jade_gurss's avatar
Author:
Jade Gurss
Login For More
Rate this article:
  • 0/5 Stars
  • Related Photos
  • Related Videos
SPEEDtv.com Store
DVD: David Jefferies Story
The David Jefferies Story is a reminder of the much loved and much missed Yorkshireman.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Man-Made Thunder
The book examines the sport of stock car racing through the eyes and ears of the men behind the wheel and the wrenches.
Our Price: $49.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Unisex Sandwich Cap
Unisex Velcro back hat with SPEED logo on front. PINKS logo embroidered on left and PAO logo on right. One size fits all.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Speedway T-shirt
Men's 6 oz. 100% Cotton Jersey Short Sleeve Tee. SPEED logo imprinted on the front center chest.
Our Price: $24.99
Visit Button
Buy Button
Ferrari Red Classic Hat
100% cotton twill. Ferrari shield embroidered on front, piping on the peak and Ferrari logo embroidered on back strap adjuster.
Our Price: $30.00 ($27.00 Member)
Visit Button
Buy Button
Footer Bg
  • Zoom More Photos Button
  • Camera Icon
GURSS: Generation YouTube
Written by: Jade Gurss   
08/12/2008
Mooresville, NC
 
Faster. Louder. The weekly column on SPEEDtv.com by Jade Gurss. (Harold Hinson Photo) ยป More Photos

Harris Interactive, a national polling company, produces an annual chart on the most popular sports in America. While you can’t swing a shredded Goodyear tire without hitting some sort of poll these days, they can reveal trends worth noting. Harris lumps all motorsports into a generic “auto racing” category, which, according to their polling, has seen a dramatic increase in popularity since the poll started in 1985. Adults asked to “name your favorite sport” chose auto racing behind only the NFL, MLB and college football. This is a good sign, most likely due to the explosive growth of NASCAR. However, categories where auto racing scored poorly are a concern, notably ranking last among 18-24 year olds.

In a YouTube world, this young demographic grew up in front of a video game console or computer screen more than a television set. Their attention span demands more action, more often (see: “X Games”). This generation, who download single songs from iTunes rather than buy entire compact discs, must look at a typical five-hour NASCAR race and channel surf to something more compelling.

I’m a passionate fan and yet still nap involuntarily during most 500-mile races. The NFL (by far the number one sport) has a solid formula: a compact season and games in a three-hour TV window. The NASCAR Sprint Cup season (and the majority of the races) is too long.

I’m realistic enough to know NASCAR will never shorten the season (since they also own most of the tracks) but could shorten the longest races. They would grandfather-in some classic 500-milers (Daytona and even Darlington jump to mind immediately), assuring their status would become more notable since the schedule would no longer be top-heavy with marathon races. Seriously, does anyone look forward to 500 miles at Pocono?

The price of gas isn’t going down and the economy is as weak as an over-the-wall crew for a Nationwide Series ‘start-and-park’ team.
NASCAR can’t move at their usual glacial pace and expect crowds to grow. Same for television coverage, which has been pedestrian at best this season. Broadcasters will moan if they have shorter races (less inventory to sell), but better ratings equal higher prices per commercial, and they can further offset the change with more interactive web elements (TNT’s “Race Buddy” was an interactive baby-step in the right direction).

Jeff Olson wrote a brilliant column about the new IRL television contract. His argument is spot-on: we need a game changing, quantum leap for racing television. While I think short-term it hurts the IRL to be on the “Versus” channel (it damages their argument that the series is on the way back from near-extinction by locking into a ten-year contract with an obscure network), it could be a long-term bonus to have the opportunity tear down the “usual” television coverage and start fresh while no one is looking. I wish them the best – and maybe they’ll have a hand in improving racing coverage for all series.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Jade Gurss is the owner of fingerprint, inc., a sports publicity company. He has written two New York Times Best Sellers, including what is believed to be the biggest-selling motorsports book in American publishing history (Driver #8 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.). His two decades of publicity and marketing experience involves nearly every category of motorsports, including nine innovative seasons as NASCAR publicist for the Budweiser brand and Earnhardt Jr. His blog can be seen at: http://fingerprint.typepad.com
View All Comments