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May 31, 2005
Nascar Members Club: Thou Shall Not Say Anything Negative
I joined the Nascar Member's Club which thus far seems to be a big waste of time and money since I don't go to any races and even then it might not do much for me. But for those folks lucky enough to partake in some behind-the-scenes activties at a race in conjunction with the Nascar Members Club there are some strict rules. Or at least such was the case with fans who got to stand in front of the stage during driver and crew introductions for the All-Star Challenge. The following is one of the rules that participants must agree to: "Also, when attending a Driver Introduction event, negative comments toward drivers are expressly forbidden. Positive comments only are allowed. Failure to follow this policy will result in the removal of your pass for the event and possibly the revocation of your Membership."
On the surface I understand what the intent is. They don't want fans heckling the drivers or screaming offensive remarks at them from up-close. I agree that kind of behavior is inappropriate and shouldn't be tolerated. However, only positive comments are allowed? How far would they take that? If I were there and was to turn to another fan within earshot of someone in a position of authority of the club and say "I think Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman need to make amends and end this silly feud. I can't believe Penske is allowing them to continue like this since strife between teams only hurts the company in the long run." Or what if I said, "I don't like Junior. His attitude towards women bothers me." Would they throw me out for that? Neither comment constitutes bashing, but nor are they positive comments. Would I get thrown out for saying something like that? What if it was Nascar I was critical of, not a driver?
What's particularly disturbing is not only could you be removed from the event but from the fan club as well. Again, if someone is disruptive and shouting offensive things at drivers then I fully agree with taking action to send a message that inappropriate behavior isn't acceptable. But if they were to apply that rule to people who simply express opinions that aren't positive, well, that's a problem. Nascar fans aren't all going to be positive and happy and love everything that happens or every driver. In fact many fans seems to be pretty negative sometimes about anything that doesn't involve their own favorite drivers. Which is fine. Yes, the attitude of some fans definitely astonishes and perplexes me sometimes but fans should be able to express any opinions they want that isn't an insult directed at someone else. But maybe Nascar doesn't quite agree with that.
I'd be interested in what might happen if they apply this rule and toss someone for saying something that they don't like. It could very much turn into something pretty ugly for Nascar since the media and many others would drool over an opportunity to attack Nascar for attempting to quell fan negativity and criticism.
Posted by silverdsl at May 31, 2005 08:58 PM