Tiger Woods & NASCAR

I have been on a golf course twice in my life.  Once to try and play the silly game and once to cover the LPGA tournament for a local radio show.  I obviously; therefore don't play nor do I watch it on TV.  The Golf Channel is a total waste of +/- 50¢ of my ridiculously high cable bill.  I can't imagine how anyone can find pleasure in hitting a ball hundreds of feet then have to try and find where it went, only to smack it again and try to find it again, and on and on, until you are finally near your goal.

Now that you are within feet of your goal, you have to walk around it; peruse it from every angle, squat down to look at the lay of the land then take 3 or 4 practice swings before attempting to finish off the deed.  How do I know those "practice swings" weren't real swings you just missed on? 

I bring this up because, I was forced to watch the end of the Masters tournament while visiting relatives on Easter.  There wasn't much drama associated with the broadcast.  As a matter of fact when I kept asking, "Is that the guy leading?"  The reply was always, "No he's been done for some time and sitting in the clubhouse waiting for the supposed winners to finish.  The talk around the TV was how Tiger Woods needed to "eagle" the final two holes to force a playoff and that would be nearly impossible.  My take on it was that if Tiger was Tiger, and therefore the best, he should be able to do what was necessary to win.  That thought was greeted with all the reasons it was virtually impossible for him to pull off the win.

When the match was completed we then got to see the awarding of the "green jacket" and it was explained to me how the jacket stayed at the course until next year when the winner got to wear the jacket for next year's tourny.  That seemed like an odd deal to me.

So what does all that have to do with NASCAR?

You have to understand that I watched this with my entire family, who ALL golf and can't understand why I don't.  Every question I asked or comment I made about some stupid aspect of the game, tournament or golfer was answered; but with an added comment of, "It's better than watching cars go round and round and round for hours--waiting for them to crash."  The other comment I heard a lot from the non-racing crowd was, "Why aren't they racing today--just because its Easter?"  I guess the family aspect of NASCAR racing is lost on a lot of the stick and ball crowd.

NASCAR racing or any form of racing for that matter isn't for everyone, but I think much of that still has to do with the  "Southern Moonshine" stigma that many of the stick and ballers have.  Racing, especially NASCAR racing, is about the personalities involved.  Once non-fans start getting into the personalities of those involved, is when new fans are made.

So lets not be too quick to suppress drivers, crewmen and owner's quirks, foibles and down right nastiness.  The sport needs it, and them, to regain it's growth spurt.

Comments

[Olde Typewriter (vroom)]

I guess to each his own, my next door neighbor is an announcer on The Golf Channel...he'll enjoy a little racing action with me too! some vroom with cars, others with stick and ball.

[charlie]

I have never understood the seeming predudice displayed by stick and ball sportsters. I listen to too much sports-talk radio and a majority have more than a mere lack of interest in auto racing, NASCAR it seems particularly - they act like they're from Seattle or something. By that, I mean, opposed to rather than disinterested in. Perhaps the Seattle analogy is closer than I first thought. Ignorance is probably the root cause - that and fear that NASCAR's popularity with such a large segment of the population will take something away from them. Like two hours a week of broadcast time. In the great northwest aka Stupidland, it's probably due to lack of sleep. Thanks a bunch Starbucks.