Mississippi River, barely anyone knew what NASCAR was until 2000 or so. When Fox and NBC took the races national, a bunch of people tuned in to see the new sport on the block. They liked it and they stayed a while.

Then they saw the flaws. They saw the ridiculous, asinine policy of pulling the winning car through inspection and declaring, "We found an illegal part on your car. You are still listed as the race winner, but we're taking points off the board, giving you the points you would have had if you had finished 10th."

They saw the wildly inconsistent applications of punishment. Jeff Gordon intentionally wrecked someone. Give him a very small fine and tell him not to do it again. Dale Earnhardt Jr. cussed during a post-race interview after he won. Reduce the points awarded him to the amount of points you get for finishing 5th. Kevin Harvick attacked another driver after the race. A lot of people think he's an arrogant punk. Suspend him for a race. Kyle Busch wrecked someone on the track. Lots of folks hate him too. Park him for a week.

And worst of all, when these ridiculous inconsistencies are questioned, when information on new safety measures is requested, when comments are made wondering if the sport is headed in the right direction, you get the head France yelling at the top of his lungs, "I AM THE BOSS! THIS IS MY SPORT! WHAT I SAY GOES! DO NOT DARE QUESTION ME ON ANYTHING! WE DO THINGS MY WAY, AND MY WAY ONLY! THIS IS MY SPORT! I AM THE BOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!"

As long as things like this continue, NASCAR will continue its slide back into obscurity.

Posted by: J | November 13, 2012 at 01:06 PM

Rubberburner

It still amazes me that sportswriters can't see it. NASCAR's popularity is directly correlated to the name Earnhardt. After Sr. died, most of the fans left. After Jr. retires (this year, trust me I have inside info) it will drop another 30% or so. There are no stars in racing. Jimmy Johnson has the marketability of a used shoe and he is the best ever in the sport. Until NASCAR contracts and comes back to the south, it will be on the fringe. Get rid of idiotic races like Phoenix and California. Nobody cares there.

Posted by: Rubberburner | November 13, 2012 at 01:18 PM

big gulps

All the nascar fans are now watching honey boo boo and other shows like that that are stripping away at the dominant market they had for their "target audience".

Posted by: big gulps | November 13, 2012 at 01:44 PM

Maksut

yall some dum asses this is not free this is a scamm dont wast your money on this stupid shit if you want your money worth buy dub turbo or fl sutidos 9 10teen times better then this crappy shit

Posted by: Maksut | February 20, 2013 at 06:44 PM

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

Posted by:  | 

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Working...
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been posted. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Working...

Post a comment