Track walk at Charlotte Motor Speedway Coca-Cola 600

Track walk at Charlotte Motor Speedway Coca-Cola 600
Track walk at Charlotte Motor Speedway Coca-Cola 600

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Two simple reasons why I left the MLB, NBA and NFL for NASCAR

I used to be a baseball fanatic as a kid. I even wanted to play for the New York Yankees as a middle school little leaguer, but as I grew older and left my athletic pursuits behind, I starting enjoying NBA games, then eventually went to the NFL, but now I've left those all behind for Nascar. I recently contemplated why this was the case, and I narrowed it down to two main reasons:

1) Ease of following the sport.
         While I've always been a Tampa Bay Buccaneer fan, I've recently felt disenfranchised by the NFL. I've given many Sunday afternoons to this sport and while I don't live in Tampa, I've seen them play a few games here in Charlotte, I bought the jerseys, coffee mugs, other memorabilia, and I used to bleed, well, red.  While I still hold a special place in my heart for the Bucs, I can't follow them. You may wonder why, but isn't it simple? Unless you live in the area of your team you are only guaranteed to watch them play on network television a few times a year. Of course, you can hope for the playoffs, but unless your team is the Patriots or the Packers, the likelihood is slim.  Yes, yes, I could spend hundreds of dollars on an NFL package with one of those fancy satellite companies, but then again, no I can't. I just can't afford it!
        Nascar is different. I know that when the weekend rolls around I have a race to watch and many times I have more than one (Nationwide and Trucks) if I have the time. There's no question in my mind that on any given weekend I will get my weekly dose of Nascar.
        What do I usually get when I want to watch my NFL team on the weekend? Highlights.

2) Satisfaction of watching a well run race.

       Whether you notice it or not, there's a psychology to sports, and more specifically in this case, taking in a sporting event. When my Buccaneers won, I would be really excited, but when they lost I would get depressed, sometimes for days on end. I'd wallow in pity with my fellow Bucs fans, and wonder if the Bucs would ever make it back to the Superbowl.
        But with Nascar, at least for me, it's a completely different experience. First, and I'd love some commentary on this, but I don't have only ONE driver that I follow and salute. So, while Trevor Bayne may have a bad week, maybe Smoke will be in the chase for the win.  Thus, while I may be disappointed in a specific driver's performance, I'm not depressed because I don't watch the race for only one driver. I also don't get depressed if one of my drivers doesn't win, because with over 40 drivers, I should be surprised if they won!  Plus, no matter what, you get the perks of any Nascar race: fast driving, awesome restarts, the drama of the race, and even an occasional wreck. (I included a video of a Travis Pastrana wreck above. While I didn't get much of his skid in the grass- notice the driver go into pit road to avoid Travis' debacle.)
        So the result of a Nascar race in my experience has never been depression, and it has the potential for as much more excitement and adulation than any NFL, NBA, or MLB game.

If you liked what you've read, and you want to know more about our family experiences and tips for Nascar Newbs - follow this feed or my twitter account @DeanHardy23

No comments:

Post a Comment