I have tried to be
compassionate, I really have. I have mustered up every ounce of empathy, pity
and solidarity I can possibly muster. But the next person who
complains to me about being unable to watch NASCAR racing on “free TV” is going to be buried alive beneath a gigantic, heaping mound of
STFU.
NASCAR announced its 2015 Sprint
Cup Series schedule earlier this week, and a small (but extremely vocal) minority
of NASCAR fans lapsed immediately into a fit of indignant apoplexy. They’re
upset that 20 of the 36 point-counting races will be broadcast on either Fox
Sports 1 or NBC Sports Network next season; networks that are not available as
part of most basic cable or satellite television packages.
They’re equally unhappy with
the NASCAR Nationwide Series – where 25 of 32 races will air on FS1 and NBCSN next
season – and the Camping World Truck Series, which will contest 22 its 23 races
on FS1.
Somehow, these unhappy denizens have come to believe that they're entitled to whatever they want in life, without actually having
to pay for it. That’s not the way my Old Man explained it to me half a century
ago, but apparently, that’s how it’s supposed to work today.
I’d love to drive a Lamborghini, but my meager wages do not allow for such an extravagance. I drive what I can afford to drive while putting
two daughters through college, and sometimes eat hamburgers when what I really
want is a nice, juicy steak. That’s the way it works out here in the real
world, and yet, I continue to hear from the complainers who want what they want, no matter what.
“We should be able to watch NASCAR for free, without having to pay
an additional cable or satellite charge,” they scream, ignoring the fact that they already can!
If the “we won’t pay” brigade had spent as much time researching this issue as they've spent complaining about it, they'd know there is a simple way to enjoy prime-time network and sports programming
without paying a monthly cable or satellite bill. Most of the television sets sold
today include either a built-in or external over-the-air tuner, allowing you to
enjoy local news, out-of-town broadcasts and sports programming without ever
paying a monthly cable or satellite bill. This “free programming” isn’t
entirely free, though. You’ll need to shell out for a rooftop or attic-mounted antenna
– just like grandma and grandpa used to own -- which will run you somewhere
between $75 and $200.
If you’re
unwilling to pay even 75 bucks for a full season of NASCAR racing, there’s probably
nothing more that can be done for you. You’ll just have to curl up on your
couch and read a book.
There are also those who
insist that NASCAR should force the networks
to carry races on so-called `free TV’.
Unfortunately, NASCAR does
not have the clout to get that particular job done. Networks like ABC, NBC and
FOX have no interest in filling the prime time airwaves with sporting events.
While they will occasionally televise a NASCAR race, NFL football or Major
League Baseball game on Sunday evening, ABC, NBC and FOX reserve the vast
majority of their prime time hours for sitcoms, news magazines and reality
programming. That’s where the revenue lies, and that’s why most sporting events
will continue to be found on networks with the word “sports” in their names,
like ESPN, Fox Sports 1 and NBCSN.
No amount of foot stomping
and smoke-blowing by NASCAR (or its fans) will ever change that.
The premise that NASCAR is
someone alienating its longtime fan base by broadcasting races on cable
television is ludicrous, short-sighted and downright incorrect.
Many of those irate over
having to pay for their NASCAR speak glowingly of the “good old days” when Bob
Jenkins, Larry Nuber and Benny Parsons called the weekly NASCAR action. They
conveniently forget that Bob, Larry and “Buffet Benny” worked for ESPN, the
same cable network we’re so angry about paying for today. While CBS aired one
or two races each season on “free TV,” NASCAR fans were more likely to see
commentators Ken Squier, Mike Joy, Buddy
Baker and Neil Bonnett on The Nashville Network. Like ESPN, TNN was a cable
network, not readily available over-the-air.
How quickly we forget.
The bottom line, as I see it, is this.
NASCAR has the longest season in professional sports; beginning at Daytona in
mid-February and concluding -- nine exhausting months later -- in mid-November
at Homestead Miami Speedway. The sheer weight of that schedule precludes NASCAR
from being telecast on any single network. Add in those Nationwide and Truck
Series races, and it becomes even more unworkable.
Just like attending races in person, watching NASCAR on television requires
a certain level of financial commitment. If you want to play, you’re going to have to pay, at least until the Bill Of Rights is amended to include the right of watch
Dale, Jr. for free.
