NASCAR: Brad Keselowski is outspoken about other athletes, but he’s right
By Asher Fair
NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski may be loud and outspoken about athletes in other sports, but the points he makes are never inaccurate.
Brad Keselowski has been in the news a few times over the last few months for making statements that many have deemed controversial as they pertain to athletes in other sports, as the NASCAR Cup Series driver has not pulled any punches.
Early last month, he harassed Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu for not being able to stay in a hot car (120 degrees) for more than eight minutes when the NFL star filmed a video for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for Heat Awareness Day.
Now, discussing the aspect of private aviation, he used LeBron James to effectively show what NASCAR drivers don’t do, and that’s sit out of games (in this case, races) for the sake of doing nothing more than resting.
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According to Keselowski, if NASCAR drivers do what LeBron does, “your ass will get fired”.
So what’s the deal here?
The 35-year-old Rochester Hills, Michigan native has certainly become loud and outspoken about athletes in other sports, even to the point where it seems as though he is devaluing their skill level as it compares to his and those of the rest of the drivers who compete in NASCAR.
And let’s face it; his point about Mathieu had absolutely nothing to do with Mathieu’s video or the whole point of what he was trying to promote, and Mathieu was trying to promote a good cause.
The problem with holding any of this against the 2012 Cup Series champion?
He is never inaccurate.
All Keselowski is doing is illustrating the lack of respect that NASCAR drivers, and really drivers across all forms of motorsports, including IndyCar, Formula 1, you name it, get for doing what they do.
When he poked fun at Mathieu, he wasn’t doing so for the sole purpose of harassing him. He was illustrating that Mathieu, a former NFL Pro Bowler, could not last in a hot car for more than eight minutes when NASCAR drivers literally have to not just sit in cars but drive in cars that can reach temperatures of upwards of 150 degrees for several hours at a time.
He was putting to bed the idea that all NASCAR drivers do is “turn left” and that they are far tougher than they are given credit for by pretty much everybody outside of the racing community.
What happened after that?
Mathieu proceeded to act like a child because he knew Keselowski was right.
Because why have a good, honest debate or discussion when we can just chuck around the F-bomb on social media?
Additionally, when Keselowski made his claim about LeBron, he wasn’t even singling out LeBron. He really could have picked out of a pool of dozens of athletes, but he knew that LeBron would resonate with the most people, and all he did was state a fact.
NASCAR drivers don’t have the luxury of sitting on the bench for “rest” like LeBron does, and their seasons are 41 weeks in length with just three off weekends.
And yes, their “ass will get fired” if they do.
Meanwhile, you have Le’Veon Bell of the NFL sitting out a year because he’s so oppressed and would have only made $14.544 million (moment of silence, please), you have fellow former Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown acting like a three-year-old child (sorry to all the three-year-olds out there who I may have offended) because he doesn’t like his helmet.
And that’s just discussing a few of the many oppressed athletes out there who have been “enslaved” by the NBA and the NFL.
NASCAR drivers have reputations as whiners, but can you imagine any of them pulling this garbage?
That’s all Keselowski is saying, and he’s 100% correct.
Brad Keselowski pulls no punches when it comes to how he assesses athletes in other sports as they compare to those in his profession. But the NASCAR Cup Series driver keeps it real, and his willingness to open himself up to criticism for stating facts is commendable for that reason.