Why the NBA (et al.) Laps NASCAR
Posted Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2000, at 9:00 PM ET
NASCAR named a new president last week, and his name wasn't France. That's sort of a big deal. From its 1947 inception up until now, NASCAR has had two presidents: Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. Oh, don't worry, the Frances haven't abandoned the sport entirely. NASCAR's new head, Mike Helton, will be joined on a five-person board of directors by ... Bill France Jr. (the former prez), Jim France (his brother), Brian France (his son), and Lesa Kennedy (his daughter). Inbred much? Wouldn't the sport have benefited from a few hired guns instead of sticking with rule by surname? NASCAR has suffered greatly by relying on a cabal of good old boys to run it instead of bringing in some hotshot financial whizzes and proven development badasses.
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StumbleUponSure, everybody raves about NASCAR's family atmosphere. The Frances are much loved. The race drivers park their motorhomes side by side in the speedway infields each week so their kids can play together in the oil puddles. Fans come as families, too, camping out together for race weekends. This is all very lovely. Some even credit NASCAR's family style for its lack of nasty labor disputes (the kind that piss off fans of most other major sports).
But how effective has this all-in-the-family philosophy really been? Think about it: This league is as old as the NBA yet not nearly as successful. It's always had major investment from the big car companies, and a natural set of deep-pocket advertisers (oil companies, for instance). It has boasted stars from Junior Johnson to Richard Petty up through Jeff Gordon today. And the basics of the sport haven't changed since 1947 (go fast and turn left till you're done). It has everything going for it. So why is it only now beginning to rake in the really big bucks while the NBA has seen the green flowing in for a couple of decades? Why is it only this year that a TV deal on a major network came through? Why has NASCAR languished on TNN for so long while even hockey (hockey! it's Canadian!) moved onto Fox several years back? Why is NASCAR, despite all the crowing about new tracks in Chicago and Los Angeles, still pretty much a regional phenomenon? (Don't believe me on this one? Ask your friends in the Northeast or California if they're big stock car fans.) OK, attendance at the tracks has always been superb, but doesn't this leave NASCAR with even less excuse for missing out on the TV gravy train until now?
I submit that NASCAR's disappointing lack of TV dough and exposure in the past and its still-not-guaranteed future success (let's face it, it's been the "next big thing" for about 10 years now) stem from the fact that it's basically run by the people who ran it in 1947. This is absurd! The NFL competes neck-and-neck with NASCAR in stadium attendance but blows it away in revenues. Why? The NFL isn't a family business! Likewise, the NBA isn't run by James Naismith's great-grandson—if it were, would the '80s and '90s have been quite so fan-tastic for its owners? Baseball named a former Yale president as its commissioner, for crissakes, and the best NASCAR can do is somebody not literally related to its founder? This sport could be immense if its management were more on the ball. America loves cars—we should all be NASCAR fans by now. There could have been major network deals running for the last 20 years, renegotiated and renegotiated again for ridiculous amounts of money. NASCAR could have spread out to more than just a few, fairly limited demographics. Instead, for most of America, when NASCAR hits the airwaves next season, it'll be starting from scratch.
Makes you wish they'd brought in a few David Sterns, doesn't it? Or would that have ruined the family atmosphere?
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Reader Comments from The Fray:
[Notes from the Fray Editor: Take cover Seth Stevenson. Technical Fray resources (intuition) tell us that this article was largely read by NASCAR fans. And no, they didn't like the criticism, and yes they think their sport is perfectly all right, and actually they have very strong opinions about what is wrong with other sports. Guys, don't hold back, tell us what you really think… oh you did. Below are two of the more polite responses.]
Is NASCAR stunting its own growth? Maybe. But I doubt the fans would want it to change. Let us examine the benefits of going after the big TV dollars. The Big Four (NBA, NFL, NHL, & MLB) have thoroughly embraced TV exposure and have grown quickly because of it. The names and faces of the players are splashed around, appearing on billboards, ballcaps, and Beanie Babies. What has all this exposure provided? Lots of money. And lots of problems. The Big Four have major labor disputes. NASCAR doesn't. The Big Four have ever-increasing ticket prices. NASCAR doesn't. The Big Four have been overrun with play-to-get-paid ego-maniacs. NASCAR hasn't. The Big Four have players with little loyalty. NASCAR doesn't. Perhaps the Big Four have grown too fast. Perhaps NASCAR is taking baby steps to preserve the quality of the sport. NASCAR has grown slowly but it has grown solidly. TV exposure does not guarantee fans. Los Angeles teams get more exposure than you can imagine and yet those teams have a very small, and very fickle, following. Quality and integrity guarantees fan support. I have been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan since I was a kid. Yet, I rarely get to see a game because I live in Southern California. No TV coverage and yet I am still a dedicated fan. By the way, I don't even like NASCAR. But you must love it if you are so bothered by the fact that ABC hasn't announced Monday Night NASCAR with Dennis Miller it its new line-up.
--Jason
(To reply, click here.)
While athletes in other major sports are out doing drugs, involved in murders, making records etc, our sport's athletes are signing countless autographs at the track, working at the shop or taking the time to speak to a fan one on one. The France family made the sport of auto-racing what it is today, and we in the south like it that way. Sure, the owners, crew and drivers will all benefit from larger revenues generated by a new TV contract. These people are much deserving, but the fact remains that you can't name another major sport that has its competitors and owners so accessible. As a North Carolina resident and long time NASCAR fan and a person that attends many races a year for work and pleasure, I take pride in the fact that "our" sport is not anything like the NBA, MLB, NFL or NHL. I watch a lot of other sports, but none compare with the closeness you get from NASCAR.
--Jay Repass
(To reply, click here.)
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