Is NASCAR a sport?

[townhallsavoy 2]

should have more of a national following than NASCAR.

Why WHY WHY is NASCAR getting pushed so much this season? It's been all over ESPN and it even took over the 4pm-5pmCT slot on ESPN. I liked Around the Horn and PTI. NASCAR is barely a sport - it's guys driving around in a circle for 5 and a half hours. Yet for some reason, it's been the new hype for the past few weeks. Are there any NASCAR fans on the forum? Anybody care to explain the NASCAR frenzy to me?

[AU_tiger_2000 0]

Because it is the 4th largest spectator sport in terms of attendance and viewing audience in the country. It has far surpassed NHL (big surprise there) and is catching up with baseball and basketball quickly. Also since there is only one race a week an advertiser knows that all the fans are going to be watching only one contest unlike football which has their viewers split up over many channels and games. That way you get the most for your advertising dollar.

I'm not a true NASCAR fan in that I don't have a favorite driver and am more interested in what happens in spring training for Auburn and MLB than the standings in the Nextel cup points race but I do appreciate the races and spent my afternoon today watching the Daytona 500.

But to answer your question more directly I haven't noticed any more hype about this season than any other. The only increase in news I have heard is because of the cheating scandals surrounding some of the teams.

[C-villetiger1 0]

To tell you the truth if you dont race you dont get it. It is not "a bunch of guys running around in a cirle" and no you could not "do it just as well as them". And to answer your question ESPN has picked up the Busch series that is why they are pimping it. It IS just as much of a sport as any other. If you dont think so dirve 500 miles in 3.5 hours and tell me you arent exahusted and worn completley out. Just because we all do it every day doesnt mean it isnt a sport and damn sure does not mean anyone can do it! And dont take it personlay the way I said this it is that I have answered and defended this SPORT my entire life. My dad builds race cars!

[GalensGhost 0]

Because it is the 4th largest spectator sport in terms of attendance and viewing audience in the country. It has far surpassed NHL (big surprise there) and is catching up with baseball and basketball quickly. Also since there is only one race a week an advertiser knows that all the fans are going to be watching only one contest unlike football which has their viewers split up over many channels and games. That way you get the most for your advertising dollar.

I'm not a true NASCAR fan in that I don't have a favorite driver and am more interested in what happens in spring training for Auburn and MLB than the standings in the Nextel cup points race but I do appreciate the races and spent my afternoon today watching the Daytona 500.

But to answer your question more directly I haven't noticed any more hype about this season than any other. The only increase in news I have heard is because of the cheating scandals surrounding some of the teams.

You lost me at "sport". NASCAR is not and never will be a sport. It's WWE on wheels. When a 72-year old guy can get out there and do it, it's not a sport. Drivers are not athletes. If a NASCAR driver is an athlete, then so is a truck driver. And so is the guy who is really good at PlayStation.

[aubie57 119]

Racing is a sport. It takes a toll on you physically just like the other sports that are out there. You can not tell me that it does not have a mental toll on a person either, I mean 185 mph, with just say 10 cars inches apart, you burp and all heck can break loose. I personally enjoy the Saturday night dirt tracks more than Nascar. There isn't as much political correctness at the short track. Some may say it is redneck....well may be, but this is the most high dollar redneck activity I have ever seen. We are not talking about playing horseshoes with toilet seats.....We are talking $40,000 motors and $250,000 rigs.

[GalensGhost 0]

Racing is a sport. It takes a toll on you physically just like the other sports that are out there. You can not tell me that it does not have a mental toll on a person either, I mean 185 mph, with just say 10 cars inches apart, you burp and all heck can break loose. I personally enjoy the Saturday night dirt tracks more than Nascar. There isn't as much political correctness at the short track. Some may say it is redneck....well may be, but this is the most high dollar redneck activity I have ever seen. We are not talking about playing horseshoes with toilet seats.....We are talking $40,000 motors and $250,000 rigs.

Racing takes a physical toll on you. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Working in my yard takes a physical toll on me.

Racing takes a mental toll on you. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Sodoku takes a mental toll on most people. So doe crosswords.

