[lilsexy08]

ESPN sucks! They compare everything to football! They need to cut up the contract with ESPN! ESPN drives me insane! Gosh, someone get me a beer!

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by lilsexy08

ESPN sucks! They compare everything to football! They need to cut up the contract with ESPN! ESPN drives me insane! Gosh, someone get me a beer!

Here ya go






http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp...p=ZSYYYYYYYYGB

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Quality88

Here ya go

Why did I know you'd be the one to make the offer ?????

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Why did I know you'd be the one to make the offer ?????

What's that suppost to mean. I was just here at the right time, and was thoughtful and considerate.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Quality88

What's that suppost to mean. I was just here at the right time, and was thoughtful and considerate.

Yeah ... we'll run with that one for tonight.

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by lilsexy08

ESPN sucks! They compare everything to football! They need to cut up the contract with ESPN! ESPN drives me insane! Gosh, someone get me a beer!

I'm guessing that their thinking is that the audience is made up more of people ignorant of and curious about NASCAR (and more familiar about other sports) and not long-time, educated racing fans. Which is crazy, because it was a Sunday afternoon race -- if someone was a football fan, they would be watching the NFL on CBS or Fox, not the NASCAR race on ESPN.

[lilsexy08]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

I'm guessing that their thinking is that the audience is made up more of people ignorant of and curious about NASCAR (and more familiar about other sports) and not long-time, educated racing fans. Which is crazy, because it was a Sunday afternoon race -- if someone was a football fan, they would be watching the NFL on CBS or Fox, not the NASCAR race on ESPN.

They think we are all a bunch of silly rednecks that is what that is. Their the ones that are ignorant! Let's get em'!

[lilsexy08]

Originally Posted by Quality88

Here ya go






http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp...p=ZSYYYYYYYYGB

Thanks Quality! I needed that! By the way is LSC picking on you! LOL!

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by lilsexy08

Thanks Quality! I needed that! By the way is LSC picking on you! LOL!

He's tryin to. It's not gettin to me.

[lilsexy08]

Originally Posted by Quality88

He's tryin to. It's not gettin to me.

Cool! Get him Quality-just messing LSC! Been so busy at work my brain is fried!

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by vincesanity82

On the other hand, the Craftsman Truck Series Martinsville race enjoyed an 18% increase in viewership on The Speed Channel--you might be familiar with the network where more than one of their commentators actually know a thing or two about NASCAR.
]

I have said here multiple times the CTS offers the best racing of the three top NASCAR Series. Maybe the people who consider themselves race fans are actually getting the picture? Here are some possible reasons why...

(1) Race Length: CTS races are usually one-half or less the length of a Cup race. Martinsville Cup - 500 laps; CTS - 200 laps. Atlanta Cup - 500 miles; CTS 200 miles. Virtually all the viewing public today was raised on TV where sit coms instill the belief that all problems can be solved in a half hour, and no sporting event should last over three hours (the length of an NFL game). Asking any sports fan to give their undivided attention to a single program lasting four or five hours is not going to fly.

(2) Lower cost of racing: A team can be competitive in CTS for approximately 25% of the cost of a single Cup team. Fans watch TV (sports, sit coms, documentaries) for diversion from everyday life. We get corporate America, politics and the like rammed down our collective throats every day of the week. In CTS we get primarily good, hard racing.

(3) MegaTeams: In CTS they are absent. In a field of 34 trucks there are usually no more than 28 team owners.

(4) Focus: For the most part the focus of each CTS driver is to win the race, not collect points. After the race fans gets their heads around this concept, they realize that it's a pretty neat way to race.

Maybe all, or any, of the above is the reason ratings went up in CTS. Maybe Cup could take a lesson? (but don't hold your breath that it will)

I disagree that the people on Disney/ABC/ESPN don't know a thing about racing. Rusty, Petree, Tim Brewer and Dr. Jerry have forgotten more about racing than most of us here, me included, will ever know. The problem is that they commit a cardinal sin. A sin that is committed more and more these days and goes across all sports. They forget that the show is the race, NOT the announcers or the gimmicks they use (draft track, etc). The show does way too many interviews and when they do the interviews, they often ask dumb, inane questions ("tell me. How does it feel to be out of the race this early?")
If you want people to enjoy a race, then let them watch the race, not be subjected to witty reporte, dueling techo-aids on the TV screen. Above all, remember: The stars of the show are the cars, secondary are the drivers. The announcers and their gimmicks are way down the list.

[LSC9901]

As always Bob, excellent observations. My largest fear is that NASCAR/the media will figure this out and start making changes that will "make it better." Maybe next we, as a group, should spend more time and create more threads that are related specifically to CTS. I consider myself one of the passive fans of CTS. I watch it, but not with great consistency. I know and recognize the top names in the series but have not really gotten into the lesser teams. I guess I'll make it a focus for next year ... for me at least. With a small amount of luck I'll create more threads relating to CTS to try and promote the series through our forum.

[3fanforever]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

I disagree that the people on Disney/ABC/ESPN don't know a thing about racing. Rusty, Petree, Tim Brewer and Dr. Jerry have forgotten more about racing than most of us here, me included, will ever know. The problem is that they commit a cardinal sin. A sin that is committed more and more these days and goes across all sports. They forget that the show is the race, NOT the announcers or the gimmicks they use (draft track, etc). The show does way too many interviews and when they do the interviews, they often ask dumb, inane questions ("tell me. How does it feel to be out of the race this early?")
If you want people to enjoy a race, then let them watch the race, not be subjected to witty reporte, dueling techo-aids on the TV screen. Above all, remember: The stars of the show are the cars, secondary are the drivers. The announcers and their gimmicks are way down the list.

Absolutely right on target Mr. Tanner. Well said!
Sometimes the further we go forward with technology, the farther back we should remember, how much better things were.

ABC tumbles again... Atlanta overnight ratings drop 16.7 percent

[jks812]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Maybe next we, as a group, should spend more time and create more threads that are related specifically to CTS. I consider myself one of the passive fans of CTS. I watch it, but not with great consistency. I know and recognize the top names in the series but have not really gotten into the lesser teams. I guess I'll make it a focus for next year ... for me at least. With a small amount of luck I'll create more threads relating to CTS to try and promote the series through our forum.

Sounds good to me. I love the truck races. I watch it with alot more consistency than I do the cup races.

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

... They forget that the show is the race, NOT the announcers or the gimmicks they use (draft track, etc). The show does way too many interviews and when they do the interviews, they often ask dumb, inane questions ("tell me. How does it feel to be out of the race this early?")
If you want people to enjoy a race, then let them watch the race, not be subjected to witty reporte, dueling techo-aids on the TV screen. Above all, remember: The stars of the show are the cars, secondary are the drivers. The announcers and their gimmicks are way down the list.

Your points really hone in on something that I hadn't considered. Perhaps focusing on the the race as opposed to the commentators and the gimmicks is the real issue. I don't watch a race to be entertained by the commentators. I watch a race to see just that ... a race.

NASCAR isn't a documentary, a sitcom, a drama, or a mystery. Even that "cut-out" tech thing that they do now is something I could live without. It's slightly interesting for about 3 seconds. After that, I'm bored, and don't remember (or care) what was said.

The last two things that I found interesting was the definition of "stagger" and how the roof flaps work. That's it, and that was years ago. "Wedge"? I kinda get it, but will still have lived a full life if I cannot actually understand or explain it.