Does Depends have a NASCAR sponsorship program?
In the meantime, my brain balks at the idea of auto racing as a sport, because it doesn't seem to demand physical strength or endurance. However, I probably here am subscribing to a high-rockist concept of sports.
― j.lu (j.lu), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:00 (eighteen years ago) link
― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:09 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:09 (eighteen years ago) link
― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:17 (eighteen years ago) link
― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:18 (eighteen years ago) link
I haven't watched a whole lot of NASCAR for the last few years, or racing at all, for that matter. I'll watch the road course races and the restrictor plates, and occasionally Bristol, but that's it. NASCAR is suffering from the same problem baseball did in the 70s: every facility is the same. That, and there should be more than two road races.
Formula 1 has been abyssmal for quite a long time now, with exciting races coming 3-4 times a year in between long droughts where the winner leads 69 of 72 laps and has a 19 second lead on the competition. This year is slightly more exciting than others, because there's a different face with a commanding points lead instead of Schumacher. The IRL and CART both race some terrible street circuits (Detroit? yuck) and bad ovals, and really, they shouldn't even run ovals (sans Indy) due to how incredibly dangerous it is for racers and spectators. I love WRC, but that'll never get any interest in America, seeing as its all in a time trial style rather than actual "side by side" racing. Drag racing is really loud, but not horribly interesting. The other, smaller series basically are in the place of community theater or high school football for local entertainment.
On the whole "people watch it for the accidents" - Yeah, that's something people who don't watch or have interest in car racing say. Its akin to "people watch boxing for knockouts" (because Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard were so good at that), "people watch football for the violence," et al. Trying to understand why people like to watch cars go around a track in circles or freeform shapes is no different than trying to figure out why people like to see other people try to hit a stick with a ball or throw a ball through a hoop.
― Alan Conceicao (Alan Conceicao), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:41 (eighteen years ago) link
Most importantly, why?<
I should actually respond to this too.
Basically, it goes like this; throughout the history of racing, team owners have looked for ways to make money in ways other than merely the race purse. After all, there's no guarantee of winning, and no guarantee of getting paid. Unless you scratch someone's business on the side of the car. There's always been sponsorship in motorsport; whether it be factory teams at Le Mans or Indy, or some car dealership on the Beach in Daytona, to Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America having a Shell symbol emblazoned on the side. The Winston Cup and other major sponsors were the first to enter around the 70s (Pepsi, Levi Garrett, Budweiser, Wrangler, etc), and the number and types of sponsors has changed as the sport moved outside of its traditional southeastern US roots to a national audience.
The management of NASCAR itself also tries to cater to its audience, which is, for all intensive purposes, the Red State America (TM). Taking points away from a driver for cursing on national TV isn't a whole lot different than being threatened with banishment from the game for complaining about referees, so really its not NASCAR that has itself changed; its everything. Hell, ever watch Premier League? I have a strange hankering to get a wireless deal with Vodafone, all of a sudden...
― Alan Conceicao (Alan Conceicao), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:50 (eighteen years ago) link
Does Juan Pablo Montoya count?
― giboyeux (skowly), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:52 (eighteen years ago) link
I don't think it's out of line to say that people watch football for the big hits and hockey for the hits and fights too (or else ESPN has been completely wrong for 20 years). Basketball and baseball are low-contact/no-contact sports, so people watch for the big thrill there - a monster dunk or a monster home-run (also: bench-clearing brawls). The majority of people watching a sport, any sport, don't know much about it - they aren't hardcore, into the sport for its pure essence, etc..
― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:54 (eighteen years ago) link
Notice that the more weight he gains, the worse he does. By the time he hits 250, he'll be racing for Minardi.
― Alan Conceicao (Alan Conceicao), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:55 (eighteen years ago) link
Eep!
― giboyeux (skowly), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:57 (eighteen years ago) link
There's a huge difference, as I pointed out above. You can fine Jeff Van Gundy all you want, but his punishment won't actually affect the points earned during the game. It's not like Dwayne Wade can earn a technical foul for saying "shit" on camera, after the game.
This difference is what makes NASCAR seem so candy-assed.
― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:58 (eighteen years ago) link
using these shots as an example, I wouldn't say fat *yet*. But maybe by Malaysia.
― Alan Conceicao (Alan Conceicao), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 21:02 (eighteen years ago) link
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 21:04 (eighteen years ago) link
I'd say telling him that if he does it again he'll be removed from the sport permanently is being slightly harsher than knocking off 20 points in an individual sport.
I wonder if something like this has ever affected tennis or cycling?
