The Business Focus of INDYCAR Fans

In today's Q&A from Curt Cavin of the Indianapolis Star, April 28: On standing starts and TV ratings, he ponders why fans of motorsport [especially INDYCAR] are so fixated on the business of the sport, TV ratings, and the rulings.

" I don’t know why so many people have to be so critical of everything that’s done in motor sports. As I told Randy Bernard on the phone this week, baseball and football fans aren’t that critical of the sanctioning bodies. They don’t worry about attendance, TV ratings or if the rules are adjusted. Generally, they only care about their teams. I wish this sport was like that. We get too bogged down in the details of the sport, and that tends to alienate outsiders." -- Curt Cavin, Indianapolis Star

The difference between INDYCAR and MLB or the NFL is that the MLB and the NFL aren't on life support. Professional baseball and football are very healthy and thriving in today's marketplace where INDYCAR is struggling more than it ever has before. Fans are nervous and concerned for the sport they love, so its no surprise they want as much information about the business as possible. When the rules affect how the sport is perceived by the larger public, of course the fans will be interested then as well.

Perhaps a good analogy is visiting a loved and respected friend or relative. If they're healthy, when you visit you talk about mundane things, but if they're sick, you're asking about their health, how they've been doing, if they've been taking their meds, etc. You wouldn't ask these more technical questions if everything was normal. Likewise, if the IZOD IndyCar Series were healthy and enjoying the level of success of MLB and the NFL, fans wouldn't be as focused on the business nitty gritty as they are. The sad fact is that the IICS is not healthy and successful. Ratings continue to slide, sponsorship is increasingly difficult to secure, and track attendance continues to wan. This is why we focus on the things we do.