Fan Commentary

Hurling Fans Have Something to Say

by Grandstand Bob

The other night, as I was channel surfing, I got stuck on NYPD Blue. OK, I really didn’t get stuck, but that was my story when my wife caught me watching Sipowitz with my 3-year-old son. Before I could switch the channel, my son saw Sipowitz pop a bad guy, and I was forced to explain how we can’t shoot people, but police officers sometimes have to shoot bad people. It’s one of those “gray area” things that are difficult to understand, especially to a youngster.

So is throwing things from the stand. No, it’s not right, but there might be some justification behind it. If not justification, at least a message.

Let me start by saying that I don’t condone throwing things on the track or on a field of any sort, like we saw this past week in Daytona and Milwaukee. A lot of things can go wrong, and a race fan could be responsible for an unintended catastrophe, such as a career-ending injury. And that’s not even mentioning the message that it sends to young fans. I’m glad that my son was in bed when both incidents occurred.

That said, I do believe that we need to look a little more deeply at the reasons behind both incidents. Though the actions were deplorable, the reasons merit acknowledgement.

Imagine paying more than $100 for a cramped seat from which you can see the cars once per lap when they speed by. Imagine leaving your cooler in the car, and standing in line and paying outrageous prices for concessions. Imagine not being able to buy scanner accessories from the trailers you’ve patronized over the years. Imagine wondering what your favorite driver could do if the race were red-flagged.

Many in the backstretch encountered most of those frustrations last weekend, and they really didn’t have a way to express their frustration, so when seat cushions started flying, emotion conquered good sense.

Ditto at the All-Star Game. Fans paid a lot of money to watch a game, and they felt cheated when Major League Baseball officials called the game a tie. Throw a little resentment stirred by the prognosticated strike, and you have some really negative emotion sitting in the stands.

In both cases, there was uncertainty before an arbitrary call. Baseball fans knew that something was up, but they had no idea what. When the game was called, and no explanation was offered, they were irate. Likewise, racing fans, almost invariably in favor of green flag finishes, expected NASCAR to throw a red flag, like they had so many times before. When that red flag didn’t come, they reacted before thinking.

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In both cases, the sanctioning bodies could have done something to quell fan displeasure, and in both cases, they didn’t. That shows me that there is, at a bare minimum, a disconnect between fans and the sanctioning body. There might even be outright disregard from sanctioning bodies toward fans. And that’s what’s at the root of both hurling incidents.

In almost every sport, fans are becoming increasingly more disenchanted. Athletes and management seem more interested in making money than giving fans a good show, and prices continue to rise as the quality of competition declines. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where these trends lead. With no fans in the stands or in front of the televisions, there will be no money, and without money, sports will return to their roots of basic competition.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Sanctioning bodies can do more to gauge fan satisfaction and then make sincere steps to build that satisfaction. Random surveys can unveil what fans want, and with this information, sanctioning bodies can respond with initiatives designed to give fans what they want.

When fans feel like they're valued and know that their thoughts are considered, they will be more enthusiastic, and you won’t have problems with hurling.

Lastly, for the record, I didn’t agree with MLB’s decision to end the All-Star Game in a tie, but I did agree with NASCAR’s decision not to redflag the race. Had a red flag flown, there surely would have been a crash, and that very well could have been a tragic crash. Though I like green-flag finishes, I rest soundly knowing that the best car won the race and that everyone walked away from their cars.

Grandstand Bob Profile and Past Columns

note: This opinions expressed in this column are those of writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of ARS Racing Outlet or its parent company, amI, Inc.