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NASCAR: How the sport’s stance on the NFL national anthem protests could increase its popularity

By Asher Fair

LOUDON, NH - JULY 17: Teams and fans line the grid during the national anthem prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 17, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
LOUDON, NH - JULY 17: Teams and fans line the grid during the national anthem prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 17, 2016 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /
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SONOMA, CA – JUNE 25: Jets fly over during the national anthem prior to the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 25, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA – JUNE 25: Jets fly over during the national anthem prior to the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 25, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

How can this benefit NASCAR?

As I mentioned in an earlier part of this article, even some of the most die-hard NFL fans are turning their backs on the sport due to the fact that nothing is being done against these huge national anthem protests by the league.

What this essentially means is that these fans are totally disregarding their love of football and instead focusing on the political aspect of the anthem protests and how that is factoring into the NFL players’ lives on a weekly basis. They are leaving the sport over something that has nothing to do with the actual sport itself.

Here’s where NASCAR comes into play.

As I also mentioned in an earlier part of this article, NASCAR is in need of new fans. Old fans are leaving in droves, and younger kids and adults simply aren’t intrigued by the concept of motorsports itself. NASCAR is, without a doubt, on the decline.

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However, much of the NASCAR community, including team owners Richard Petty and Richard Childress, made it clear that they would not tolerate national anthem protests if they started happening in NASCAR.

Given the fact that even some of the most die-hard NFL fans have abandoned the sport over the league’s stance on national anthem protests, is it possible that non-NASCAR fans will start to notice NASCAR’s stance on the protests and give NASCAR a chance simply to check out something new that shares their beliefs?

Stranger things have certainly happened. And when you think about it, this scenario really isn’t all that strange.

NASCAR is in some way, shape or form on everybody’s radar. People know what NASCAR is, and that goes for most NFL fans as well. So if many NFL fans, including die-hard fans, are simply leaving the NFL over their refusal to stand up to the national anthem protesters, could NASCAR get some more attention in the forms of viewership and fans simply because they have made it clear that they have absolutely desire to deal with such protesters as well as the fact that they have already gotten tons of media attention in doing so already?

If that does happen, people will see why NASCAR does have a lot of fans to begin with. They will start to understand why motorsports are so popular and just how exciting racing is. This could lead to the growth of not just NASCAR, but other motorsports like IndyCar and Formula One as well.

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But will it happen? We will have to wait and see, and there is no telling for how long we will be waiting. One thing is for sure: things are sure to get interesting.

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