NASCAR missed out on a tremendous opportunity by not being a part of the 2016 ESPN Radio ESPY Day Auction which benefits The Jimmy V Foundation and cancer research.
UPDATE: After following up with ESPN it was discovered that there was indeed an experience available in 2015 for NASCAR. There was a Chicagoland experience available for bidding along with autographed Danica Patrick merchandise. This year ESPN’s Andy Hall said that event organizers were working on a NASCAR experience but were not able to pull it together before the deadline. After seeing the way ESPN treated NASCAR during the ESPY’s it comes as no surprise that getting a NASCAR deal in place wasn’t a top priority.
Were they not allowed to partake in it because they are no longer partners with ESPN after moving back to NBC? Did ESPN not reach out to NASCAR? Did NASCAR not reach out to ESPN?
There are several factors that could be at play here but the bottom line is that NASCAR missed a tremendous opportunity by not being involved in the 2016 ESPN Radio ESPY Day Auction. For those who might not be aware, the auction takes place every year and it offers sports fans a chance to bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences that they would not be able to purchase or experience anywhere else. All of the money that is raised through the auction goes to cancer research via The Jimmy V Foundation. To date, the ESPN Radio ESPY Day Auction has raised more than $8.4 million.
The 2016 auction included experiences that featured the following sports teams or leagues.
- NFL
- Tennis
- World Cup Soccer
- MLB
- College Football
- NHL
- X-Games
- College Basketball
- Fantasy Sports
- WWE
- Horse Racing
- Golf
- IndyCar
- Little League World Series
NASCAR aside, the only other major mainstream entity not included in the list above is UFC.
In past years NASCAR has partaken in the festivities of the ESPN Radio ESPY Day Auction. In 2013 a NASCAR experience at Phoenix International Raceway was part of the auction and in 2014 Dale Earnhardt Jr. was part of a Fantasy Football Experience that was up for bid. In 2015 NASCAR was not a part of the auction.
The most common explanation for NASCAR not being a part of the day will have to do with them no longer having a deal with ESPN. ESPN’s NASCAR deal ended after the 2014 season, the last time NASCAR was a part of the ESPN Radio ESPY Day festivities. Coincidence or not, that reason simply isn’t good enough. WWE is not broadcasted on ESPN or any Disney-owned networks, yet they have an experience up for auction.
On Wednesday night ESPN will put on the ESPY Awards and at the show NASCAR is going to be mentioned as Kyle Busch is nominated for Best Driver and Danica Patrick is slated to be one of the evening’s presenters. While NASCAR will by no means be the focus of the show, they will still have their own opportunity to be in front of the limelight, especially if Busch wins the ESPY.
In 2016, being in front of the limelight is the best thing for NASCAR who has fallen from grace since their rise in popularity in the late 90’s and earls 00’s. Was being a part of the auction going to be a game-changer for NASCAR?
No.
Then again, being a game-changer is not what this event and this cause is about. ESPN brought together all of the biggest sports, some of the biggest names in sports, some of the biggest personalities in sports and media and NASCAR was not a part of that. Sure, the NASCAR auction most likely would not have brought in the $17,000 that the Mike and Mike experience brought in, that almost goes without saying. However, I’m sure it could have brought in more than the tennis experience, the UCONN basketball experience, the ESPN Trifecta experience, the ESPN W experience, the Cotton Bowl experience, the Zona Rama experience, the Jorge Ramos experience and the Pizza Podcast experience which at the time of this writing all have bids of less than $750.
I’m not taking anything away from those experiences, I just believe that an awesome NASCAR experience could easily bring in a few thousand dollars.
Money aside, it’s the cause and the message about the day that should have made NASCAR jump at the opportunity and force their way into the auction/festivities. ESPN Radio has been brining on athletes all morning to discuss the experiences that they are involved in. This would have been a great chance for NASCAR to have a couple of drivers on ESPN Radio today to discuss the sport, their experiences and their personal stories as it relates to cancer. NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. has a cancer story that every NASCAR fan is aware of, this kind of event is the perfect platform for him to share his experiences and his girlfriends inspirational story.
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Across the board there are countless reasons why NASCAR being a part of the 2016 ESPN Radio ESPY Day Auction simply made sense. Yet at the end of the day 2016 marks the second year in which they are not a part of the event. If this is the doing of ESPN, shame on them. If this is the doing of NASCAR (whether they weren’t interested or aware) it’s 100 percent unacceptable on their part.