I am a sports fan. I am not a fan of every sport, but I doubt if anyone actually is. Of course, to properly ascertain one’s status as a sports fan, one must first clarify what is, and is not, considered a legitimate sport. Is it being shown on a sports cable channel? If it is, then spelling bees, eating contests, and dog shows are sports because they’ve been telecast on ESPN. Is it a competitive event between participants? If it is, then Scrabble, chess, and checkers are sports because of the competition between two players.
There are, I believe, a few things in common that all real sports have with each other, and racing, specifically NASCAR, has these as well.
Admittedly, there was a time, 15 or so years ago, when I did not consider NASCAR a legitimate sport. Like most uninformed observers, I thought NASCAR drivers just drove around in circles, constantly turning left, but without that annoying turn indicator flashing like it does on your grandmother’s Buick. I have since come to realize the errors of my ways, and have become a big fan of the uniquely American sport of NASCAR. Sure, other countries have auto racing, but unlike the open wheel racers of the IRL and European Grand Prix circuits, I actually like the cars in the race to look like cars, not torpedoes with wheels.
NASCAR shares lots of similarities with other sports. Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer are all team sports, and so is NASCAR. Jimmie Johnson, or any other driver would be in sad shape without his pit crew, not to mention the research and development personnel at the home office. At the same time, NASCAR is unique in that it is an individual sport, one driver and one car, dueling with 42 other drivers and their rides. Speaking of rides, is it a far stretch for me to equate NASCAR with rodeo? Bear with me on this one. One “rider” in one car- one rider on one bull or bronco? Let me know.
There is one thing that in my opinion, makes NASCAR unique and special in the world of sports. All other sports, at least team sports, have their ultimate event at the end of their season. The NFL’s Super Bowl, and the NBA, NHL, and MLB have their premiere events after the regular season is over. NASCAR has their version of the playoffs, the chase for the cup, at the end of the season, but the premiere event, The Daytona 500, which starts in less than an hour, is the largest, most prestigious event on the NASCAR calendar, and it serves as the catapult to kick off the season.
Finally, what makes NASCAR special, at least to me, are the fans. NASCAR has tried to attract a more sophisticated and intellectual audience over the past few years. I’ve often said the best way to do that is to stop referring to Dale Earnhardt Jr. as “Little E”, and start referring to him as “Lower case E”. Sorry. A little attempt to interject humor. Seriously NASCAR, like rodeo, is a sport born from a way of life. From the moonshine runners of the prohibition era came the sport we have come to know and love as NASCAR. These fans are by and large blue collar, roll up your sleeves and get the job done, lunch pale toting Americans. True blue and patriotic. NASCAR has among it’s sponsors The Army, Air Force, and The National Guard. It would truly, in my opinion, be a sad day in NASCAR if a team were ever sponsored by MoveOn.org.
The New England Patriots are at Buffalo tonight and favored by 15-½ points, to go 10-0 on the season. Even casual football fans are aware of the Patriots pursuit of an undefeated season. I’m sure if you were to ask Tom Brady, Randy Moss, or Bill Belichick (is that really how it’s spelled, belly-chick?) they’d each say their just taking them one game at a time, and each game one snap at a time, in their business like, lunch pail, blue collar, get the job done style.
However, one has to wonder after ten games, should New England win (and why shouldn’t they?), if in the private circles of the Patriots meetings and practices there aren’t murmurings and speculations about, dare to dream, what if they do go undefeated and surpass the record of 17-0 set by the ‘72 Miami Dolphins?
Wasn’t it Lexus whose ad slogan a few years ago was “The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection”? For what it’s worth, “perfection” is a term that’s overly used in the NFL and quite frankly, poorly defined. How many times have we been watching a game and hear John Madden or Troy Aikman, when referring to a pass completion say that so-and-so quarterback threw a “perfect” pass. So then what constitutes a perfect pass? Is it a nice tight spiral? If it is, then Anthony Wright has a bust destined for Canton. Most coaches and quarterbacks worth their salt, I believe, would say something to the effect of ‘a completion for positive yardage resulting in at least a first down, if not six points on the scoreboard’, whether it be a pretty ball, or an end-over-end toss reminiscent of Billy Kilmer’s Redskin career. Kilmer was renowned for throwing ‘ugly’ passes.
Antithetically speaking, this years edition of the Miami Dolphins are on a quest of another distinction, more dubious than exemplary. Miami is at Philadelphia to play the Eagles today and are 9-½ road underdogs to Philly. The Dolphins are 0-9 and may set the record for football futility if they finish the season winless at 0-16. How ironic would it be if the Patriots lose a game and the Dolphins go winless, making the same NFL franchise hold both records for going both undefeated (1972) and winless?
The St. Louis Rams won last week for the first time this season ruining the chance for two teams, them and the Dolphins, to go winless. If that had happened I would have been in favor of a one game postseason contest between the Rams and Dolphins. It could be called the Futility Bowl, but it would probably have ended in a 0-0 tie.
If there is any justice in the world, the Dolphins first win will be against the Patriots, putting an end to both probable streaks. I hope not.
All things considered, perfection, in football as in life, is virtually unattainable. We all have a love-hate relationship with our teams, which reminds me of something I told a very sweet girl once: It’s our imperfections that make us perfect for each other.
