| Kuro-kuro Ko Lamang |
April 12,
1997
As I watch ESPN2, I notice a trend in
motorsports. I had this feeling for awhile, now.
I think it all started in the new year. There is
a big boom in the motorsports community. Racing
is growing... fast.
Every year that passes, motorsports gets larger
and more varied. There are more classes in
amateur racing, more sponsors get involved in the
sport, TV coverage is improved. One very
noticeable change is the media coverage of the
AMA Supercross Series. After Jeremy McGrath won
his third championship title, Sponsors started to
take notice. So did ESPN2. There is a new show in
town and it's called Supercross.
I know, Supercross has been around for years. The
difference now is that there is a
"super-Star" in the show. Jeremy
McGrath has brought the "showmanship"
that was lacking to this sport. Now how can I say
that about a competition made up of
"hot-dogs" and show-off's? Well, Jeremy
was not only flashy, but he was also dominant.
People would watch just to see if any one could
beat him. Even now that he is with Suzuki, and
not doing very well, people still watch to see if
he can still win. Needless to say, his sponsors,
No Fear, 1-800-COLLECT, etc. are very pleased
with their investment.
NASCAR, the ultimate American motorsport
(financially, that is...) Is growing at an
amazing rate. I read in RACER Magazine, about a
contractor that just got in to race track
building. The speedway he built has such a bright
future that he decided to make plans to build
another. I=m sure the fact that he already has a
Busch race date scheduled and NASCAR=s maybe for
next year. This seems to be a trend. More and
more tracks are being built and more NASCAR
venues are added and deleted from the schedule.
Even older race tracks' grand stands are being
expanded to be able to handle the larger
audience.
Yes, the reason for all this growth is the race
fan. There is just so much more interest in
motorsports now that there ever was. The biggest
reason for this is the media coverage has
improved so much with new technology. In car
cameras are not just the norm, but a minimum
requirement for a broadcast. There are cameras
all over the car, in the car, under the car
behind the car... And they are not confined to
just cars, either. Motorcyclists have them on
their helmets and bikes. These cameras have
brought the action so much closer to the
audience. What looked like cars just going round
and round is now an exciting spectacle. the
audience can almost "feel" the action.
This has sparked the flame which is now spreading
like wildfire.
Little known sports like Street Louge ( a lie
down skateboard race run down a paved hill,
soapbox derby style) are becoming main stream
because of the television coverage. Rollerblading
is no longer just a hobby. It's a professional
sport now. The same goes for skateboarding, jet
skiing and mountain biking. Much of the success
of these sports has to do with the X-Games a
competition of extreme sports, televised on
ESPN2. The excitement inherent in these sports
are captured by the broadcasters so well that
they have created a new breed of athletes. Of
course, none of this would be possible without
the sponsors. It is their investment in the sport
that has financed the careers of todays great
racers.
As you can see, when one aspect of the sport
grows, everything else seems to follow. More
racers, more technology, more excitement, more
money, more sponsors, more fans... it just keeps
on going. I believe that this growth has only
begun. World wide, you will see just as much, if
not more of the same. The great thing about this
phenomenon is that more people can take advantage
of the benefits that this brings. There will be
more jobs created, products will get better
exposure and the fans get a better show.
Everybody seems to benefit. Yes, the future looks
bright for motorsports.
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