detlef Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I keep seeing this article in various forms. Talking about what Nascar is doing wrong and how they're "losing" fans. It baffles me that nobody is prepared to give the following reason: It never had a bunch to fans begin with. The fans it's "losing" were outsiders who just checked it out and realized they weren't fans afterall. Nascar is a niche sport, always was, always should have been. The simple fact is that many of us aren't interested in watching car go 'round in circles. What happened was, that Nascar did a great job of marketing their sport during a time that happened to be when lots of people had extra money in their pockets, so a bunch of people came and checked it out. Therefor, during that time, you had all the same hardcore fans you always had, plus a bunch of people giving it a shot. Then, many or most of those people realized that it was still dudes driving around in circles and went back to whatever sports they'd always liked to watch. A situation that having less money in their pockets didn't help. The End. Sorry Nascar, I hope you enjoyed the extra cash you made during your short-lived heyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zooty Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 kind of like poker and the poker boom but boring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skilly Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 You mean the media telling us for years that NASCAR is the country's "most popular sport" were wrong?? Which I'm sure was based on a highly scientific poll...something to the effect of: "Do you watch NASCAR races?" "Umm, well maybe once I....." "Thank you." Mark him down as a NASCAR fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Nascar, what a sleeper worse then golf, Sprint cars and dragsters now that has potential Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhippens Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 in my mind, it's become such a science that your regular guy can't relate anymore. the sport started by bringing what you had to the track, driving the wheels off it, and improving the car more than the other guys. sprinkle in a little cheating, and it was nothing that you or i couldn't do in our garage on the weekends. now it's a science being dominated by the teams that have the most cars and therefore the most data. the cars are spec'd, although guys like knaus still find ways to cheat, and the tracks are smooth. the races have become dull and boring unless there are 43 cars crammed onto a half mile. also, each week, about 5-10 teams race 10 laps and pull off the track. i still follow nascar because i'm a redneck at heart and i grew up watching with my dad, but i don't get excited much anymore. each sunday, if i think about it, i'll flip over to watch a little bit or pick up the last 30 laps. it's a crapshoot whether there will be racing going on or a leader ahead of the field by 9 seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditkaless Wonders Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Not my cup of tea. Still, I can understand why the drivers do it. They go fast, make big bucks, and get smokin hot wifes and girlfriends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Its almost as boring as soccer....almost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 in my mind, it's become such a science that your regular guy can't relate anymore. the sport started by bringing what you had to the track, driving the wheels off it, and improving the car more than the other guys. sprinkle in a little cheating, and it was nothing that you or i couldn't do in our garage on the weekends. now it's a science being dominated by the teams that have the most cars and therefore the most data. the cars are spec'd, although guys like knaus still find ways to cheat, and the tracks are smooth. the races have become dull and boring unless there are 43 cars crammed onto a half mile. also, each week, about 5-10 teams race 10 laps and pull off the track. i still follow nascar because i'm a redneck at heart and i grew up watching with my dad, but i don't get excited much anymore. each sunday, if i think about it, i'll flip over to watch a little bit or pick up the last 30 laps. it's a crapshoot whether there will be racing going on or a leader ahead of the field by 9 seconds. All this may be true, but unless the numbers now are lower than they were prior to the explosion it had 10-15 years ago, then the problem is not that Nascar is losing "its" fans but rather most of the people who went in and checked it out realized it wasn't their deal. And if that's the case, then it actually isn't anything they're now doing wrong, but rather that it never actually had the universal appeal they hoped it did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajncajn Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Its almost as boring as soccer....almost Yep, I actually tried watching parts of a soccer game last night & every time I started to watch somebody got hurt or at least acted like they did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Never have watched anything other than clips of NASCAR and even those supposed highlights were simply men driving cars in circles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Almost as boring as the Tour de France. Almost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Its almost as boring as soccer....almost It's a funny thing about soccer. If it's some league match or such, I have absolutely zero interest in watching it. If the guys at work are gathered around the TV between shifts watching, I might watch with them for a minute because it's just as much fun to watch them contort and freak out with each play. But still, no interest. And then it comes to the World Cup or Euro Cup, and it immediately becomes appt. TV for me. Sort of the same way with tennis. I never, ever, ever watch it, until it's a major and then I'm catching as many matches as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhippens Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Just giving you my perspective. If there are numbers to validate what type of fans they are losing, then that would make it easier. I can see where it seems boring to most, and I have thought so for the past few years. It wasn't always like that. I have always hated Indy racing because the cars were so tweaked and you'd see about 5 passes a day. I would much rather watch a dirt or drag race at this point than NASCAR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Just giving you my perspective. If there are numbers to validate what type of fans they are losing, then that would make it easier. I can see where it seems boring to most, and I have thought so for the past few years. It wasn't always like that. I have always hated Indy racing because the cars were so tweaked and you'd see about 5 passes a day. I would much rather watch a dirt or drag race at this point than NASCAR. And a valid perspective it is. I actually tried to find historical numbers for Nascar to see if it has dipped below the attendance levels it had prior to the boom but couldn't find any. Mind you, the problem with growing your brand is that you can then no longer afford to operate if sales go back to the pre-expansion levels because it costs more to operate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 true or false STP doesn't do chit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 It's a funny thing about soccer. If it's some league match or such, I have absolutely zero interest in watching it. If the guys at work are gathered around the TV between shifts watching, I might watch with them for a minute because it's just as much fun to watch them contort and freak out with each play. But still, no interest. And then it comes to the World Cup or Euro Cup, and it immediately becomes appt. TV for me. Sort of the same way with tennis. I never, ever, ever watch it, until it's a major and then I'm catching as many matches as I can. This is very true. I love the excitement of the world cup or euro cup but for me I think I get more swept up in the fans and fanfare of the events rather than the games themselves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 This is very true. I love the excitement of the world cup or euro cup but for me I think I get more swept up in the fans and fanfare of the events rather than the games themselves Kinda like me and hockey. The only time I watch it is in the Olympics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slambo Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Demolition derbies and figure 8 racing ...now thats exciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slambo Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 STP doesn't do chit Yeah, but their stickers looked really cool stuck all over my Schwinn Stingray back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 If only they'd turn right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 If only they'd turn right... They do at this track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 They do at this track That's true. My thought was to switch it up half way thru the race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditkaless Wonders Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Some things are hella fun to participate in, but boring to watch. I like playing soccer, but hate watching it. I bet it is a blast to race Nascar, but watching is not for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Imagine how more entertaining NASCAR could be if half the cars were going the other direction at the same time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Imagine how more entertaining NASCAR could be if half the cars were going the other direction at the same time? Exactly. Someone finally gets it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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