Racing is expensive. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Working in my yard is expensive. You probably have no idea how much it costs to rent a bobcat to move dirt around. It takes skill to drive that thing, too.

If racing is a sport, then so is OTR trucking. Breaker, breaker.

[AU! 0]

I've gotta agree with Galen on this, but for different reasons. Before I start, I should say that Racing is an intense competition and its very beneficial to society overall, however, I feel that a sport is something that requires the person who is participating to be the most complex thing on the playing field. In hockey, you have sticks, a big chunk of rubber, a net, and a few posts to hold the net up. In soccer, you kick a heavy balloon into nets, in baseball, a stick, a hunk of rubber, string, and leather, and a piece of leather to catch it in. In football, an oddly shaped balloon is thrown around by guys who wear armor to protect themselves from the other guys. But in nascar, you have a million dollar piece of machinery that a guy operates in order to win. The outdoor games is more of a sport than nascar, as well as:

Track and Field

Swimming and Diving

Tennis

Golf

Darts

Archery

Skiing

all extreme sports (snowboarding, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc...)

ultimate fighting

boxing

martial arts

pole vaulting

you get the idea. These all take simple machines (and I mean simple machines by the scientific definition) and use them to compete against other humans. When you're equipment is more complex than your body is, you're moving into a different realm. Not to say that nascar isnt fun, creative, enjoyable, or interesting, just that its not a sport.

Oh, I would consider what the pit crew does to be closer to a sport than the driving itself, but they'd have to use actual tire irons and jacks rather than the automatic stuff they use. Then I'd definately watch.

[vatz22au 142]

Racing is a sport. It takes a toll on you physically just like the other sports that are out there. You can not tell me that it does not have a mental toll on a person either, I mean 185 mph, with just say 10 cars inches apart, you burp and all heck can break loose. I personally enjoy the Saturday night dirt tracks more than Nascar. There isn't as much political correctness at the short track. Some may say it is redneck....well may be, but this is the most high dollar redneck activity I have ever seen. We are not talking about playing horseshoes with toilet seats.....We are talking $40,000 motors and $250,000 rigs.

Racing takes a physical toll on you. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Working in my yard takes a physical toll on me.

Racing takes a mental toll on you. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Sodoku takes a mental toll on most people. So doe crosswords.

Racing is expensive. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Working in my yard is expensive. You probably have no idea how much it costs to rent a bobcat to move dirt around. It takes skill to drive that thing, too.

If racing is a sport, then so is OTR trucking. Breaker, breaker.

I hate Nascar, but to stray away from simple comparisons... there is alot more to it. Alot of strategy involved in the sport. Whether its the .5 second lag you have during a pit stop, a 1 degree bend on a part, adjusting your car to the track/weather... there is alot more to be noticed.

Racing is a sport.

[GalensGhost 0]

Racing is a sport. It takes a toll on you physically just like the other sports that are out there. You can not tell me that it does not have a mental toll on a person either, I mean 185 mph, with just say 10 cars inches apart, you burp and all heck can break loose. I personally enjoy the Saturday night dirt tracks more than Nascar. There isn't as much political correctness at the short track. Some may say it is redneck....well may be, but this is the most high dollar redneck activity I have ever seen. We are not talking about playing horseshoes with toilet seats.....We are talking $40,000 motors and $250,000 rigs.

Racing takes a physical toll on you. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Working in my yard takes a physical toll on me.

Racing takes a mental toll on you. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Sodoku takes a mental toll on most people. So doe crosswords.

Racing is expensive. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Working in my yard is expensive. You probably have no idea how much it costs to rent a bobcat to move dirt around. It takes skill to drive that thing, too.

If racing is a sport, then so is OTR trucking. Breaker, breaker.

I hate Nascar, but to stray away from simple comparisons... there is alot more to it. Alot of strategy involved in the sport. Whether its the .5 second lag you have during a pit stop, a 1 degree bend on a part, adjusting your car to the track/weather... there is alot more to be noticed.

Racing is a sport.

