Earlier this evening, the announcement that Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. special forces set off public celebrations and online spitting wars between conservatives and liberals on Twitter, the latter accusing the former of refusing to give President Obama any credit in the matter for his role in bin Laden's death.
In its odd way, the kerfuffle was reminiscent of one centered on an entirely different and infinitely less important topic, nonetheless one that boiled over this past Saturday during the NASCAR Sprint Cup 2011 Crown Royal Presents the Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway, won by Kyle Busch. Namely, the growing disconnect between the NASCAR fan base and television coverage over what the former perceives as a moderate to extreme bias in favor of Busch by the latter, broadcasters seeking to place an onus on fans to embrace Busch because of his ability on the track and… well, because they say so.
There is no debate Busch is a superb driver. His record does the talking: ninety-four wins in NASCAR's three main series, winner of 9.09% of all Sprint Cup races he has entered. Granted, this pales to Jimmie Johnson having won 16.07% of all Sprint Cup races he's run, but still ample testimony to Busch's skill. As noted, his record does the talking.
Unfortunately for Busch, he is unwilling to leave it at that.
Regardless of intent, when it comes time to producing publicly available comments Busch comes off as a conceited, disrespectful bully so enamored with his own talents he fails to so much as acknowledge the existence of other drivers. His pouty jabs at Dale Earnhardt Jr. in years past testifies to a thin skin, which is further evidenced by his aforementioned penchant for behaving as if whipping up on lesser competition in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series somehow elevates his status as a racer.
Busch has made it plain he is uninterested in fan popularity. Winning is all that counts. Which is fine; a driver needs that kind of competitive fire to win. However, Busch has effectively alienated such a large portion of the NASCAR fan base it can be safely said his individual race dominance has turned off far more people than Johnson's five consecutive Sprint Cup championships. As sick as Johnson's detractors are of his dynasty, he doesn't suffer the deep personal animus expressed toward Busch.
This is where the discord between NASCAR's fan base and the television broadcast comes into play.
The only thing NASCAR Nation despises more than seeing Busch dominate a race is hearing his praises sung lap after lap as if it is obligated to embrace him for what he does on the track. While it is acknowledged, his gift as a driver has nothing to do with a fanbase acceptance of Busch. This is entirely up to Busch himself. Since he doesn't care, why should the fans?
No amount of praise heaped on Kyle Busch can make people like him. Only he can. And he isn't. It can only be hoped that going forward, television announcers keep this in mind.
Comments