Posted on 05/15/2012 11:48:09 AM PDT by InvisibleChurch
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has been considered America’s fastest growing sport, quickly becoming a national phenomenon. But a new economic study shows even NASCAR’s powerful engines haven’t been able to keep up with the Obama-era economy.
The study, from the pro-market think tank Public Notice and Race Fans 4 Freedom, finds that the economic downturn of the last several years has directly affected how NASCAR fans watch and enjoy their sport. Since 2009, race attendance per year has fallen below 4 million people, and the number has been declining severely as the unemployment rate has skyrocketed. The cost of attending—with higher gas prices, less disposable income, and diminished financial security—has increased.
According to the study, the value of the sport, too, is threatened by the poor economy, with the stock prices of racing team companies plummeting in the last five years and sponsors pulling back on funding cars....
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
NASCAR is dying because the cookie-cutter cars are boring and the predictable late-race crashes/cautions are getting tiresome.
And I’m not even a huge fan...
You invest the time to watch a 400 or 500 mile race only to be treated to a Green/White/Checker finish with a bunched-up field. Zzzzzzz!
The Obama economy is also impacting the NFL.
There are football stadiums that were once overflowing with NFL fans that are now somewhat empty during games.
Also, ticket prices and cost of attending are way past what the average people can afford even in a good economy.
“NASCAR is dying because the cookie-cutter cars are boring”
Don’t forget:
cookie-cutter drivers
cookie-cutter race tracks
cookie-cutter races
My favorite line used to be (to my open wheel and F1 friends) “it’s the last, honest, unscripted, real racing on the planet.”
Obviously I haven’t said that in a while.
The European Touring Car series is worth a look...same with the Australian V8’s.
If NASCAR was smart, they’d let the domestic marques race their 2-door RWD V8 cars like Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers, etc.
You’d see not only attendance/viewership spike, the sales of those models would increase as well.
I am off 95% in the wedding business. Families are afraid to spend anything these days.
They have slept with the enemy (dems) & woken up with a headache.
I won’t bore you with paragraphs of what ails NASCAR but suffice it to say that when the marketing tail began wagging the racing dog it all went downhill very quickly.
Used to go to 3 or 4 races a year. Don’t go to any now. Charlotte tickets were approaching $500 for 2 tickets for 2 races. We said that’s it. Too much. Gave up the last tickets 3 years ago. Costs way to much to attend now.
Thes CAR OF TOMORROW help drive a few nails in the coffin. Drivers having to be polite and PC. Now they are running ethanol, the stuff that is eating motors alive everywhere else. Then Moochele. Haven’t even watched one on TV since that happened.
GOOD! All them crackers need to feel the pain, like the black man did for enduring 400 years of slavery!
“I am off 95% in the wedding business.”
Same here and now the families are wanting ala-carte services. Time to look into another career. Who am I kidding, we will get past it like we did before.
“...has been considered America’s fastest growing sport, quickly becoming a national phenomenon”
Huh? NASCAR’s popularity began to grow in the 80’s when races started being broadcast on live TV. NASCAR however was formed in the late 40’s. hardly a quick jump to popularity by any standards.
They sort of are doing that in the Nationwide series...the cars are now stickered up to look like Challengers and Mustangs instead of Chargers and Fusions. They’re still the same car, though.
“Stock” cars haven’t been “stock” for about 30 years now.
Australian V8 Supercar racing is FANTASTIC. They’re still not “stock” cars but at least they more resemble their Holden and Ford counterparts than Sprint Cup cars do. And the road course racing they do is intense. (And at least Australia seems to be the only country other than us who ever really fell in love with the concept of the big-displacement V8.)
}:-)4
There is no question that Obama has hurt everything except the bill collector business. Sports are no exception. BUT, what drives ticket sales is charismatic characters who are either loved or hated. Jeff Gordon was a lightning rod a decade ago, but he doesn’t win enough to arouse such passion anymore. BTW, I am not a NASCAR fan, but I no longer hear the back and forth jibes that once dominated fans’ conversations.
Some of the women may hate me for saying this, but when Annika Sorenstam dominated women’s golf, she did everything possible to make her lovely countenance less appealing. Cropped, sometimes buzzed hair, no make-up, bland attire. I guarantee that had Annika understood what it is that puts bodies in the gallery, talent PLUS sex appeal, the women’s tour would have drowned in cash. Oh well. Bob
Fake debris cautions, barn-door aerodynamics on the COT, rock-hard Goodyear tires that cause virtually no decrease in lap times during a fuel run, the Chase, way too many cookie-cutter mile-and-a-half tracks...there’s a lot of things that are screwing up the actual racing in Sprint Cup. The economy is wrecking the sponsorship dollars, and the high ticket price (and gouging of hotel/food/gas prices on race weekends) are driving away the fans that can still stand the racing.
}:-)4
I say, to spice it up, make the track a same-level figure 8.
NHMS used to charge at least $50/ticket. Today they have starting ticket prices under $20/ticket. Hopey-changey, hopey-changey.
Look at any sporting event. They all have lots of empty seats. MLB is really hurting. Add to that, teams have been raising ticket prices while most of the folks who would go to a game are more concerned about putting food in the fridge than going to a game.
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