Nothing that you said validates the notion that NASCAR is a sport.

Tell you what, I'll concede that it's a sport on the day that Dale, Jr. can beat me when he's driving a Honda Civic and I'm driving his car. The fact that you adjust the machine rather than train the man invalidates any possibility of racing being a sport.

Also? I find the idea expressed in a post above that NASCAR is "beneficial to society" utterly laughable. Please, if you may, list some of these societal benefits.

[WAR EAGLE!!! 0]

Galen...dead on accurate with this one. This is exactly how I feel and your comparisons are brilliant. BRILLIANT!

The truck driver analogy is fantastic!!

[saniflush 0]

Also? I find the idea expressed in a post above that NASCAR is "beneficial to society" utterly laughable. Please, if you may, list some of these societal benefits.

It gets all the uat fans together in one location so that a tactical nuclear weapon could be used if deemed acceptable?

[AU! 0]

thats what I'm trying to say, a sport is not a sport based on physical drain, mental resources used, or complexity of strategy. Look at all the sports across the world, and name one, other than auto racing, that doesn't use just a few simple items. Cricket, soccer, basketball, rugby, aussi rules football. Sports have to be physical, but it has to be the human that does most of the work, no matter how much work is done and I think that when getting up to 200 mph, the car is doing most of the work, expending the most energy. NASCAR is a game, its a competition, but not a sport.

Think of it this way, when you think of a baseball player hitting a home run, between the batter and his bat, where do you think the most work is being done? Probably everywhere from his hips to his shoulders and down to his fingertips. Same with golf. Think of someone throwing a frisbee, or kicking a soccerball, or just running. Those are all activities in which all movement is done by human muscle. And although nascar racers use a lot of energy and have to make a lot of delicate decisions, they are not the ones forcing the car forward. Just forcing the gas pedal down, the wheel to turn, and the gear shift to move. The car does the rest. Again, I don't want to disrespect NASCAR, its a very inventive idea because it's different from sports and people seem to like it. But if you couldn't have played a sport 110 years ago, its probably not a sport.

[townhallsavoy 2]

Galen - you said the words that needed to be said.

If NASCAR's a sport, then me driving into the Express Oil Lube is a sport as well. NASCAR isn't a game - it's an engineering project. I'd say Darts is more of a sport than NASCAR. I really wouldn't care if it wasn't being covered by ESPN - the sports channel!

[WarTiger 3,987]

GG...Thank you for your words of wisdom on this topic. Nascar is nothing more than a redneck in a machine making left turns all day. No sport puts a person inside a machine to see who's better. Why people would actually sit and watch this is beyond me whether in person or on the TV. Why not just go to your nearest corner and watch the traffic go by...and hey, they know how to turn right too.. It is no more a sport than mowing my lawn. I'd rather watch Paint dry than to watch a nascar race. In fact, they need a paint dry channel to compensate for crapcar...

[AURainman 6]

The question isn't "Is Nascar a sport?" The question is "Why do people like Nascar?" For that, I have no answer.

My list of non-sports that are often called sports:

Hunting

Golf

Bowling

Poker

Horse Racing

Car Racing

Fishing

Pool

Skateboarding

Extreme Sports

Cheerleading

Gymnastics

What defines a sport?

A. Does the pursuit of perfection in said event require a bettering of one's self, physically?

(Sorry Bowling, Fishing, Hunting, Poker, Pool, etc.)

B. Would the event be played the same without the pressure of competition?

(Sorry Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Golf, Skateboarding, Extreme Sports, etc.)

C. Is MAN the primary competitor?

(Sorry Horse Racing, Nascar, etc.)

My I add that there's nothing wrong with watching "hobbies" on TV. Just don't call them sports.

For the record, I watch golf. I don't watch racing.

[AU! 0]

What defines a sport?

A. Does the pursuit of perfection in said event require a bettering of one's self, physically?

(Sorry Bowling, Fishing, Hunting, Poker, Pool, etc.)

B. Would the event be played the same without the pressure of competition?

(Sorry Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Golf, Skateboarding, Extreme Sports, etc.)

