93henfan wrote:
That's the elephant in the room. Only problem is, I don't think Junior is going to win many races any time soon.
Me either. I only have a casual interest in NASCAR and I gotta say the races this year have been pretty damn boring. Combined with the meh-factor of the guys who are winning and it's really put a damper on things. The final ten race Chase blows too, IMO.
Of course I don't feel too bad for NASCAR as they're reaping what's been sown by shuttering tracks here in the South and moving to points further out. I think it's alienated a good deal of people.
dbackjon wrote:The Indy 500 USED to be a big deal growing up. Now, barely a mention...
Has any formerly big sporting event ever dropped off the radar so quickly?
To answer this question, I would submit horse racing (The Tripe Crown in particular) and heavy weight boxing have both dropped off the radar completely...and very quickly...
“Tolerance and Apathy are the last virtues of a dying society.” Aristotle
Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.
dbackjon wrote:The Indy 500 USED to be a big deal growing up. Now, barely a mention...
Has any formerly big sporting event ever dropped off the radar so quickly?
To answer this question, I would submit horse racing (The Tripe Crown in particular) and heavy weight boxing have both dropped off the radar completely...and very quickly...
Well, no wonder - who likes Tripe any way?
You are right on Heavyweight Boxing. MMA has surpassed Boxing. (BTW - Tyson-Douglas was 20 years ago)
The Triple Crown still gets a reasonable amount of publicity, but nothing like it used to.
dbackjon wrote:
The Triple Crown still gets a reasonable amount of publicity, but nothing like it used to.
Not having a Triple Crown winner in 32 years tends to do that. I don't even bother watching anymore. The Cubs will probably win a World Series before a horse wins all three races.
Mountaineer wrote:
Me either. I only have a casual interest in NASCAR and I gotta say the races this year have been pretty damn boring. Combined with the meh-factor of the guys who are winning and it's really put a damper on things. The final ten race Chase blows too, IMO.
Of course I don't feel too bad for NASCAR as they're reaping what's been sown by shuttering tracks here in the South and moving to points further out. I think it's alienated a good deal of people.
The races are terribly boring under the chase format. Guys sleepwalk through the first 26 races, content with a top 15 finish to solidify their spot in the chase. It gets even worse when you actually get to the chase because one mistake can cost you the championship, so guys try to stay out of trouble even more. Ten second place finishes beats several wins and a couple crashes. There's no incentive to race like they did ten years ago, except for in the Bud Shootout and the Winston (or whatever the heck they call the All-Star race now) where points don't matter.
dbackjon wrote:
The Triple Crown still gets a reasonable amount of publicity, but nothing like it used to.
Not having a Triple Crown winner in 32 years tends to do that. I don't even bother watching anymore. The Cubs will probably win a World Series before a horse wins all three races.
Grizalltheway wrote:
I'll take motorcycle racing over LameCar any day. Seriously, what is the appeal of watching rednecks drive souped-up sedans in circles??
Ah yes, there comes the tired cliche. I knew it would arrive eventually. To a NASCAR fan, that one raises about the same emotion as when a "bigtime" college football fan says something like "Montana (or insert your favorite FCS school), they're Division 2, right?"
I'm not saying the drivers aren't talented, but IMO, there are just much more exciting/entertaining forms of motor-sports out there.
dbackjon wrote:The Indy 500 USED to be a big deal growing up. Now, barely a mention...
Has any formerly big sporting event ever dropped off the radar so quickly?
First time I watched it since the split into CART and Indy Racing. This years race is a minor comeback for the race, just need to keep one group of racers, or take the fate of professional boxing which split into several different organizations and has almost disappeared from the sporting world.
dbackjon wrote:It didn't used to be that way - Indy Car racing was at one time equal to F1.
The split, rise of NASCAR, etc all contributed.
True. Once Danica leaves the Indy circuit to go fulltime with Nascar their ratings will drop even more.
I still enjoy watching both though.
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Conclusion, 1854
That's the elephant in the room. Only problem is, I don't think Junior is going to win many races any time soon.
I don't even bother watching anymore. The Cubs will probably win a World Series before a horse wins all three races.
