Comments on: Whew … I’m from the Midwest http://morethanthegame.com/blog/2008/01/31/whew-im-from-the-midwest/ ...the what's, why's and how's of sport. Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:47:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Brendon Etter http://morethanthegame.com/blog/2008/01/31/whew-im-from-the-midwest/#comment-15 Brendon Etter Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:08:04 +0000 http://morethanthegame.com/blog/2008/01/31/whew-im-from-the-midwest/#comment-15 I don't pay any attention to auto racing, but would have to accede to NASCAR being a sport, only in the sense that it is a competition with set rules and an obvious winner. I don't think you can fault the corporate sponsorship angle as demeaning to it as a sport. It's horribly garish and obvious, certainly, but we are on the verge of yet another Super Bowl which has, as a highlight, its ludicrously expensive ads. All major sports, and certainly the "big 4" pro team sports in America, are hugely subsidized by corporate sponsorship. The real test for drivers as athletes would be to put the same driver in different cars with different pit crews and see if he has the same success. If 'yes', then he probably rises above "average guy" status as you posit here. Thanks for the writing. I don't follow sports much any more, but I've been enjoying your posts as they pop up on Northfield.org. I don’t pay any attention to auto racing, but would have to accede to NASCAR being a sport, only in the sense that it is a competition with set rules and an obvious winner.

I don’t think you can fault the corporate sponsorship angle as demeaning to it as a sport. It’s horribly garish and obvious, certainly, but we are on the verge of yet another Super Bowl which has, as a highlight, its ludicrously expensive ads. All major sports, and certainly the “big 4″ pro team sports in America, are hugely subsidized by corporate sponsorship.

The real test for drivers as athletes would be to put the same driver in different cars with different pit crews and see if he has the same success. If ‘yes’, then he probably rises above “average guy” status as you posit here.

Thanks for the writing. I don’t follow sports much any more, but I’ve been enjoying your posts as they pop up on Northfield.org.

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