1) you're assuming that bettering one's self physically means increasing strength. Does pool not require delicate movements and complete control of one's muscles for the utmost accuracy? Same with bowling, being an accurate bowler means fine tuning one's body. Physicality isn't just strength and agility.

2) This confused me, what do you mean without the pressure of competition? If you mean would the rules be the same? well the rules change when you take away competition in any sport (backyard baseball, football i.e. two hand touch, etc...) or do you mean that people wouldnt take it too seriously? because people want to do well in non-competitive golf just as much as they want to be good at non-comptitive football, but I still don't see how you can take the competitiveness out of any sport. Even if you play golf by yourself, you're striving to beat your best score. And you can't play other sports like football, baseball, soccer, et. al without competition.

I might understand if you said that a sport must be a head to head competition rather than a "you take your shot, then I'll take mine" type thing, but even then, you're still competing, and it can still be just as intense "[golfer name] has to make this putt for the win" is just as intense as " the tigers have to make a touchdown on this drive to win."

I think you're confusing the sport with what you should be referring to as "competitive sport."

Main Entry: 2sport

Function: noun

1 a : a source of diversion : RECREATION b : sexual play c (1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) : a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in

Merriam - Webster

[vatz22au 142]

I guess it all comes down to your own definition of sport. Looking at the definition:

sport /spɔrt, spoʊrt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[spawrt, spohrt]

–noun

1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

2. a particular form of this, esp. in the out of doors.

3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.

Being from the south, like the rest of us, I see how the word sport is usually referred to something that is physically demanding and requires "athletic" skill of some sort.

[AU! 0]

I guess it all comes down to your own definition of sport. Looking at the definition:

sport /spɔrt, spoʊrt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[spawrt, spohrt]

–noun

1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

2. a particular form of this, esp. in the out of doors.

3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.

Being from the south, like the rest of us, I see how the word sport is usually referred to something that is physically demanding and requires "athletic" skill of some sort.

link???

[AURainman 6]

1) you're assuming that bettering one's self physically means increasing strength. Does pool not require delicate movements and complete control of one's muscles for the utmost accuracy? Same with bowling, being an accurate bowler means fine tuning one's body. Physicality isn't just strength and agility.

2) This confused me, what do you mean without the pressure of competition? If you mean would the rules be the same? well the rules change when you take away competition in any sport (backyard baseball, football i.e. two hand touch, etc...) or do you mean that people wouldnt take it too seriously? because people want to do well in non-competitive golf just as much as they want to be good at non-comptitive football, but I still don't see how you can take the competitiveness out of any sport. Even if you play golf by yourself, you're striving to beat your best score. And you can't play other sports like football, baseball, soccer, et. al without competition.

I might understand if you said that a sport must be a head to head competition rather than a "you take your shot, then I'll take mine" type thing, but even then, you're still competing, and it can still be just as intense "[golfer name] has to make this putt for the win" is just as intense as " the tigers have to make a touchdown on this drive to win."

1. If you can play the "sport" with a beer in your hand/cart/at your table. It's not a sport. (Re: Bowling, Golf, Pool) No one plays football/baseball/tennis/basketball while engorging themselves on fried foods and alcoholic beverages.

2. I'm saying, Man vs. Nature isn't good enough. Golf, fishing, bowling, etc. involve one man trying to defeat nature/physics. By competition, I meant competition against someone else. Not yourself.

Basketball is a sport, because it is meaningless without competing against someone else.

Football is a sport, because it is meaningless without competing against someone else.

Golf is a stand-alone hobby, because you could shoot a 72 on any given weekend, and the game would be played the same as if you were in a tournament. Sure the stakes would be greater, and the strategy changes somewhat, but the game is played the same.

Downgrading golf to "hobby" status doesn't discredit it, nor does it discredit those who play. Tiger Woods is an ATHLETE. Tony Hawk is an ATHLETE. They just don't play sports.

...In my humbe opinion...

[vatz22au 142]

I guess it all comes down to your own definition of sport. Looking at the definition:

sport /spɔrt, spoʊrt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[spawrt, spohrt]

–noun

1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

2. a particular form of this, esp. in the out of doors.