― Alan Conceicao (Alan Conceicao), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 21:04 (eighteen years ago) link
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 21:05 (eighteen years ago) link
Was your point that F1 is physically demanding? I don't doubt that, but isn't the main reason why there aren't (m)any fat drivers that a car with less weight in it goes faster?Racing around in an oval, making only left, banked, soft turns is lame.
― ()ops (()()ps), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 04:19 (eighteen years ago) link
― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 04:36 (eighteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 05:59 (eighteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 06:01 (eighteen years ago) link
Not interested, sorry.Don't give a shit about wrestling, either. -- The Sensational Sulk
I also tend to tie these things together, assuming you mean WWF or whatever fake wrestling is called now. Of course that's not to say they're equivalent, whereas racing is a sport that doesn't interest me but I can respect on some level, etc. etc. I just imagine there is a significant overlap in the audience/culture that, again, probably repulses me more than it really should.
― sleep (sleep), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 13:01 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 18:01 (eighteen years ago) link
I'm a big sports fan and participant, but it's hard for me to appreciate the athletic factor involved in motor sports, and I find the spectacle of NASCAR to be both dehumanizing and dull. The comment upthread about "corporate logos going around in a circle" pretty much sums up my experience of trying to sit through a televised race. It's sport devoid of personality and athleticism, with the emphasis instead on equipment and finance, the two aspects I find least interesting.
In an abstract sense, I guess, you can tell there's a human operating the machine and appreciate the skill of the driver, but you can't see and viscerally experience what he or she's doing. I know people who are really good at video games, or who can operate a drill press with great skill, but I don't find it entertaining to watch them do it.
― brianiac (briania), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 18:54 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 18:59 (eighteen years ago) link
DING DING DING! All of ILX to thread! Seriously? "Repulsed?" It's just a bunch of cars going around in a circle.
I bet there is a significant overlap of people that "hate" the WWF but, like, totally LOVE Mexican wrestling because it's just so CAMPY!
Don't like it? Don't watch it. hat0rz.
― giboyeux (skowly), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:01 (eighteen years ago) link
― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:04 (eighteen years ago) link
― brianiac (briania), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:07 (eighteen years ago) link
It's like that Chappelle skit: when you pass someone on the freeway you just yell "Gordon!"
― giboyeux (skowly), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― brianiac (briania), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:10 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:21 (eighteen years ago) link
It most certainly is. Its basically like running a marathon. NASCAR is fairly demanding as well. Oh sure, there's some 50 years olds out there too, but people play hockey till they're 45.
>No way!! Is each race seriously just left-turns and straightaways for hundreds of laps? Unbelievable. They ought to make a companion "bagging groceries" game, where if you avoid crushing the tomatoes for eight hours straight they give you a raise.<
NASCAR sim racing is a huge deal. Papyrus' sims have a cult around them (as do the related Grand Prix Legends and Indycar Racing series of games). Its actually pretty damn entertaining. Then again, I think RPGs are complete wastes of time, so what do I know?
― Alan Conceicao (Alan Conceicao), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:22 (eighteen years ago) link
― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:24 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:26 (eighteen years ago) link
Some threads on Ilx have one of these too, don't they?
― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 19:34 (eighteen years ago) link
― colette (a2lette), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 21:53 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 21:57 (eighteen years ago) link
-- Amateur(ist) (amateurist@gmail.com), May 31st, 2005.
they take a big dose of claritin before the race.
My thoughts/questions were always about the more obvious and icky bodily functions.
-- milozauckerman (wooderso...), May 31st, 2005.
but actually that's something I've wondered about all sports. Surely there's been a time when the quarterback just suddenly has to go with 3:15 on the clock down by 7.
all athletes are secretly CYBORGS
― latebloomer: Pain Don't Hurt (latebloomer), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 22:34 (eighteen years ago) link
― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 22:36 (eighteen years ago) link
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=20071119084732AA963dD
― gabbneb, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 02:39 (sixteen years ago) link
jesus christ somebody get the fucking tubgirl out of here I had managed not to see that for 8 fucking years on the internet fuck fuck fuck
― en i see kay, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 02:46 (sixteen years ago) link
Same here :(
― Trayce, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 02:56 (sixteen years ago) link
nice going gabbneb >:[
― gff, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 03:01 (sixteen years ago) link
hahahahahahahhaha so awesome. I forgot you started this thread gabberz.
― Dandy Don Weiner, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 03:52 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.citycynic.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/nascarlateshow9.JPG
― gabbneb, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 19:46 (sixteen years ago) link