NASCAR: Are Dueling Agendas An Impossible Balancing Act?
By Mike Hutton
USA Today Sports
Fans
Task: Support the tracks, teams and drivers by consuming the product either in person or via a media outlet.
The late Sam Walton once said: “There is only one boss. The customer. He can fire anyone in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” That about sums up the fans responsibility, yet they (we) are ultimately who everyone mentioned is trying to please.Without fans attending races, buying merchandise, supporting sponsors and consuming the sport through the media, this sport doesn’t exist. Any sport wouldn’t.
NASCAR fans are the most brand-loyal of any sport. Ford vs. Chevy. Pepsi vs. Coke. McDonald’s vs. Burger King. Menard’s vs. Lowes. Budweiser vs. Miller Lite. Mobil One vs. Shell. You can find those rivalries here. You probably love one and dislike the other from each pair just listed. There’s probably also no changing your mind.
Fans need to be entertained. That’s an ever-evolving challenge. Attention spans are shorter, so they’ve got to be entertained from the green flag right up to the checkered. There are too many other options out there and places for them to spend their money if they’re not consumed at a race.