While many of you are wondering why a column about the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) isn't on one of the sports pages, I'm going to come right out and say it … I don't consider it a sport. Now that I have several of you riled up and forming your arguments as to why NASCAR is a sport, I will sum up my reasoning in two words: physicality and purpose. But, to satisfy all those who don't agree with me, I will meet you halfway. From this point on, I will refer to this racing phenomenon as a "sport" … and, yes, the quotes are intended to convey sarcasm, which, by the way, I am fluent in.
As you all know, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series began its 63rd season the Sunday after Valentine's Day with its renowned Daytona 500. When you think about the greatest sporting events that take place on a yearly basis – the Super Bowl, the World Series, March Madness, the Stanley Cup, the NBA Finals – all of them have something in common: pure athleticism. Though I have heard many a race car driver say that they have to be in good shape to drive their cars to victory lane, personally, I don't think the "sport" requires the same physicality as, say, guarding Clay Matthews from sacking the quarterback or keeping Kobe Bryant from making a layup. Simply put, NASCAR doesn't ideally fit the definition of a sport, which, according to Mr. Webster is "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment."
While I'm sure it gets hot in those vehicles and the competitors sweat up a storm, I don't think going from the brake to the clutch to the gas is sport enough for me. I mean, if driving a car and weaving in and out of traffic for three hours is deemed "physical exertion," then anyone who has traveled the Interstate to Minneapolis or Chicago is an athlete. Though I will admit to enjoying the "sport" when I was a youngster, the luster began to fade when I grew up and started to realize that, in the grand scheme of things, those race car drivers were earning millions of dollars a year to waste one of our most precious resources. The amount of fuel that is wasted during one of these practices and races is outrageous, something like 8,000 gallons, which amounts to about 288,000 gallons a year. Sure, I understand that the "sport" is legendary, but back when Richard Petty was winning championships, our country had the means to support the weekly competitions. In those times, there was no concern about limited fuel resources.
Things have changed, however, and we now find ourselves on the fast-track (no pun intended) to using up this vital resource. Every weekend, 43 NASCAR drivers suit up, get into their cars and commence driving in circles for hours on end. And when you add in the 43 drivers who partake in the Nationwide Series races, which began accompanying the Sprint Cup Series in 1981, that's nearly 90 vehicles a week that use gas during practices and actual races. While the ultimate winner of these events typically gets out of his vehicle, climbs on the roof and celebrates the victory, I honestly feel that, with each drop of fuel consumed during the races, every American ends up a loser. If it weren't for the exorbitant amount of fuel that has been used up during these events for the past 63 years, we likely wouldn't be paying upwards of $3 a gallon for gas at the pumps.
Though I won't be so bold as to say that eliminating the "sport" would change anything, I just don't understand the attraction to watching a bunch of vehicles going around in circles for hours on end every Saturday and Sunday for nine months out of the year. Don't get me wrong, I like watching the road course races every now and then – mostly because they actually involve right turns – but I certainly think 36 races a year is far too many.
Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times
No comments:
Post a Comment