On Bristol and Basketball
Kyle Busch and his Car of Tomorrow
Source: Wade Payne/AP
Just before I left work on Friday, Barrie and I had a conversation about the blogging week-to-come, and I volunteered to do a post on NASCAR after the debut of the Car of Tomorrow. I've just recently taken an interest in the sport, and feel it's incredibly undercovered on our air, particularly given its popularity (second only to the NFL in terms of TV audience). I thought about my post on and off all weekend, but as soon as I stepped back into HQ this morning I found it difficult to talk about anything other than Georgetown's Elite Eight win yesterday in the NCAA tournament. I love the tournament and I love the Hoyas, so that contributes to my lack of focus, but that's not all ... there's something taboo about NASCAR. I don't know if it's that urban professionals don't watch it, or just don't talk about it, but it seems incredible that a sport that packs the stands at Bristol -- all 160,000 seats -- gets little or no mention on our air or in our hallways.
NPR's tradition of sports coverage is somewhat less than comprehensive -- we're not a sports network, so it's not a critique, and we can't be all things to all people -- and I truly love the contributions of folks like Alan Schwarz, Frank Deford, and Stefan Fastis. Today, Morning Edition's got two sports stories on the air -- a Final Four preview, and a commentary on cricket. I wouldn't argue that either doesn't belong there -- obviously, the Final Four is news, and there's heightened interest in cricket right now due to the gruesome murder of the Pakistani team's coach. Additionally, stories on lesser-known sports are great, and one of the reasons folks listen to us. My problem isn't with what we do cover, it's with what we don't (and it's not just us -- a perfunctory Google News search brings up a bunch of wire stories and not a whole lot of outside reporting) ... and, perhaps more meatily, why? What is it about NASCAR that relegates it to the back pages of the paper and occasional mention on our air?
8:57 AM ET | 03-26-2007 | permalink
