Why do the major professional sports leagues hate their fans so much? Or should I ask, why do major professional sports leagues hate their mature fans so much? Tuesday exemplified perfectly why I raise that question.
Let’s start with NASCAR’s decision to drop its race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for a new street race in downtown Chicago. Road America got two year’s worth of Cup Series races before NASCAR decided to blow it off the schedule. For those who have never been there, Road America is a fantastic racing venue. It’s wide circuit, differences in elevation, and tricky turn combinations make for some great action, and fans have plenty of opportunities to stake out good vantage points to watch. The weekend experience is even better, with a lot of campsites available and a party atmosphere. The drivers also love it because it is technically challenging, punishes mistakes, but still provides room to race and to pass. Plus, Wisconsin is a “NASCAR state” that has produced a number of drivers–including some Cup champions.
But NASCAR doesn’t care about all of that. That is clearly evident as yesterday they went to Chicago and announced that Road America’s date on the calendar will be replaced by the Windy City. In a classic fish out of water moment, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot took part in the big announcement, even though I can guarantee that she could not name one NASCAR driver. Bubba Wallace was sent to Chi-town for the big event as well, in what I am sure was a desperate attempt to draw some attention from the population that makes up a large segment of that city.
It’s no secret that NASCAR’s popularity is dwindling. The loss of major, charismatic stars (through death on the track or retirement) has left the series with a bunch of bland, no names. The move away from model-specific bodies on the racecars has stripped away brand-loyalty, and efforts to make the sport “safer” have left it less exciting–and made most races a contest of fuel-efficiency and pit strategy.
Meanwhile, Formula One is making serious inroads with younger American fans. Not because they are spellbound by some greater form of racing action–most F1 races are decided in qualifying with little passing on most tracks. But the drivers have become mini reality show stars thanks to documentaries on streaming services and slick social media campaigns. But the powers that be at NASCAR think the attraction must be driving through streets of major cities–and they are going to give that a try in a city that has few if any stock car racing fans, on a track that is going to be boring as hell. I can guarantee that NO ONE is going to make a weekend out of getting an outrageously overpriced hotel room and snooty food to watch a race out the window of some business office in downtown Chicago.
Then last night, Major League Baseball decided to put its All-Stars in uniforms that left fans unable to distinguish who the players are and what teams they play on. White on white for the National League (because they were the home team), dark gray on dark gray for the American League. Both sides with matching hats that made the logos on them just as difficult to see. Of course, social media “influencers” are posting “Those All Star threads are (fire emoji)”–likely because MLB or Nike paid them to post that in order to drive on-line jersey sales. While those that follow and cover the sport were left to wonder what was wrong with guys wearing their own team’s home or away jerseys like they did for 90-years?
The game was a fitting summary of where baseball is right now. All 5 runs were scored on home runs–and there were 22 strikeouts. Kudos to anyone that made it through all nine innings of that one–you are a true baseball diehard. Even if the guys running the sport hate that you are, and want to replace you with younger “consumers” with 10-second attention spans that will flit to the next “hot thing” that people on TikTok are raving about right after the sport is completely overhauled to try and suit their entertainment needs.
