Why has NASCAR had a surge in popularity, while baseball has faded?

Answer 1

Because NASCAR has never had a strike because of money. Most NASCAR drivers would race even if they did not get paid. They love what they are doing... its passion. No other sport has that in a majority of its players.
I am not saying all NBA,MLB or NFL players are all money hogs, but a large percentage are.
I think people appreciate the passion NASCAR drivers have for their profession.

Answer 2

The reason NASCAR has had surge in popularity is because , Nascar is gearing their advertisement towards young people, were as baseball is still the same. Also there is a lot more to Nascar then to Baseball. In baseball the object is to hit a ball and run 90 feet, and get home if possible. In Nascar the object of the race is to finish the race, and keep the fans happy. I stopped watching baseball when they striked. Baseball players should be playing for the love of the game like they did in the good old days, and not to see who gets paid more. Sure Nascar gets paid a ot to, but those guys go out everyday and put there life on the line.

Answer 3

Where do you get the idea that NASCAR is surging in popularity? Only one race run this year has higher Nielson ratings than last year and Texas didn't even sell out despite 2 tracks nearby going belly up.

So the question really is, is NASCAR actually at a do or die point in its existence? While the NASCAR folks will tell you that the decline late last year was due to NBC not giving it proper attention with the new Sunday Night Football lineup, the weak showings early this season don't bear that out.

What's going on then with NASCAR that's causing the issues? Is it a convoluted rule system that seems to change every time one manufacturer cries foul at the other? Is it that half the frontrunners got nailed for cheating right off the bat before Daytona? Is it that the "redneck nation" is becoming less trendy to be a part of?

Baseball has faded due to its player strikes, laughable free agency, and a lack of revenue sharing. As such, you have the same perennial powerhouses buying a trophy while the rest of the leage wallows in mediocrity. The NBA just suffers from too many punks, and the NHL couldn't afford the lockout they had.

The issues are much less obvious for NASCAR. I'm not sure what they are, but the question isn't why is it becoming more successful, but why is it losing the steam it's built up the first part of this decade.

Answer 4

I think there are several different reasons why NASCAR is surging in popularity, while baseball is on the decline.

First, I think it's our need for speed. Baseball is slow and methodical. It's something you an see while during a variety other things. While a pitchers' duel can be of interest, and a slug fest can be very exciting, there is a lot of wait time in baseball. Waiting for the batter, waiting for the pitcher, talks on the mound, etc. NASCAR is all about speed.

Second, I think it's our need for blood. (And this is rather pathetic). While in baseball an occasional fight may break out, or a hard play at second resulting in an injury, or a line drive straight up the middle hitting the pitcher, or an outfielder running hard for a ball, having to make a spectacular diving catch. However, in NASCAR cars are travelling at incredible speeds, in and out of traffic. The unpredictable factor is immeasurable. Virtually anything can happen. It is quite unusual for no collision of any kind, no metal on metal contact. And with the car flipping multiple times, tires flying through the air, landing upside down in pieces, perhaps a little fire, everyone holds their collective breath wondering "how could anyone survive that?!!" That doesn't happen in baseball. And the next day at the water cooler, that car crash will come up.

Finally, NASCAR represents a fantasy for nearly all of us. We can only imagine what it must be like to drive a car in excess of 200mph, taking the high curve three or four wide, zooming into the pits with the adrenaline pumping. However, must of us have played baseball on some level. Many of us have made a "spectacular" play. We have hit that ball hard and ran the bases. We know what it's like to win a game, and also what it's like to lose a game.

