What is going on ?

[whitesatinmopar]

There are many things around us that just seems like,............."What is going on?" One of my favorite interest,even passions is Sports, well at least most sports. Growing up with sports at the center of my life from around 1956 (born in 1946) and to the current time I can tell you it has changed so drastically. And that is no where more evident than in the professional level. For the most part whether it was baseball, football, basketball or whatever there existed a LOYALITY. That loyality was not only fan based, it too was player based. Yes team owners were know to trade and litterly sell amongst themselves in an attempt to build and strengthen their team. But comparitively speaking until recent years with free agency etc. the "old timers" did little moving around. Today it is like the daily stock marget with buying and selling players' contracts and services. There is no loyality to a team, or to players no matter how much they have contributed or how long they have been on respective rosters. It's a matter of money.

Which leads me to NASCAR. Now personally I don't actually consider NASCAR a sport, not drag racing either for that matter. Yes they the drivers are very talented, very skilled, very durable (athelitic) , and yes even very brave. Bit personally it is not a SPORT. Now wht does all that have to do with loyality?

NASCAR has evidently (I read this in a newspaper and it was in the sports section  ) sent out, or issued a release that the NASCAR the organized body of racing was considering, and I assume because of the news release, inviting other car manufacureres into the NASCAR organization of racing. Guess who has responded?  Volkswagen.............yep you read it correctly. Volkswagen wants to be a member of NASCAR racing. We now have Toyota inclusion and possibly Volkswagen in the furture.

What orginated as a good ole boys racing bootleg whiskey down the back roads of the south has turned into global conpetators. Isn't that what IROC was suppossedly all about? Nothing is sacred or loyal to the origins of  tradition anymore, sad....................I think my life has seen enough change in traditional values whether it be family life, sports, or even racing cars. Personally things have gone to "Hell" in this country.                  

[priderocks]

Very good points. I don't follow sports, but know pro sports figures today, with their entourage of accountants, agents and lawyers seem a far cry from athletes in the past. Maybe there wasn't as great a spread in salaries back then as today. Maybe things back then were not as wholesome and virtuous as I like to believe.

But you're right about loyalty- I was a Cardinals fan as a kid, and it seemed year after year lineups stayed the same (I know they didn't really, just seemed that way). Gibson, Boyer, Stan Musial, McCarver, Curt Flood, Blasingame-it was cool. Today it seems the players are businessmen first and team players second, if at all.

[BB73Challenger]

Well for starters, STOCK car racing is anything but.

And as far as the athletes in other sports, not having any player loyalty is also what is killing the "rivalry" that they use to have. And a lot of that was the fun.
Now it's tell the sports papers you love playing in " Town A" and want to retire there and bla bla bla only to skip out to " Town B" for a few more bucks!

[MEK-Dangerfield]

I really can't speak for NASCAR, as I don't follow it.

As for loyalty of athletes and such in other sports. The problem is the players unions have gotten too strong. I really don't follow baseball much at all anymore. The revenue sharing idea isn't working. The Yankees signed the 3 biggest names in free-agency last year, and won the world series. Congrats to them, but the small market teams are left to sign over the hill guys, or injury prone players. Football might meet the same fate if they go without a salary cap next year. Dan Synder in D.C., and Jerry Jones in Dallas will be the like the Yankees against the Red Sox.

The days of the past when players were drafted and stayed with that team are over I'm afraid.

[duncz]

Nascar had foreign cars before in the early days. They beat them before and will beat them again. 

[moparmaniac59]

It's all about the money now. Look what professional athletes made in say the 1960's. I know that was over 40 years ago, but compare a running back's salary then to an average middle class 1960's salary and then do the same today and you'll see the spread has made quantum leaps. I gave up on sports during the baseball strikes. It has gotten to the point that an athlete won't sign a kid's baseball because it's not made by the manufacturer that sponsors him. It actually happened to a young kid that just wanted his idol to sign his ball. What happened to guys that just loved the sport?? And NASCAR shouldn't be ricers IMHO!!


                                               Matt B.

[the_engineers]

I'm not defending it, and I'm as disgusted by most of it as much as you are, but let me ask this...

If your career was only going to last 10-15 years MAX and you could make moves that would increase your pay by 20 - 40% per jump, would you stay with your current employer or move on?

I admit, I'm Gen X and have different views than some on this forum, but I'm on my 3rd company in 11 years and have almost tripled what I started out at.

I don't like what athletes do, but I understand why they do it.

[mcgheejt]

When NASCAR puts stock cars back on the track, I may start watching them.  As for loyalty, after I earned my frist couple million bucks, I would want to stay with my team and my city.  Guess I am old fashioned. 

[shadango]

Its a sad world where we complain about teachers getting overpaid yet our "star" athletes make crazy money.

WE are to blame...the consumer.

The demand is what enable the players to ask for crazy money to play a GAME.  Cant blame them.....anyone will usually get whatever they can these days.

