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RSS FeedHigh speed car racing: Should Daytona and Talladega be banned?
Results so far:
| Yes | 13% | 54 votes | Total: 404 votes | |
| No | 87% | 350 votes |
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Add to FavoritesBan Daytona and Tallagega, and then ban all the other races as well.
I live in dread of Sunday afternoons, which used to be my favorite time of the week.
We live in a small house - one living area and one TV, and every Sunday of the racing season, that TV is tuned to racing. I don't understand the nuances of the 'sport', nor do I care to - I once referred to it as "international paint drying", until it was pointed out that it is a true American 'sport'.
It figures.
But that that isn't why I want racing banned.
Nor is it because I fear for safety of the drivers or the crowds. Nor is it because of the inane babbling of the commentators. Nor is it because of the blatant advertising of products that may be "unsuitable for young viewers".
I have other reasons.
First, it sets the wrong example -it glorifies speeding. Every little hot-shot punk with a car or truck aspires to be a race car driver and they practice, practice, practice - in town, in the country, on the expressway and in the church parking lot across the street. If they put some of that energy in to studying or working at something worthwhile, they might get somewhere, other than wrapped around a tree.
Second, what a waste of petroleum! It isn't just the running around the track, for hours on end, there are the qualifiers and the testing of the vehicles during the week prior and during the off-season. There are the convoys of trucks and buses that move the drivers and their crews across the country to each race. There are the thousands and thousands of fans that drive to those races.
And what about the emissions? What are the standards for emission control? Ok, it is fairly localized, but what about all of the fan's cars, idling in line to get in and out of the racetracks?
Fourth, it is a waste of mental resources. If the skill and ingenuity used to create these four-wheel rockets were applied to real problems, just think where we could be. We could solve the problem of the impending oil-shortage (come on, you know it's coming), we could have cleaner, more efficient vehicles, we might even have proper space travel.
Fifth, I am all for occasional mindless escapism, but this is more like mass hypnotism on a grand scale. The excitement of the crash and the grudge matches on and off the track are the only highlights, and what does that say about our mentality. Don't grownups have something more intellectually stimulating to do? Oh, there are the endless and mind-numbing statistics that accompany every sport, and I suppose it could be said the recall of said statistics can sharpen the mind, but aren't there more useful things to be learned?
So on Sundays I hide in the garden or work in my little workshop. If I am feeling particularly lazy I prop myself up in a lawn chair with a good book, a glass of beer and a stack of CD's. And I look forward to the end of the race season.
PS Maybe if they really did have "Team Tampax" I could whip up a bit more enthusiasm.
Then again, maybe not.
Learn more about this author, Pat Gray.
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No
Ban Daytona and Talladega? Sure, why not? And while you're at it ban rock concerts, football games, baseball games, golf...heck, just ban everything that could be considered frivolous fun! I read this topic and then read some of the responses and I must say thanks to those who voted yes, I needed a good laugh.
Does NASCAR "glorify" speeding? It encourages it's participants (the key word here is "participants...as in paid drivers) to drive fast that much is true, but show me one time where they say on-air for the viewing audience to do the same. If you want to blame someone for illegal racing blame the makers of "The Fast and the Furious" movies and the like, or you could even be so bold as to blame the speeders themselves for speeding (after all, isn't that their choice).
As for what it takes to be a driver, NASCAR drivers put in lots of time and effort to make sure they are physically fit for this sport. It's not just driving around in circles, it's doing so at high speeds and temperatures. There is no air-conditioning in their cars and to be able to complete a race would require an extreme amount of endurane. If you call golf a sport (swinging a metal stick at a ball and going from hole to hole in a golf cart) or bowling a sport (rolling a big ball a few feet down a lane to hit some pins and sitting around in the meantime) then auto racing surely qualifies.
Now lets take a look at fuel aspect of it. Yes, it's true that the sport uses a significant amount of gas. Does this mean we will run out of gas because of it? No. If other resources were utilized (such as cars that can run on hydrogen and cars that run on bio diesel) there wouldn't be so much fear about a fuel shortage. If that is your major issue, I suggest you take a couple minutes from your oh so busy schedule and write your Congressman. Other options exist for us, it's just no one seems to want to take advantage of them.
I would also like to point out that many drivers have their own charities and foundations to help those who are less fortunate or have an illness. They make lots of money and put lots of money towards helping others.
In closing, if you were to ban even just a couple races you would have to ban many more sporting events in other sports otherwise it's just a witch hunt. I understand that not everyone likes watching and many find it boring and pointless, but to ban something because someone finds it boring? I think not! If you've ever been to a race, you know its a lot more than what it appears to be on TV. Maybe if you actually attended a race you might just walk away a little more open minded about it.
Learn more about this author, Gilbert Barrett.
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