Where are the U.S. fans?
Something that is hard to understand, is why there aren’t any fans at the superbike races. I’m not just talking club racing either. Recently I went to watch the AMA’s at our local track, Sears Point (AKA Infineon Raceway) and was completely underwhelmed by the fan attendance. My friends and I briefly talked about this and someone mentioned that it was probably the economy and that seemed to satisfy everyone’s curiosity. Reinforcing the point is that tickets went from $30 to $45 which seems like a pretty bad idea when times are bad.
OK… so you’re thinking “Wait, I saw people in the stands… what are you talking about?”. I mean, OK… your significant other is there and she brought some friends… maybe your parents stopped by to watch you race, but it’s more likely it was just your dad because mom doesn’t want to see you hurt yourself. And maybe you have a couple friends from work or from school stop by… but let’s face it, that’s it.
The fact is that superbike racing draws a smaller crowd of fans than your local Youth Soccer League. On our local forum we started to have this discussion and there are some interesting theories (including my own of course).
The fact of the matter is it’s the fault of superbike racing in general.
From club racing to the AMAs, there is just no love for the fans. If you go to watch a race, there is no inviting feel and if anything, it’s a feeling of “leave me alone I’m busy”. There’s no place to go for fans to meet the racers… hear them talk about the day… there’s some private label merchandise… but where’s the “OFFICIAL AMA” schwag? How about some kind of fan based interactive participation? There’s nothing.
Maybe superbike racing doesn’t want the fans or they just have a casual interest. Regardless, fans bring a lot to racing. NASCAR would still be a bunch of moonshiners racing in the woods if it wasn’t for the fans that came to watch. I plan on doing some research into this and hopefully discover some of the causes and issues and will report back what I find. If you have any insights into this… please share your comments
It’s quite possible that the question “Where are the U.S. Fans?” could be answered with yet another question: “Where are the U.S. Heroes?”
Across America and across the ages, there have been iconic heores in racing who were recognized by folks with no interest in racing, whatsoever.
To this day, my Mother still recognizes Richard Petty and A.J. Foyt. When someone passes her quickly on the freeway – an ever increasing occurence in her advancing years – she blurts out “Way to go, Mario!”
In more recent years, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Danica Patrick, and John Force have emereged as recognizable figures in the motor racing world. Recognizable to even those who are not fans of motor racing.
Sadly, there isn’t one readily recognizable motorcycling hero.
The World crowned an American Champion in the MotoGp named Nicky Hayden a few years ago. We didn’t get to see him on Good Morning America, Larry King, David Letterman, Saturday Night Live – none of the places that you would see Danica or Dale after winning just one race, let alone a championship.
It begs the old chicken or the egg question – was he not there because he didn’t want to go, or was there no interest in having him. It’s probably safe to assume the latter.
It’s also safe to assume that somewhere out there, there’s some NASCAR fans growing a little bored with their sport. Maybe they’re still loyal fans, but interested in something a bit different to set them apart from the crowd.
The sanctioning body which oversees AMA roadracing in America has a unique tie to NASCAR. Daytona Motorsports Group, as it’s called, is led, in part by Jim France. The France family started NASCAR in the late 40’s and still owns it today.
So, what would be the harm in inviting Ben Bostrom to a race? Make him the Grand Marshall. Give him 3 minutes in the booth during the pre-race show. While he’s being interviewed by Chris Meyers, slide in a couple of 15 second highlight reels of his riding. Give him another 15 seconds to plug a charity, and then tell people where they can tune in to see the next race. Maybe that fan wanting to set himself apart will take note and tune in.
Since most AMA races are broadcast on SpeedTv, a Fox affiliate; and most NASCAR races are broadcast on Fox, it’s hard to see a downside. And, since the AMA is being run by a NASCAR organization, it’s hard to see any conflict of interest here, as well.
There’s some obvious synergies that aren’t being exploited.
And they should be exploited. Because, sometimes in order to find the fans, you have to present a hero.