Race car drivers are held to a ridiculous double standard

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 27: Cars start their engines during the 102nd Indianapolis 500 (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 27: Cars start their engines during the 102nd Indianapolis 500 (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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TALLADEGA, AL – APRIL 29: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil/Autotrader Ford (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
TALLADEGA, AL – APRIL 29: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil/Autotrader Ford (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /

Racing gets too little credit

To continue off of the last slide, why does this thought process disqualify racing from being a sport in the eyes of millions of people, especially when basketball, football, hockey and baseball are considered sports with all of this in mind?

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It doesn’t — end of story.

I am certainly not saying that athletes such as basketball players, football players, hockey players and baseball players are not athletes, and I am not saying that sports such as basketball, football, hockey and baseball are not sports, either.

However, if non-racing fans would apply the same logic to these athletes and sports that they do to race car drivers and racing, which is logic that makes them believe that race car drivers are not athletes and racing is not a sport, these fans would not consider these other athletes and sports “athletes” or “sports”.

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With all of this in mind, is the double standard faced by race car drivers and racing in general one that can be overcome in the near future or even at all? If so, how does it need to be addressed?