http://www.blueridgemuse.com/node/1861 Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:22:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.blueridgemuse.com/node/1861/comment-page-1#comment-4001 acf Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-4001 Sorry, I don't live in NASCAR country, so my knowledge of it is limited to what I catch on TV, and in magazines. What I can comment on is the cost to attend these events. It's correct that the average fan has been priced out of attending major races. That's a shame, because the fan following is built on frequent attendance, not TV and rare attendance. It's a problem that all major sports have. When I was a teenager in the 60s, I used to go to see the Boston Red Sox (now part owner of the Roush Racing Team) on the spur of the moment, pay a couple of bucks for unreserved grandstand seats and enjoy myself. Being able to do that built a strong fan base. The same goes for the Boston Celtics. I paid $8.00 for a good seat to see Larry Bird play basketball in the early 80s. Today, you need connections and a second mortgage on your home to see a game, neither of which is conducive to bringing your family or seeing enough games to build the habit of supporting the team. Who can rationalize paying $300 to $400 to bring a family to a major sporting event, pay for parking, and maybe something to eat (at gouging stadium pricing) more that once a year? Also, in the name of security, patrons are limited in what they can bring to an event to save concession prices. What these athletes need is a serious case of restrictions on their pay, then back it up to the event promoters and bring the cost back to something the average fan can afford. Sorry, I don’t live in NASCAR country, so my knowledge of it is limited to what I catch on TV, and in magazines. What I can comment on is the cost to attend these events. It’s correct that the average fan has been priced out of attending major races. That’s a shame, because the fan following is built on frequent attendance, not TV and rare attendance. It’s a problem that all major sports have. When I was a teenager in the 60s, I used to go to see the Boston Red Sox (now part owner of the Roush Racing Team) on the spur of the moment, pay a couple of bucks for unreserved grandstand seats and enjoy myself. Being able to do that built a strong fan base. The same goes for the Boston Celtics. I paid $8.00 for a good seat to see Larry Bird play basketball in the early 80s. Today, you need connections and a second mortgage on your home to see a game, neither of which is conducive to bringing your family or seeing enough games to build the habit of supporting the team. Who can rationalize paying $300 to $400 to bring a family to a major sporting event, pay for parking, and maybe something to eat (at gouging stadium pricing) more that once a year? Also, in the name of security, patrons are limited in what they can bring to an event to save concession prices. What these athletes need is a serious case of restrictions on their pay, then back it up to the event promoters and bring the cost back to something the average fan can afford.

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