Answer 5

NASCAR is pure. It is an exciting adrenaline rush in which there is a villain for every hero. Drivers seem to be as dedicated to the fans as the fans are to a driver. Most of the people are good hearted, genuine and real. A lot of the drivers also are rooted in tradition. Baseball on the other hand is a sport full of scandal. Steroid use, how the athletes act, what the athletes say, the disrespect and trash talk to other athletes and fans. And it isn't just baseball, a lot of professional sports are doing the same thing. NASCAR drivers mostly get out of the car on victory lane and thank people, sponsors, their family, God, and their fans. They thank their crews, they thank their crew chiefs, they show loyalty and sportsmanship for the most part. Very gracious in winning, and most are very gracious in defeat. Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, no class, not gracious at all. The question really shouldn't be, "Why is NASCAR more popular than baseball?, the question should be, "Why did it take so long for NASCAR to become more popular?" Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy going to the local minor league games, but on TV, baseball is just slow and boring, but NASCAR is always changing shifting, moving. And another thing on top of this is the fact that basketball and football need to take heed. Baseball was the Nation's past time and it is fading, start making positive changes now to change and clean up the sports or they may very well be next.

Answer 6

I would not say this answer is comprehensive but the fact I see that attributes to Nascar's surge in popularity is the designated times it's races are ran. I am a baseball fan for life and could never see why nascar was huge, but I can watch a baseball game any day of the week, I can only watch nascar on Sat night or sunday afternoon, allowing even the average fan to set time aside for a family or friend gathering and put the race on. Baseball games are played so often that I believe only the purist can sit down everyday and watch baseball. I think if Nascar was ran everyday, you would see a decline. That is not feasible though.

Answer 7

Why is NASCAR more popular than baseball? The simple answer is marketing. NASCAR has marketed itself all over the world, what has Major League Baseball done? They have a few commericials, but not like NASCAR. When you look at products, you see far more that say "Official Product of NASCAR" than those that say, "Official Product of the MLB." I think another reason people prefer NASCAR is because they have no clue as to how much the drivers make. Everybody knows that baseball players are handsomely rewarded, and that they will go on strike for a moments notice. Personally, I hate NASCAR. I love auto racing of all kinds: drag racing, indy, F1, stock car racing, GT, rally, etc., etc. However, the reason I don't like NASCAR is favoritism. You can't let one person get away with doing something yet turn a blind eye when someone else does this. I have quit watching NASCAR. I remember when I was younger, NASCAR tickets were cheaper than dirt, now you can't get a decent seat for under $100 a ticket. Baseball has always been fairly expensive at the major league level, but not NASCAR. Anyway, just my opinion. Take it or leave it.

Answer 8

I don't think the two are really related.
It's just a case of baseball is in trouble, while NASCAR is on the upswing.

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Why has baseball faded:

Steroids - After the 1994 strike, MLB sold its soul to the devil for The Great Home Run Derby that was the McGuire/Sosa season.

Steroids II - Barry Bonds is the biggest heel (to borrow a WWF term) in sports today.

Free agency. A fan can't get attached to a team if half the roster rotates in.

Season is too long. You need to end the season with the fans wanting more. But, with 162 games, pre-season, post-season, world series, there's not much of an off season.

The fan base - they want faster games now.

For those fans who still do prefer games with a slower pace that allows all the subtleties and mental aspects of the game to come to the surface; well they're watching poker now instead of baseball.

Being there in person, just ain't that big a deal. Can't go today, they're playing in the same park next week, and the week after that.

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Why NASCAR has surged:

Fan-friendly. The individual drivers still understand that without the fans, there's no fame or fortune. A lot of athletes in a lot of other sports have forgotten that.

The individuality of it - Baseball fans follow a team, but that team turns over a lot of players each year. But, it doesn't matter if Junior is racing for DEI, or Hendrick, or Childress; he's still Junior.

The passion - I attended my first NASCAR race this year, and I was blown away by how passionate the fans are. They love to hate Jeff Gordon, and they just plain hate Juan Pablo.

The fans can still fantasize about participating - meaning that most people who watch a baseball game know, they just know, that they can't hit a major league fastball.

But everyone who has driven on the interstates has felt at some point they can compete on the NASCAR circuit. It's closer to the fans, in that sence.

