As a sports fan, a person does not always enjoy each sport in the realm, or feel the same way about it as others might. This week, Nick Jones, Editor-In-Chief of The Voice, and Rebecca Hall, Managing Editor for The Voice, give their opinion about whether or not NASCAR racing is a sport.
NASCAR - National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
Rebecca Hall, Managing Editor
The issue of NASCAR racing being a real sport has always been a point of annoyance for me. Growing up in a family who loved the sport and having the opportunity to go to races ever since I was old enough to walk has injected the excitement of NASCAR into my life. From looking at me you would never be able to tell that the sounds of revving engines and the sight of cars going 200 mph would get my blood pumping, but it does. Because of this, I take some offense when people say, "NASCAR isn't a real sport!"
Sure, those who don't believe that auto-racing is a real sport do make some valid points, like "it's all left turns" and "anyone can drive fast." I find, however, that the people who say NASCAR isn't a sport are also those people who know nothing about it.
NASCAR drivers are athletes just like Derek Jeter and Eli Manning. They train physically and mentally, maybe not for agility or speed, but for endurance. Stock car drivers are strapped into their vehicles for up to, if not more than four hours in a single sitting. Sure, average people drive in their own cars for just as long if not longer but, are they strapped in, barely able to move, with a steering wheel that can be taken off? I don't think so. Drivers are strapped into their vehicles with helmets and safety harnesses, making it impossible for the average person to be able to complete a standard NASCAR race without some kind of endurance training, the same type of training those athletes in other sports complete.
NASCAR cars are also not your average family mini-van. The oversized engine that comes standard in stock cars is what allows racers to reach speeds in excess of 200 mph. In order to drive and control these souped-up vehicles, the driver needs to have a certain type of talent and skill, just like the star goalie of a hockey team. Goalies take slap-shot after slap-shot in order to hone their defensive skills, just like NASCAR drivers do test-run after test-run in order to be better trained as an athlete.
Drafting is also an important skill that NASCAR drivers need to be able to do to compete. Drafting is a technique when two cars align allowing the second car to move faster because the first car is deflecting most of the resistance. If you recall in Will Ferrell's movie "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," Ricky Bobby pulls up close behind another car and then "slingshots" around it, passing the car and taking the lead. Being able to draft in NASCAR racing gives racers the ability to effectively pass other drivers in order to win races. The average American driver could possibly be able to draft other vehicles on the highway, but doing so at excessive speeds takes practice and skill in order to not cause accidents.
Knowing when to draft, when to make a pit stop, and when to pass on the inside track are all things that NASCAR drivers need to know in order to be great at their sport, just like basketball players need to know when to pass, when to run a lay-up, or when to take that chance on a 3-point shot. So what makes NASCAR so different from other professional sports? Drivers train like athletes, practice like athletes and compete like athletes. Mom always said, "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, chances are is it a duck." NASCAR racers do all the things that athletes do, making themselves athletes; therefore it would be easy to admit that NASCAR is a sport!
NASCAR – Non-Athletic Sport Created Around Rednecks!
Nick Jones, Editor-In-Chief
I hear the same complaints all of the time from NASCAR fans. "You don't understand the sport, we're not all rednecks and we just like speed." That's fine, but I don't count NASCAR as a sport.
First off, I acknowledge that it takes time and practice to be able to drive safely at speeds upwards of 200 mph. I commend them on their abilities, but they aren't sports stars. It takes time and practice to be good at anything. If that's how we want to define sports, then being a journalist would make me a sports star. I have spent long hours learning and practicing how to write articles, edit and create newspapers.
Being strapped into a car, of your own free will, doesn't count you as an athlete either. Everyone has to wear uniforms. Football players have to wear pads and helmets and soldiers have to wear their armor and their uniforms. These are meant to keep people safe in unsafe environments, so you can't count putting up with safety concerns as being athletic. While it does take endurance to sit in a car for 4 hours, it takes a lot of endurance to be a cheerleader, or to play video games.
Speaking of video games, if NASCAR is a sport, than we can count video games as sports. It takes a lot of endurance to sit in front of the TV or computer screen and focus on a game for that long. You need to know what buttons to push for each desired effect, and you need to be able to make quick decisions. While following a storyline, you must make your character the best that it can be, and be able to think on your feet. So, because they practice using the same buttons over and over again, they sit in one place for long periods of time, and because they are constantly challenged mentally, they deserve to be considered sports stars too.
It is ridiculous to think that NASCAR is a sport without looking at other activities and not labeling them as sports. Bowling requires concentration, skill and lots of practice to become good at it. This should automatically consider bowling a sport, but the general consensus is that it is merely a recreational activity. So why is NASCAR considered a sport, when these are not?
Every sport seems ridiculous when you break it down to its basic points, but none more so than NASCAR. "Ok guys, lets drive really fast in circles for four hours, and the person who is at the front wins. Oh yeah, and remember, no right turns."
I guess we can easily simplify the activity that is known as NASCAR as "I like fast cars." Yes, I will admit, the thought of driving a car at ridiculous speeds sounds like a lot of fun. However, it sounds like an activity, like rock climbing, or hiking. You go drive real fast for a couple hours, and then you're done. It is not a sport, and it shouldn't be considered one.
Does this mean I am demeaning the drivers or pit crew? Of course not. I have a lot of respect for the people who participate in NASCAR, and I fully realize that I would never be able to do what they do. Having said this, I still cannot consider them athletes or NASCAR a sport. Just because they do something I cannot does not automatically ensure them athletic status.
So no, NASCAR is not a sport. While it may be interesting to watch, and the drivers may be physically or mentally challenged, it is not what I would define as a sport. If NASCAR is to be considered a sport, then so should cheerleading, bowling, and playing video games. What would be next, watching paint dry and juggling goslings?
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