3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.

Being from the south, like the rest of us, I see how the word sport is usually referred to something that is physically demanding and requires "athletic" skill of some sort.

link???

From dictionary.com

Sport

[aubie57 119]

Racing is a sport. It takes a toll on you physically just like the other sports that are out there. You can not tell me that it does not have a mental toll on a person either, I mean 185 mph, with just say 10 cars inches apart, you burp and all heck can break loose. I personally enjoy the Saturday night dirt tracks more than Nascar. There isn't as much political correctness at the short track. Some may say it is redneck....well may be, but this is the most high dollar redneck activity I have ever seen. We are not talking about playing horseshoes with toilet seats.....We are talking $40,000 motors and $250,000 rigs.

Racing takes a physical toll on you. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Working in my yard takes a physical toll on me.

Racing takes a mental toll on you. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Sodoku takes a mental toll on most people. So doe crosswords.

Racing is expensive. Sorry, doesn't qualify. Working in my yard is expensive. You probably have no idea how much it costs to rent a bobcat to move dirt around. It takes skill to drive that thing, too.

If racing is a sport, then so is OTR trucking. Breaker, breaker.

I find it hard to believe that you work in your yard for 5 straight hours with no bathroom break or beverage break in 220 degree heat. I'll give you the bathroom break, these guys have one just not a conventional one like you do in your yard. Football, baseball, tennis or whatever you do classify as a sport requires things such as hand - eye coordination, racing does as well,try missing a broadside car at 185 in a corner. I'm not gonna argue if it is or isn't a "sport" I'll give you that, but I PROMISE you it is not as easy as you may think it is. Crossword puzzles do take mental tolls on a person, true enough, but to me that is a apples and oranges comparison. You are not doing a crossword puzzle at 185 4 inches from somebody else doing 185.....at least I hope not. One more thing, you are right about the bobcat rental. I do not know how much it costs to rent one....I own one. For the record I own 2 race cars as well....not that you care.

[auwallace 6]

this is all semantics, most on here simply don't like nascar and don't want their beloved sports tainted by its inclusion. I think nascar is a sport....do i think drivers are athletes? No. Do i think golfers are athletes? No. But i think Golf is a sport. This is all opinion. Why is it that big of a deal?

[AUloggerhead 2,356]

Sexual play is the 2nd dictionary listing for "sport" -- ahead of competition? Wow.

[otterinbham 0]

Also? I find the idea expressed in a post above that NASCAR is "beneficial to society" utterly laughable. Please, if you may, list some of these societal benefits.

It gets all the uat fans together in one location so that a tactical nuclear weapon could be used if deemed acceptable?

An excellent suggestion. I highly recommmend it. Except what if the radiation only serves to make their mutations even more severe? I mean bushier mullets, a greater propensity for teeth to fall out, knuckles that completely scrape the ground.

[otterinbham 0]

Well, Hemingway said that only bull fighting, car racing, and mountain climbing were sports in the truest sense of the word, because those were the only activities where the participant could die on a normal day of competition.

That being said, here are some other "sports" I think are anything but....

1) Bowling. C'mon, half those guys are wearing a Michelin under their shirts.

2) Bass Fishing. Nope. Not in a million years. Don't get me wrong. It's fun. But under no circumstances am I going to pay good money to watch somebody weigh a fish.

3) Curling. Brooms? Are you kidding me? Why not just televise shuffleboard or putt-putt golf?

4) Hunting. Now, if you had to take on a 13-point buck in an arena, only armed with a Bowie knife, then I would be cool with defining hunting as a sport. But sprinkling a bunch of corn in a clearing, then swilling Bud Lights for two-three hours until some hapless deer wanders into point blank range just doesn't qualify.

5) Billiards. I once dated the Female billiards champion of Atlanta. It's a game, not a sport. It's no more of a sport than contract bridge.

6) Cheerleading. Nope. It's a dance competition.

These, I will concede as sports:

1) Gymnastics.

2) Swimming

3) Horse racing