Subway pulls NASCAR sponsorship

[loneryder]

I always liked to watch the last 30-40 laps of a race but with all the rule changes the past 2 yrs., I don't have a clue. May or may not watch these days.
I was an avid football fan for many years with Sunday ticket etc. The game has been so diluted and slow (every play has to be reviewed, was it a catch or a TD) that I've lost interest. The announcers are terrible. The refs like to be in the game too much. Then the Kaperknucklehead [censored] and the ones who are continuing it have just done it for me. Parody has been successful and all the teams are bad, therefore the games are bad. 3rd and 4 and they throw a 2yd pass. They all run the same offense, dump off passes and runs into the line with no blocking, same commercials over and over. Blah

 

[loneryder]

Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: bbhero
Cost is a bigger reason than you think here. Far bigger in fact. It may not be number one but it's right up there. Getting back to basics would be a huge step in the right direction for NASCAR and other sports as well.


How much is a grandstand ticket at the Daytona 500 today? How much was that exact same seat 35 years ago, when the stands were packed full? Now factor in inflation over those same 35 years. What is the difference? I'll bet it isn't as much as you think. Especially when compared to wages, along with the prices of today's new vehicles, and most other durable goods, over what they were back then. Remember in the last 35 years, not only NASCAR tickets have risen in price.

Nascar really started a steep decline in 07 when the economy started going bad. Fans couldn't afford the races high prices. I think prices have dropped over the last 10 yrs but the die has been cast.

 

[bbhero]

Still.... $1000-1400 is a lot of money to a lot of people in this country. It is my opinion that this country is far closer to a perilous fiscal situation than many believe. This is just another example or sympton of that very problem.

At the end of the day... AZJeff you and billt are making good points too. I think the problems facing NASCAR are a bit of everything we have all been mentioning. I do feel like there is a hierarchy to those aspects that have a bit more importance than some others. I believe in going back to basics, going back to what worked initially and being more mindful of the real circumstance facing the everyday people out here in this country.

 

[Mr Nice]

Don't forget the demographics of fans is changing.

Lots of younger people like import drifting and drag racing. Following NASCAR is not really on their list of things to do.

 

[billt460]

Some time back there was a 3 part mini series of sorts on NASCAR. Along with how it was founded by Bill France Sr. And what he went through to get it up and running. He put it before his life and family, and worked basically around the clock. It showed how he spearheaded the building of both Daytona, and Talladega Super Speedway back in the 60's. All with tremendous financial risk. In those early days their success hinged on good attendance figures at every race. The man was driven, and put all he had into NASCAR, and making a go of it.

Today with the grand kids running it, they don't have that background, and steadfast drive it took to make it a success. It's all more or less been handed to them. It's not the same as building something from the ground up yourself. It goes back to the old saying you don't appreciate what is given to you, as much as if you had to work for it. NASCAR will most likely fail in this, it's third generation. Or at the very least be severely crippled. Just like so many family run corporations before it have done. Just because you share the same last name, doesn't mean you share the same business savvy.

 

[Dadillac]

Third generation kills a company. Just sayin

Don

 

[bbhero]

Great post there billt460. A whole ton of truth in what stated so well here.

 

[billt460]

Another thing to think about is this whole, "Daytona Rising" expenditure. NASCAR has pumped tens of millions of dollars into refurbishing Daytona International Speedway over the last several years. They went crazy with it. All you have to do is compare the track today, to the way it looked when they filmed, "Days Of Thunder". The difference is staggering. While at the same time they have been watching attendance figures plummet all the while. It's not paying off the way they had hoped.

What is the purpose of building more stands, and expanding a facility, if you are unable to fill it? Even for your premier racing events. And that is exactly what has happened. This is still more of not understanding what these grand kids are in direct control of, from purely a business standpoint. You can't run NASCAR like Starbucks or Krispy Kreme. A few more of these type of big, high dollar boondoggle business decisions, and they could very well bankrupt themselves. If TV viewership keeps declining, and advertisers continue to go elsewhere, It could easily leave them in financial ruin.

