[Racer Duck]

Motorsport.com: Magazine channel

Writer Jonathan Ingram has produces his Top Ten Observations On The Fall of Rome (i.e. NASCAR) Here's some of the "middle" observations...

6. When Rome fell, people were trying to get out. That seems to fit American open-wheel racing these days. That's not a knock on open-wheel racing, just it's management.

7. When talking about the alienation of longtime NASCAR fans being an important issue for him to address, I suspect Brian France is giving that priority lip service. The alienation is an inevitable result of changes bequeathed to him by Bill France Jr., who continues to rule, even in death.

8. The TV ratings system is going to change more than NASCAR or its network affiliates in the coming years, as will judging the value of how advertising dollars are spent. In other words, young people follow sports differently and a lot of older people have given up on the new presentation(s).

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

Motorsport.com: Magazine channel

Writer Jonathan Ingram has produces his Top Ten Observations On The Fall of Rome (i.e. NASCAR) Here's some of the "middle" observations...

6. When Rome fell, people were trying to get out. That seems to fit American open-wheel racing these days. That's not a knock on open-wheel racing, just it's management.

7. When talking about the alienation of longtime NASCAR fans being an important issue for him to address, I suspect Brian France is giving that priority lip service. The alienation is an inevitable result of changes bequeathed to him by Bill France Jr., who continues to rule, even in death.

8. The TV ratings system is going to change more than NASCAR or its network affiliates in the coming years, as will judging the value of how advertising dollars are spent. In other words, young people follow sports differently and a lot of older people have given up on the new presentation(s).

I haven't quite given up but a lot of what I see (and don't see) is, at a minimum, making me angry.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

Motorsport.com: Magazine channel

Writer Jonathan Ingram has produces his Top Ten Observations On The Fall of Rome (i.e. NASCAR) Here's some of the "middle" observations...

6. When Rome fell, people were trying to get out. That seems to fit American open-wheel racing these days. That's not a knock on open-wheel racing, just it's management.

7. When talking about the alienation of longtime NASCAR fans being an important issue for him to address, I suspect Brian France is giving that priority lip service. The alienation is an inevitable result of changes bequeathed to him by Bill France Jr., who continues to rule, even in death.

8. The TV ratings system is going to change more than NASCAR or its network affiliates in the coming years, as will judging the value of how advertising dollars are spent. In other words, young people follow sports differently and a lot of older people have given up on the new presentation(s).

Interesting, Duck.

Bury maintained that the rise in Christianity caused Rome to fall.
Gibbon blamed it on moral decay
Richta theorized it was a more or less natural complex transformation

In NA__AR's case I go more with Richta. Bill France Jr. changed NASCAR from a sanctioning body to a profit center and created a whole new model to operate by. Sad as it is, today's NASCAR is an entertainment venue, there to make money, first and a sport sanctioning body providing competition second.

What we have seen, in the past thirty-five years, in an evolution as I describe above. What we race fans are feeling is the simple emotional pain which goes along naturally with such huge changes.

Or, that's the way this old country boy sees it, anyway.

[DOF_power]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Interesting, Duck.

In NA__AR's case I go more with Richta. Bill France Jr. changed NASCAR from a sanctioning body to a profit center and created a whole new model to operate by. Sad as it is, today's NASCAR is an entertainment venue, there to make money, first and a sport sanctioning body providing competition second.

What we have seen, in the past thirty-five years, in an evolution as I describe above. What we race fans are feeling is the simple emotional pain which goes along naturally with such huge changes.

Or, that's the way this old country boy sees it, anyway.

And NASCAR is not an exception to the rule Bob.

That's what happened to big professional sports in general.

And that's just a resurection of the old roman "bread and circus" for the masses entertaniment model.

I find it amazing how much the gladiatior fights and chariot races ressembled today's big proffesional sports, from the superstar/hero craze/worshiping, to the big bets, the souvenirs and even the meals/fast-food you can buy on the stadiums and/or tracks.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by DOF_power

And NASCAR is not an exception to the rule Bob.

That's what happened to big professional sports in general.

And that's just a resurection of the old roman "bread and circus" for the masses entertaniment model.

I find it amazing how much the gladiatior fights and chariot races ressembled today's big proffesional sports, from the superstar/hero craze/worshiping, to the big bets, the souvenirs and even the meals/fast-food you can buy on the stadiums and/or tracks.

...and, much like the Roman circus, most major league professional sports (including Div "A" college sports, which, for the most part, are merely professional sports in disguise) are merely a diversion to keeps the masses' minds off the things that are going on which REALLY affect their everyday lives.

It often saddens me to realize that more than a few of the fans I talk to in my travels can name a driver's family, team owner, crew chief, pit members, and give detailed stats as to "their driver's" past performance. However, this same person is hard pressed to name his Congressman and his two State Senators, the people whose decisions affect his daily life in many ways.

I realize that estados unitos doesn't have an exclusive on this but it still makes me sad.