Another Viewpoint Archives
Debbi Willis, Daw613@bigfoot.com
Brouhaha
Give the Nascar drivers their lives back. Plain and simple, NASCAR and it's fans have stolen the lives of the drivers right out from under them! Granted, the crime has been very subtle and the victims (the drivers) most gracious most of the time about it, but nonetheless it's happened. It's time to give the drivers their lives back. Nascar has obviously embraced the marketing mantra of doing anything if it sells. To say marketing is a big factor in professional stock car racing today is naturally an understatement. The multitude of commercials and logo, name brand, driver memorabilia is clearly evidence of that. However, boundaries should exist regardless of marketing and fan demands. Boundaries that protect the product ( in this case the drivers) and manage the media and even the fans. Yes, I said "manage" because if it were up to media and fans, drivers wouldn't have a life outside of being at their beck and call. Everything marketing does is designed to suck someone into the brouhaha and in return, watch the almighty dollar fill a variety of pockets. Nothing seems sacred anymore, and not much is held in any reverence. The sales of memorabilia of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin proved that last year on the auction sites.
Brouhaha
Give the Nascar drivers their lives back. Plain and simple, NASCAR and it's fans have stolen the lives of the drivers right out from under them! Granted, the crime has been very subtle and the victims (the drivers) most gracious most of the time about it, but nonetheless it's happened. It's time to give the drivers their lives back. Nascar has obviously embraced the marketing mantra of doing anything if it sells. To say marketing is a big factor in professional stock car racing today is naturally an understatement. The multitude of commercials and logo, name brand, driver memorabilia is clearly evidence of that. However, boundaries should exist regardless of marketing and fan demands. Boundaries that protect the product ( in this case the drivers) and manage the media and even the fans. Yes, I said "manage" because if it were up to media and fans, drivers wouldn't have a life outside of being at their beck and call. Everything marketing does is designed to suck someone into the brouhaha and in return, watch the almighty dollar fill a variety of pockets. Nothing seems sacred anymore, and not much is held in any reverence. The sales of memorabilia of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin proved that last year on the auction sites.
In the aftermath of the absence of Dale Earnhardt at the T. Wayne Robertson Nascar Preview event, one would think the world ended. The opinions from the multitude of folks who felt inclined to be so accusatory appears lame in light of the facts reported after the fact. Those facts being the changed date of the Preview because of the Busch Awards Banquet and lack of time to properly re-release the correct promotion materials and press releases. Jimmy Spencer hasn't been so quoted in so many places since his scuffles last season with the Bodines. As many folks like to remind us Earnhardt fans that Dale's no different than them, and that he's not the ONLY driver in NASCAR, I find it amusing how furious so many were that he wasn't there. If he's not so important, why the big deal? Thank goodness the man's shoulders are broad. Scheduling committments for any professional driver, let alone the Winston Cup drivers has to be a major nightmare. Comparisons run amuck trying to put Richard Petty on the throne above Dale saying Richard would never do this to his fans. Of course, speculation is easy when there's no possible way to prove otherwise.
For popular drivers in the high demand that Earnhardt is, I would imagine schedules are even worse. The media's field day with this incident only shows the basic mentality of the medias focus. Have we become so entrenched in negative press that anything goes before the facts are clear? I'm all in favor of drivers speaking their minds but once again, boundaries are in order here. Spencer is quick to benefit from Dale when the opportunity arises, and equally quick to trounce him when it serves Jimmy. Likewise, I can't imagine his sponsors being happy with his mouth. Speaking one's mind can be done clearly without the colorful expletives for public consumption. Tony Stewart was roundly chastised last year for simply speaking his mind about a driver's privacy needs but managed to do that without the expletives. Perhaps speaking one's mind, depends on the subject content and the amount of attention it will generate. Would the media USE the drivers to sell more news? Sadly, I think so.
Oddly enough, the blame for the disappointed fans hasn't been placed squarely where it belongs: on RJReynolds, the promoters of the T.Wayne Robertson Nascar Preview. An early press release listed Dale's presence, but the conflict of his committment to the 24 hr Rolex race arose. Even though it's assumed every driver will attend, things do happen. And yes, it's commendable that Mark Martin appeared while recuperating from his back surgery, but then, he had also reportedly gone to lunch with Jeff Burton against doctor's orders! Obviously it's hard to keep an active man down, but even Mark couldn't be in two places at once if he were committed elsewhere. And several drivers cut short vacations and a honeymoon to be there, but I'd wager they wouldn't have missed it because of the exposure. The promoters could have advertised last minute that Dale wouldn't be there and fans could have made their choices accordingly. Of course, that would never happen, because the promoters would rather have angry-at-Dale fans than fans who don't come because Dale was their reason for showing. Did the fans lose site of the purpose of the Preview? Using a big name is just as good as having the big name there. Also in the January 11 issue of Winston Cup Scene, Earnhardt issued a public apology in a paid ad and followed it up with an article of his apology for the conflicts in the January 18 issue. What more can a driver do? Dale pointed out that to take away from the Preview with all this criticism of his absence was wrong. He's right. Remember the true purpose of the Preview? Aren't all the other drivers just as important or are Nascar fans telling everyone, Earnhardt's the only one that counts? Flattering as that may be, Dale doesn't think so.
That then turns it back onto the fans. The Preview is a big autograph, meet the drivers (as though any real "meeting" anyone takes place in such a hurry as the two hours allotted most of the drivers), get memorabilia and benefit several charities that NASCAR supports. Fans buy the tickets, fans show up, fans expect more than can ever be delivered by the drivers, and the drivers endure the onslaught for their time. What's the point? To benefit the charities, of course. I wonder when the fans are going to become gracious again, and renew the sport's heart instead of continuing to feed the money monsters that keep the collectibles and souvenirs market growing and consuming what little life drivers have around their sport. Value is all relative. We the fans place the value on autographs, pictures, memorabilia etc until marketing thinks we'd be interested in anything as long as our favorite drivers name is on it. Where's our common sense again or are we such easily manipulated puppets? Therefore, it's up to the fans. If we don't fall for all the brouhaha and manipulation, marketing tactics will adjust to us and begin to respect everyone. If we stop making unreasonable demands, maybe the drivers will get their lives back.
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