Answer 9

People are beginning to realize that people on steroids running around bases is not cool anymore. The steroids is what is killing baseball. It's odd how a great sport like baseball went down the toilet all because of steroids.
NASCAR well racing in general, is becoming more popular because there's almost always a close finish. In baseball you already know who is going to win in the last inning. Anything can happen in NASCAR going into the last turn. The leader could get a flat tire, run out of gas, get involved in a ten car pileup, so on and so forth. Another reason is that everyone likes to see a good wreck in NASCAR.
Baseball's cheating and NASCAR's excitement is why there is a change in the popularity of those sports. I would bet that if there were no performance enhancing drugs in baseball, it would be the great sport it once was. If NASCAR had none of the wrecks or close finishes and only one car dominated the track it would lose interest.

Answer 10

Baseball has had too many issues recently, of course the biggest being steroids. Most of the media that is coming out of baseball is negative, and not positive. Bonds is about to break one of the biggest baseball records and no one could care less, because they suspect he cheated. The magical season of McGwire-Sosa that supposedly brought baseball back is now tainted with McGwire's horrible court showing, and Sosa's cork. I think that baseball has too long of a season also, I think Selig should drastically reduced the games played. He could easily knock 30-40 games off the totaled played. I know this could be a big blow to the stats, but change is needed. This would help the playoffs as well, because it wouldn't be hurt by football season.

Another point would be is that baseball games go 4 hours almost every night, and you only have one Nascar event a week. It is easier for someone to turn on ESPN's baseball tonight and for 30 minutes find out all the exciting parts of baseball instead of watching a boring Royals-D'Ray 3 hour game. Nascar is being marketed very well too. They do bring the drivers to the people. No other sport comes close to that. This creates loyalty unlike baseball were free agency could cause your favorite player to move to a team you really can't stand. **cough** Johnny Damon **cough** Nascar also brings a lot of excitement, and the anticipation of a crash, or a fight among drivers. How many times do you sit and wait for some amazing crash, and three minutes later the driver is telling you what happened, and how he is going to curse the driver who made him crash? I also see more passion from drivers in Nascar than baseball players. Okay that's all from me.

Answer 11

I've never caught on to NASCAR, so I don't really get it, even after seeing the Pocono 500 from the infield. I think its popularity has a lot to do with marketing, as well as the potential for mortal danger.

People say baseball is boring, but I'm sorry, I can only watch about 20 laps before I have to tune NASCAR out. It's like golf, much more fun if you are actually participating. But, I suppose the same can be said about any sport, including baseball.

I loved baseball as a kid, and it's still my favorite, but my enthusiasm is curbed.

Reasons include:

1- competitive imbalance due to the combination of free agency & a lack of a salary cap

2- too many worker strikes (yeah, I know its been a while, but that last one broke everyone's back)

3- the DH rule (kills interesting strategy)

4- the ridiculously slowed pace of the game by both the pitchers and the commercial breaks. The games are not how they were when I was a kid (I'm 36), a game was always moving and could be over within two hours. I don't have 4 hours to kill each night. They used to insert commercials around the game, but now they insert the game around the commercials.

5- games are being snowed out in April (isn't this a Spring & Summer game? - wait two more weeks before playing the first game!)

6- the World Series is being played in November (it should be over by the first week of October, 2nd week is stretching it)

7- a general lack of knowledge of the game. Because of the last strike, people stopped teaching their kids baseball. People don't like it, because nobody knows what the point of each pitch is. The truth of the matter is that the whole drama of a baseball game is in the ball & strike count, but if you don't understand it all, and why that is, it is boring.

Also, there is what appears to be incompetence within the commissioner's office on any number of issues, including everything just listed.

The steroid issues don't help, but a strong commissioner would've killed all of that a long time ago. Even today. He currently brags that he has the toughest steroid policy in sports, yet somehow it is not satisfying enough. A strong commissioner needs to be put in place for the best interests of the game, and NOT the best interests of the owners (of whom he was one while in office). The steroid issue is more of an inconvenience and annoyance, than a real turn off. This inconvenence should be removed immediately, and then we move on. All legal, testing, and punishment matters need to be put behind MLB ASAP.