E
Eagle1
Guest
This is a pretty good article. Guess it's not just many of us fans that think this.
The Ledger.com
Published Thursday, July 8, 2004
FOX Kills NASCAR's Appeal
Somehow, some way, Fox never got the message. Fox television ended its NASCAR season Saturday with the telecast of Daytona's rain-delayed Pepsi 400, and NBC now takes over for the rest of the year.
Frankly, that's got to be an improvement.
When the networks picked up NASCAR in 2000, it was supposed to mark the beginning of a new era.
The contract appeared to signify acceptance of stock car racing as a potential mainstream sport, not just a southern regional phenomenon.
For years, NASCAR has been fighting to rid itself of that label, to get the message out that it isn't just a bunch of good ol' boys banging fenders on a Sunday afternoon.
But labels are hard to remove, and that's still how an awful lot of people picture NASCAR.
Now, there was a real chance to change that. NASCAR would be treated like the NFL or baseball, presented professionally.
Unfortunately, that went right by Fox. It hired a crew of good ol' boys to do the telecasts, treated NASCAR like it was about on a level with professional wrestling, and perpetuated the image most outsiders have of the sport.
Clearly, Fox execs see NASCAR the way it was 40 or 50 years ago, not the way it is now.
And just as clearly, they have no respect for the majority of its fans, who expect the broadcast crew to give them information, not play video games with baseball caps worn backwards.
That is typical of the Fox approach, which seems more intent on making stars out of its announcers than covering the stars on the track.
It's like putting John Madden in a leather helmet and having him expound on football before they invented the forward pass, ignoring the fact that Peyton Manning has just thrown for five touchdowns in the second half.
How long would NFL fans put up with that?
And it's not like Fox couldn't find something meaningful to talk about. If you've ever been close to NASCAR, you know that during any given week there are usually a dozen stories bubbling beneath the surface.
But Fox is so preoccupied with doing things that amuse its broadcasters and push them to center stage that it can't be bothered with much that's worthwhile.
Where this is really hurting NASCAR is with the casual fan in the big metro markets who figures he might give racing a try, only to have his suspicions confirmed that it isn't really anything to be taken seriously.
And those are the people who, in the long run, are going to decide if NASCAR makes it as a big-time, legitimate sport.
There is one true professional on Fox, Mike Joy, who is articulate, respects racing and takes it seriously.
But Fox needs to totally change its approach and probably most of its crew, as well.
For openers, its pit reporters could benefit from watching about 100 hours of Chris Economaki on film to see how a real pro works.
Fox has a good group of guys, many of whom have made their mark in the sport, and it isn't about them per se. To steal a line from The Godfather, "It's not personal, it's strictly business."
But just because you can build or drive a race car doesn't, by itself, mean you're qualified to handle a telecast, any more than being able to talk about racing qualifies you to drive or build a race car.
Patrick Zier is a retired sports writer for The Ledger.
The Ledger.com
Published Thursday, July 8, 2004
FOX Kills NASCAR's Appeal
Somehow, some way, Fox never got the message. Fox television ended its NASCAR season Saturday with the telecast of Daytona's rain-delayed Pepsi 400, and NBC now takes over for the rest of the year.
Frankly, that's got to be an improvement.
When the networks picked up NASCAR in 2000, it was supposed to mark the beginning of a new era.
The contract appeared to signify acceptance of stock car racing as a potential mainstream sport, not just a southern regional phenomenon.
For years, NASCAR has been fighting to rid itself of that label, to get the message out that it isn't just a bunch of good ol' boys banging fenders on a Sunday afternoon.
But labels are hard to remove, and that's still how an awful lot of people picture NASCAR.
Now, there was a real chance to change that. NASCAR would be treated like the NFL or baseball, presented professionally.
Unfortunately, that went right by Fox. It hired a crew of good ol' boys to do the telecasts, treated NASCAR like it was about on a level with professional wrestling, and perpetuated the image most outsiders have of the sport.
Clearly, Fox execs see NASCAR the way it was 40 or 50 years ago, not the way it is now.
And just as clearly, they have no respect for the majority of its fans, who expect the broadcast crew to give them information, not play video games with baseball caps worn backwards.
That is typical of the Fox approach, which seems more intent on making stars out of its announcers than covering the stars on the track.
It's like putting John Madden in a leather helmet and having him expound on football before they invented the forward pass, ignoring the fact that Peyton Manning has just thrown for five touchdowns in the second half.
How long would NFL fans put up with that?
And it's not like Fox couldn't find something meaningful to talk about. If you've ever been close to NASCAR, you know that during any given week there are usually a dozen stories bubbling beneath the surface.
But Fox is so preoccupied with doing things that amuse its broadcasters and push them to center stage that it can't be bothered with much that's worthwhile.
Where this is really hurting NASCAR is with the casual fan in the big metro markets who figures he might give racing a try, only to have his suspicions confirmed that it isn't really anything to be taken seriously.
And those are the people who, in the long run, are going to decide if NASCAR makes it as a big-time, legitimate sport.
There is one true professional on Fox, Mike Joy, who is articulate, respects racing and takes it seriously.
But Fox needs to totally change its approach and probably most of its crew, as well.
For openers, its pit reporters could benefit from watching about 100 hours of Chris Economaki on film to see how a real pro works.
Fox has a good group of guys, many of whom have made their mark in the sport, and it isn't about them per se. To steal a line from The Godfather, "It's not personal, it's strictly business."
But just because you can build or drive a race car doesn't, by itself, mean you're qualified to handle a telecast, any more than being able to talk about racing qualifies you to drive or build a race car.
Patrick Zier is a retired sports writer for The Ledger.
We've graduated from a discussion about FOX and it's broadcasting of the races vs NBC and it's broadcasting to NASCAR and the God Fathers and rain delays being stupidity on NASCAR's part. What the heck do those have to do with want the article in question? Well, at least one poster stated that there would be one less "fan" aboard come 2005..........that's a start. 