I dont follow sports for that very reason.  Its ludicrous.

For the kind of money the pro players make, they SHOULD be great players.  LOL

As far as "limited career length" ?

BAAAHHHH!   They chose the career. 

[fantum]

I remember Cal Ripkin, Jr.'s last contract negotiation.  He told the Orioles to put in a number they thought would be fair and he would sign.  He stayed an Oriole his whole career and didn't squabble about the money.  After all, after you get to a certain number you really don't NEED any more.

Cal was one classy player.

As for NASCAR, it was bound to happen.  Chrysler has tightened up the purse strings so bad that Richard Petty had to run to Ford for sponsorship.  As a result, I'm changing my loyalty from Budweiser to Miller Lite.

I think the word that needs to be considered when talking about professional athletes' contracts is GREED, but who am I?  That's why I prefer college football, baseball and basketball to the pros.

[whitesatinmopar]

I wasn't intending to overly bash pro athletes for getting the money they contract for. First because generally speaking the owner/franchise knows in the long run the fans who buys the tickets will pay what's due. No team I doubt operates in the "red", the money is there but obviously the large organizations have the big edge just by fact of population numbers, remember too the millions the owners receive from stadium "naming" rights by corporations for advertisement. Also any NFL player on any one play can be injured to the extent of loosing his carrier, not to mention possible life changing injury. Although, it is evident that greed in the office and on the field is why you and I pay an average of $75.00-$100.00 for an NFL game ticket, and that is far from being the "best seat in the house". 

What really bummed me was the news about NASCAR, I haven't really followed the sport for a few years, but I do keep a look out for the race results and standings.  BTW, congratulations to Jimmy Johnson, four consecutive championships, I don't care who you like or may support, that is amazing, consider all the things that can go wrong, he and his team is obviously doing something right. Wonder how he'd do in a Dodge ??  Anyway, to hear that another foreign car maker may be a NASCAR team is depressing, I don't understand why (except for organizational greed for money) why it should be anything other than "American" car makers? Can't there be some things kept to Americian roots and tradition?  Guess I truly am getting old and "out of touch".................."Reality isn't real anymore".

[brads70]

What really bummed me was the news about NASCAR, I haven't really followed the sport for a few years, but I do keep a look out for the race results and standings.  BTW, congratulations to Jimmy Johnson, four consecutive championships, I don't care who you like or may support, that is amazing, consider all the things that can go wrong, he and his team is obviously doing something right. Wonder how he'd do in a Dodge ??  Anyway, to hear that another foreign car maker may be a NASCAR team is depressing, I don't understand why (except for organizational greed for money) why it should be anything other than "American" car makers? Can't there be some things kept to Americian roots and tradition?  Guess I truly am getting old and "out of touch".................."Reality isn't real anymore".

I agree with ya! I've been into Nascar for 25 years. I live and breath stock car racing. I work as a tech inspector at a Nascar sanctioned track. It seems the wine and cheese crowd have taken over our sport seeing they screwed up Indy car and F-1 so bad! I REALLY miss "STOCK car racing" I think the money pumped in the last 10-15 years has ruined Nascar! It's all about money now NOT racing! I watch MAYBE 4-5 races a year since Toyota was allowed! It like a big "spec " car race now or a big IROC race. YUCK!!! I at least expect the bodies to be STOCK! I have to look at the sticker on the nose to see what "brand" it is?? Nascar is too big for it's britches now if you ask me!

[the_engineers]

That's why I prefer college football, baseball and basketball to the pros.

Yeah, 'cause there's no money changing hands there...

[Aussie Challenger]

   
  It seems that all over the world that the un-holy Dollar is all that matters.      Fans usually identify with a player in their chosen club. Trouble is that player may end up playing for another club tomorrow.   
  Same with car racing, fans choose a brand ( MOPAR of course ) then identify with a driver to make it more personal.   

  Whitesatinmopar is right loyality has been down graded.

  As for having a limited life span in the players/drivers chosen sport, they make plenty now and most set themselves up for the future, for beyond playing/driving.   
  "Stock Car" racing should be brought back so fans can see their real cars doing what those fan's cannot using motors, transmissions and suspensions that they can buy for there own cars.   

[cudax34me]

   
  It seems that all over the world that the un-holy Dollar is all that matters.      Fans usually identify with a player in their chosen club. Trouble is that player may end up playing for another club tomorrow.   
  Same with car racing, fans choose a brand ( MOPAR of course ) then identify with a driver to make it more personal.   

  Whitesatinmopar is right loyality has been down graded.


 
  As for having a limited life span in the players/drivers chosen sport, they make plenty now and most set themselves up for the future, for beyond playing/driving.   
  "Stock Car" racing should be brought back so fans can see their real cars doing what those fan's cannot using motors, transmissions and suspensions that they can buy for there own cars.   

I don't care who wins in iroc umm I mean nascar just as long as its a DODGE.[/b]