Years back, a lot of race teams couldn't spend all the money sponsors were throwing at them. Today it's commonplace for race teams to continually have to hunt for sponsorship dollars. Back when they were packing the stands full at every race, it was never mentioned. This isn't "bleeding". It's financial hemorrhaging. And they better find a way to stop it quick. Based on the way NASCAR has been run over the last several years, I don't think they have the business expertise to do it. If they did, they wouldn't be in this mess to begin with.

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: Bud
Originally Posted By: 123Saab
A bit off topic, but I'd have to be a bit desperate to eat at subway. I can confess to doing it once, and it is not something I remember fondly.

And call me slow if you wish, but as a very casual Nascar watcher I don't understand the "Playoffs" one bit.


Well since we are in confession mode I will admit I like Subway.


I like Subway as well. The local shop here is very well managed from a customers point of view.

 

[SHOZ]

Originally Posted By: billt460
Another thing to think about is this whole, "Daytona Rising" expenditure. NASCAR has pumped tens of millions of dollars into refurbishing Daytona International Speedway over the last several years. They went crazy with it. All you have to do is compare the track today, to the way it looked when they filmed, "Days Of Thunder". The difference is staggering. While at the same time they have been watching attendance figures plummet all the while. It's not paying off the way they had hoped.

What is the purpose of building more stands, and expanding a facility, if you are unable to fill it? Even for your premier racing events. And that is exactly what has happened. This is still more of not understanding what these grand kids are in direct control of, from purely a business standpoint. You can't run NASCAR like Starbucks or Krispy Kreme. A few more of these type of big, high dollar boondoggle business decisions, and they could very well bankrupt themselves. If TV viewership keeps declining, and advertisers continue to go elsewhere, It could easily leave them in financial ruin.

Years back, a lot of race teams couldn't spend all the money sponsors were throwing at them. Today it's commonplace for race teams to continually have to hunt for sponsorship dollars. Back when they were packing the stands full at every race, it was never mentioned. This isn't "bleeding". It's financial hemorrhaging. And they better find a way to stop it quick. Based on the way NASCAR has been run over the last several years, I don't think they have the business expertise to do it. If they did, they wouldn't be in this mess to begin with.
Next will be government subsidy of some sort, much like public financing of sports stadiums.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Next will be government subsidy of some sort, much like public financing of sports stadiums.


The only problem with that is the facility is already there. And you can't buy business to fill it.

 

[JasonC]

Sad thing is their are some people who think the current Cup races are actually good races.

 

[pbm]

Originally Posted By: 123Saab
Baseball and Nascar are slowly loosing audiences. TBH both are a bit boring IMO.

I'd love to see a few more WRC events in the U.S.


Don't forget the NFL...they lost audience last year and I think that trend will continue. People pay for entertainment and not politics....

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: jimbrewer


For me, its not a matter of what's wrong with sports, its what's right. To me, very little. I don't like the thuggish pro players, I don't like the professionalized college players, I don't like the publicly financed stadium rip-off, I don't like pro-football and pro baseball as faux religion. I don't like the hoked up razzle dazzle of the NBA. I also don't like the price. I don't see how any high school kid could afford to buy his own ticket to a major league pro team the way we did in the early 70s.


I feel the same Jim.

 

[Mr Nice]

Lots of the older folks that was going to NASCAR races in the 1980's and 1990's (before Days of Thunder) are slowing dying off. Young folks are not interested in stock car racing.

When # 3 died I only watched occasionally because of # 88. Now that he will retire I won't watch at all.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted By: JasonC
Sad thing is their are some people who think the current Cup races are actually good races.


Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
......Young folks are not interested in stock car racing.


2 different issues in play here. Both are relevant. Both involve young people. Some are not interested. And the one's who are don't realize the racing they seem to like is somewhat bogus compared to when it was actually good. Combine both, and it makes for dying sport. Which is exactly what it is.

 

[Charlie2015]

I imagine Subway was looking for a way to get out of NASCAR or away from Daniel Suarez. This year, they were still running ads with Carl Edwards in them! Suarez is not as widely know as Edwards, and I think Subway used this incident as an easy out. Hopefully, Suarez learns from this - never bite the hand that feeds you / no good deed goes unpunished.