Last night I had front row seats to the victory of one of the areas most disliked racers over one of the areas most loved racers. What I heard made me sick. It’s not Facebook that’s killing our sport, it’s not the tracks, it’s the fans who have no respect for the others they are in the stands with. At any given race, take a look around you. How many children do you see?
Last night Seymour Speedway hosted the Badger Modified Tour. They also had activities on the track for the children, which no doubt brought in a few more than normal. These kids, are the future of racing. Some will join the ranks of kids who start kart racing, and work their way up over time into the premier classes that we go to watch every weekend. Some will grow up to announce, some to become track personnel, and of course many will just be fans in the stands. All of those listed will recruit friends from school, or from the neighborhood to come and watch with them.
It’s not the “Boos” that are the problem. You get those in any sport, and while some people don’t care for it, that is an appropriate way to express your dislike, just as cheers are used to express your support. It’s the profanity. The language I heard coming from the stands last night was horrible. Uncalled for. And this isn’t the first time. Nor is it the only driver that I have heard the comments directed at.
Now back to the children. As a parent, I didn’t want my kids to learn the profanities that I heard shouted last night. Yes it’s true, eventually they will hear and learn these words. But any young child will latch on to a word and repeat it, many times over. Parents are likely to stop bringing their small children to these races. This is where the trickle down effect begins. Now instead of taking the kids to the races, the famliy might go to a movie instead. That’s money taken from the track, and eventually from the drivers that we go to support. Look around the stands when you walk past after getting a snack, and notice how many seats are bare. Each track has a minimum fan count to make the bank. They may not share it, but it has to happen. The reality is that for every adult who doesn’t attend the race becuase they can’t bring their children, you lose ~$10. Then count concession losses for each adult, and each child. No burger and fries, no candy bar, no popcorn or soda sold.
We all see the effects of the economy. The cars counts are down, fans counts are down. It’s time we start to rebuild the sport, not push people away from it.
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