Yes Indeed. Longtime Nascar Fans Are Ticked.
Friday, July 21st, 2006 11:21am CDT
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.
[thumb:374:l:s=1:l=x]Well it seems that we’re not the only ones to have commented lately on that fact that indeed long time Nascar fans, at least in part, are becoming less interested/fanatical about the sports current success which they played a part. As we mentioned in the water cooler on July 13th, there is many a long time fan out there that takes the moves by Nascar to become more “glamorous” to heart. And it comes in form of a heart attack, not puppy dogs and cupid.
Rick Minter writes in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about it today, the results are not surprising by a long shot. and the fans in Atlanta have spoken in a flood of emails.
It’s no secret that the television numbers have been down a tick this year. Nascar’s take on it is that the numbers are off a bit because 2005 was just an incredible year in the ratings. The data from t his year so far does come in above 2004 numbers, so Nascar isn’t in a panic mode according to recent comments by Brian France.
Valid point. You can’t look at one season of data without having something to compare it to. The more realistic approach is to look at the numbers over a longer period of time, and see the trends. Naturally in any data structure you’re going to have minor ups and downs. The long term numbers are what should be considered.
According to the article, the average drop in the ratings this year is a whopping 28% in the Atlanta market. Nascar’s response to this was weather, the Olympics, the NBA Finals, World Cup, and the fact the the record breaking numbers from the year prior couldn’t be sustained by any sport.
However, Nascar fans in Atlanta aren’t buying it. They feel betrayed by the sport that rode their backs into the country’s living rooms, and to the international attention which it now draws.
Reasons from the fans cite the loss of tradition; excellent racing venues such as Rockingham, North Wilkesboro, and the loss of the long standing tradition in the Southern 500; and Nascar’s attempt to be more glitz than real racing. Point taken, and taken to heart right here. Personally, I’d rather see 70,000 fans at the Rock, instead of 70,000 fans at California that made it look like a ghost town last February.
They also point out the use of “Hollywood stars” that many a loyal fan could care less about, such as the Black Eyed Peas for example.
Yet another reasoning is that the sport is becoming rather bland, and drivers are “encouraged” to keep their cool. It’s an emotional sport, and the PC comments have become a little, well, PC. Not that comments are laden with beeps and bleeps from the censors, but that raw emotion is missing most of the time. It’s a breath of fresh air when a driver even comes close to speaking his mind. Thank you Kevin Harvick, we still remember your “whoop his ass” interview from last spring.
Nascar needs the emotion, not the robotics.
In the end, it’s about racing. Man in machine versus Man in machine. Focus on the show and it’s quality, and the numbers will speak for themselves. Focus on being a “star” and the numbers will also speak, but in the end Nascar won’t like it.
Granted, there is a “show” and “entertainment” portion to any sport for the most part when the action isn’t on the field or court. The NBA has it’s player introductions, and the NFL has its halftime show. The problem here is that the fans feel that Nascar is overdoing it to try and compete for ratings and make it more entertaining for the casual fan that has recently found a liking for the sport.
Well, the answer to that is simple. Let ‘em race. The rest will take care of itself.
Filed Under: Damn Good Points, Nascar, Nextel Cup, The Soapbox
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Correct, “in the end, it’s about racing,” and no other form of the sport produces the close finishes and more teams/cars capable of winning on Sunday than NASCAR.
Too many of the fans have bought into the media’s constant drum beat about the glitz and glamor of the sport. True, much of that drum beat is at the urging of NASCAR, but they produce enough on their own.
As for those whining about the loss of Rockingham and North Wilkesboro there’s only one thing to say. Where were you then!
As much as anyone I lament the loss of those two venues but I got over it a long time ago. I would hazard a guess most that are crying also are fans of Baseball and Football. I fail to see any “ratings retribution” with the demise of say, Tiger Stadium in Detroit or the Los Angeles Rams.
Marc said this on July 21st, 2006 at 8:18 pm
“Where were you then!”
Buying tickets.
Ah, the fun at Rockingham was a great time. We used to sit at the exit of turn 4, in the next to last section. The last section being a “family” section and no beverages or smoking allowed. It was a great place to sit. North Wilkesboro was all about turn 1. The only thing I don’t miss about either one of those tracks is the traffic afterwards. Especially driving back up { 1 } from Rockingham. It was a mess, even after you tailgate before you leave.
While Tiger Stadium might not have caused much grief, even though it did for some, try suggesting Wrigley be canned for something fancier. That would do it.
Luke said this on July 23rd, 2006 at 9:22 am