I haven’t spent nearly as much time over here as used to be the case. It’s not for any lack of interest in NASCAR or absence of discussion material. Rather, it’s for reasons loftier and darker.
When I left SportsBlogs Nation, the purpose was twofold: focus on finishing the book, which is now completed and available, and work on getting back to the tangent-laden mix of commentary and hopefully humorous entertainment which was my standard operational procedure for the blog before I moved to SBN in April of 2007. As I’ve explained before, I didn’t feel compelled to leave as a consequence of any censorship on SBN’s part, for there was none. It was, as far as the blogging itself goes, out of respect for the people who lead SBN. Where I felt led by the Lord to go was not their objective. They brought me on board to do a NASCAR, adding later on a San Jose Sharks, blog. Not preach. I could not abuse the platform they had provided, even as I could not deny what was being pressed on my heart. It needs to be noted that even if the time with SBN had not transpired I would have hung a “gone fishin’” sign on this blog sometime last year in order to concentrate on the book and as a second priority Goldfish and Clowns, my personal/spiritual/political blog. While I dearly love this blog, GAC is my online passion.
That said, although it is true I haven’t lost my interest in NASCAR I have also been in something of a lingering funk about the sport for more than a year. I freely admit a lot of this had to do with Jeff Gordon’s performance (or lack thereof) last year. While I did my best on Restrictor Plate This to maintain a somewhat neutral online persona, not favoring one driver over another, I never stopped being a #24 diehard who was disheartened over what by Jeff Gordon standards was a miserable year. Thankfully, 2009 has proven (at least thus far) to be anything but more of the same. Now, if only Dale Earnhardt Jr. would get off his Wrangler-clad butt, get his head in the game with his team doing the same, and follow his teammates’ lead! But I digress. At least a little.
The aforementioned cause for indifference notwithstanding, starting late last year and growing in intensity this year has been a distraction causing me to somewhat deliberately distance myself from NASCAR for a reason I’ll explain in a bit. First, the reason itself and a bit of commentary on same.
As Bram brilliantly put it a few days ago (the entirety of his post on the subject should be mandatory reading for all auto racing fans), the trainwreck that is the American auto industry, combined with the present administration’s in the case of GM de facto takeover of same for the purpose of as much protecting the UAW while leaving GM’s stock and bond holders to fend for themselves as dictating action that will hopefully enable GM to pay back the massive amounts of bailout money it has been loaned, has cast a pall over NASCAR. The unfunny April Fools joke by Car and Driver about the Obama White House ordering GM and Chrysler out of NASCAR carries no guarantee that it will remain a weak attempt at humor. When you’re looking at bankruptcy as the only way out of your predicament, and in the case of Chrysler liquidation possibly beginning as soon as the end of the month, factory support for race teams is quite likely to be discontinued. To put it mildly.
While NASCAR itself shows zero evidence of folding, the impact of the above on what makes the sport — its drivers and teams — cannot be overestimated. If Chrysler closes shop, unless someone comes along to buy Dodge and maintain its present commitment to NASCAR, neither of which are likely, Penske and Petty will have to switch manufacturers in mid-season. If GM cuts or drops altogether its support for its teams as part of bankruptcy, major players like Hendrick, Stewart Haas and Childress will take a huge hit. What will happen to the teams running Chevrolets who aren’t in the same league? With sponsorship dollars growing ever scarcer, a lot of people will be in for a world of hurt when they are laid off or their teams fold altogether due to no longer being able to afford the cost of doing business.
Long story short: it’s more than a little difficult to whoop it up for NASCAR when you don’t know what’s coming tomorrow.
The other reason for deliberately distancing myself from NASCAR, although closely related to the aforementioned uncertainty, comes from personal experience. I’m a passionate Oakland A’s fan, and have been one ever since they moved out here from Kansas City in 1968. I’ve been with them through tremendous highs and dreary lows. The lowest of those lows was in 1994, the year a players strike (or owners lockout, depending on who you ask) wiped out the season from mid-August going forward including the World Series.
During that year, it was announced that the family which at that time owned the A’s had put them up for sale. Although finding local ownership was preferable, there was no guarantee this would be the case. It was not inconceivable the team could be moved to any one of a number of cities.
It was not inconceivable the team I grew up with, and shared so many memories of with my late father, was going away.
I went to what would become the final home game of the season. It was known the next day would mark the strike’s beginning. Although there was always hope for a resolution, the two sides were so far apart it was safe to assume this was going to be it for the year. Or more.
I lingered in my seat long after the final pitch (the A’s lost) with one thought screaming in my head: would this be the last time I’d see my team? I’d already been through this before when the Oakland (later California Golden) Seals moved to Cleveland in the mid ’70s before eventually folding into the Minnesota North Stars and disappearing, then later when the Raiders moved to Los Angeles. There was no desire to go through it again. Yes, I knew this was a sign sports meant too much to me. But still, the fear of what might come was strong.
I don’t want to feel that way ever again.
That’s why these days I’m having a hard time wrapping my arms around NASCAR. I feel the fear Bram talked about. Not as a participant, but as a fan. It may be irrational on my part, but I fear for NASCAR’s future. I feel like I, along with everyone else who loves and especially participates in the sport, is being railroaded by the actions surrounding GM and Chrysler with Ford bringing up the rear. I’m seeing on the horizon drastic cuts up to and including high profile teams calling it a day. It’s disturbing. It’s not a good place to be in when you’re trying to be a fan.
That’s why I haven’t written much here lately.
