Another Viewpoint Archives
Debbi Willis, Daw613@bigfoot.com
Too Much Information
When is the flow of information just too much? The scanners at the race track
buzz with drivers and teams conversations while fans listen in. (This is not
a bad thing for those fans who understand the sport inside and out, but can
be quite the shock to those never having heard "heat of the battle" moments.)
Network race coverage includes cameras in the cars focused on the drivers or
looking out the back windows; on the tracks in the turn and on the
straightaways; overhead in the pit stalls; and anywhere else the media thinks
the fan would like to see. (This isn't bad either if limited, however,
sometimes focusing on one area through one view loses the overall race
perspective.) Sponsors promote their products with the drivers being walking
talking billboards and their cars as rolling advertisements. (This is just
annoying.) Hardly ever an interview occurs when a driver ever speaks of just
"the car" or "the team". It's always the Goodwrench Chevrolet, the Valvoline
Ford, or the Interstate Pontiac team. Even the yearly awards banquets are
non-stop commercials for sponsors, though some drivers have humorously
managed those moments through the years, too.
"Deals" are made in the pits, relayed to the drivers and reported by the
media to the general viewing public. Is there no privacy anymore for the
teams? Are the fans' appetites as insatiable as the media and marketing
gurus would have us believe? Do the fans really buy all the products of
their drivers sponsors? Logistically in several areas, Lowes has tackled
competition by building directly across the street from Home Depot (very
similar to the pharmacy wars of Walgreens and Eckerds). Does this make the
average consumer think about going to Lowes because Mike Skinner influenced
them enough to go there instead of the already established Home Depot? Or
are they just counting on the marketing tactic that they'll get that side of
the roads traffic while Home Depot gets the other half? Now, Viagra has
made a major impact in sponsorship by seeking to become a major sponsor with
Mark Martin. Exactly how are they going to promote themselves as strongly as
Valvoline or Pepsi has in the past? Much more information than I care to
know may be present in the inevitable marketing blitz to come.
Quite surprisingly, in the aftermath of the tragic death of Adam Petty, the
Petty family has admirably managed to keep their grief private, so far. Die
hard racefans, and fellow members of the sport and MOST of the media has
honored this and understood. However, a test is coming soon, with Kyles
return to the track at Dover, and a press conference specifically for the
subject on Friday morning before the weekend's events. Kyle hopes to
redirect the media's energy and satisfy the questions so he can focus on
racing his best this weekend for Adam in Adam's car. I wish Kyle all the
luck in the world and pray the media honors his requests. But will the fans
be satisfied? A great deal of dignity has surrounded this terrible event. A
quiet closed victory lane at Charlotte for both the Winston and the 600 and
no big fanfare about it signaled their loss and the absence of the Petty
family. Grief demands the low key silence we've witnessed. In light of the
"too much information" norm, this has been a welcome respite.
If as Mark Twain once said, 'familiarity breeds contempt', then I'd venture
to add that too much information breeds interference. A line of respect
needs to be drawn and understood by all the fans that there are aspects of
every sport that are best left discreetly within the sport. Rules exist to
expose the cheating and so be it for those who choose to cheat. Wrong-doing
should always bring shame. However, even with that, there was a line drawn
by the Mayfield team incident in which Jeremy has suffered the mud on his
face for one members actions. Personal lives are best left out of the media
spotlight as they usually suffer under the glaring scrutiny. Yet there's a
line there where it's good to see a driver and his family, but it's not
necessary to know sordid details of personal problems. Balance goes along way
with all these issues.
Nascar's popularity has risen to heights never imagined over 50 years ago,
making it the number one sport in our country. And the average person can
relate to the drivers as regular people (who inevitably will have regular
problems like regular people). Few sports are as open and accomodating to
Another Viewpoint Home
it's fans as Nascar is. But, sometimes knowing every little detail of
every move of the teams on or off the track is just a little too much
information.
Too Much Information
When is the flow of information just too much? The scanners at the race track buzz with drivers and teams conversations while fans listen in. (This is not a bad thing for those fans who understand the sport inside and out, but can be quite the shock to those never having heard "heat of the battle" moments.) Network race coverage includes cameras in the cars focused on the drivers or looking out the back windows; on the tracks in the turn and on the straightaways; overhead in the pit stalls; and anywhere else the media thinks the fan would like to see. (This isn't bad either if limited, however, sometimes focusing on one area through one view loses the overall race perspective.) Sponsors promote their products with the drivers being walking talking billboards and their cars as rolling advertisements. (This is just annoying.) Hardly ever an interview occurs when a driver ever speaks of just "the car" or "the team". It's always the Goodwrench Chevrolet, the Valvoline Ford, or the Interstate Pontiac team. Even the yearly awards banquets are non-stop commercials for sponsors, though some drivers have humorously managed those moments through the years, too.
"Deals" are made in the pits, relayed to the drivers and reported by the media to the general viewing public. Is there no privacy anymore for the teams? Are the fans' appetites as insatiable as the media and marketing gurus would have us believe? Do the fans really buy all the products of their drivers sponsors? Logistically in several areas, Lowes has tackled competition by building directly across the street from Home Depot (very similar to the pharmacy wars of Walgreens and Eckerds). Does this make the average consumer think about going to Lowes because Mike Skinner influenced them enough to go there instead of the already established Home Depot? Or are they just counting on the marketing tactic that they'll get that side of the roads traffic while Home Depot gets the other half? Now, Viagra has made a major impact in sponsorship by seeking to become a major sponsor with Mark Martin. Exactly how are they going to promote themselves as strongly as Valvoline or Pepsi has in the past? Much more information than I care to know may be present in the inevitable marketing blitz to come.
Quite surprisingly, in the aftermath of the tragic death of Adam Petty, the Petty family has admirably managed to keep their grief private, so far. Die hard racefans, and fellow members of the sport and MOST of the media has honored this and understood. However, a test is coming soon, with Kyles return to the track at Dover, and a press conference specifically for the subject on Friday morning before the weekend's events. Kyle hopes to redirect the media's energy and satisfy the questions so he can focus on racing his best this weekend for Adam in Adam's car. I wish Kyle all the luck in the world and pray the media honors his requests. But will the fans be satisfied? A great deal of dignity has surrounded this terrible event. A quiet closed victory lane at Charlotte for both the Winston and the 600 and no big fanfare about it signaled their loss and the absence of the Petty family. Grief demands the low key silence we've witnessed. In light of the "too much information" norm, this has been a welcome respite.
If as Mark Twain once said, 'familiarity breeds contempt', then I'd venture to add that too much information breeds interference. A line of respect needs to be drawn and understood by all the fans that there are aspects of every sport that are best left discreetly within the sport. Rules exist to expose the cheating and so be it for those who choose to cheat. Wrong-doing should always bring shame. However, even with that, there was a line drawn by the Mayfield team incident in which Jeremy has suffered the mud on his face for one members actions. Personal lives are best left out of the media spotlight as they usually suffer under the glaring scrutiny. Yet there's a line there where it's good to see a driver and his family, but it's not necessary to know sordid details of personal problems. Balance goes along way with all these issues.
Nascar's popularity has risen to heights never imagined over 50 years ago,
making it the number one sport in our country. And the average person can
relate to the drivers as regular people (who inevitably will have regular
problems like regular people). Few sports are as open and accomodating to
Another Viewpoint Home
it's fans as Nascar is. But, sometimes knowing every little detail of every move of the teams on or off the track is just a little too much information.