Scraping The Bottom of the Barrel

Twenty four hour generic sports networks work for one reason only. Sports occur year round. There is rarely a time in which no sporting event is taking place. Thus, because a sporting event is indeed taking place, that means there is something to talk about.

In auto racing there are discrepancies. There is no set off season. Sure, specific series do indeed have periods in which no track action is taking place. However there is never a time in which no semi-major auto race is taking place. The Race of Champions is soon approaching. Formula E is racing throughout the winter. The 2015 World Rally Championship season begins in January.

Clearly, there's no shortage of auto racing over the winter. Unless you live in North America. Almost every major racing series in North America that would ever see TV time has a set offseason. Normally during that offseason nothing happens. Drivers have already switched teams. Engineers have already left one team and taken a better position at another. The schedule has been released. There's really nothing to talk about.

Hold on now. Don't tell that to Fox and NBC! This blog as done its fair share of praise and criticism of the NASCAR oriented programming on sports networks. However, no matter what, Fox's NASCAR RaceHub and NBC's NASCAR America have been discussed with relative positivity. Until now.

For whatever reason what began as two comprehensive NASCAR news shows have fallen to Entertainment Tonight standards. In watching offseason productions of RaceHub and NASCAR America one thing has become clear. If a driver, crew member, wife, pet, alien or cell associated with NASCAR so much as breathes, it is news.

The NASCAR on Fox Twitter and Facebook pages have resorted to showing photoshopped photos of NASCAR drivers in ridiculous situations in order to generate traffic. Not stopping there it appears as though Fox and NBC have mistaken Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. NASCAR fans, let alone sports fans, have little to no interest in mindless entertainment and gossip. Why what once occupied the space of some of the best sports writing in the history of auto racing is now filled with mindless gossip is a sad representation of the levels dropped to in order to create news.

There doesn't need to be a NASCAR news show during the offseason. If you can't fill the program with comprehensive news stories, it's best to take a break. Resume the shows when the season resumes. I'm sure we'll all be more excited to welcome the program back rather than endue an offseason filled with news we could get out of People Magazine.

Editorial: Oh Fox...

Throughout the duration of this blog, Fox Sports and Formula E have been mainstays. There seems to always be an issue when it comes to these two entities.

When Fox Sports announced the contract between Fox and Formula E, times seemed simpler. Simply put, I was under the impression Formula E would be a heavily promoted ratings draw for the brand new Fox Sports 1.

Never have I been so wrong.

It seems as though I never know when or where the race will air live. There are never any promos on any Fox Sports channel. The only way to find out what time the race is scheduled to air is if you painstakingly dig throughout the Motors on Fox blog.

How did I find out when the Uruguay ePrix will air? I clicked on a news article about Formula E! It leads me to believe if news never broke surrounding Formula E, no one would ever know when to watch it. To make matters worse, the race is live on Fox Sports 2!

I understand college football is still the priority on Fox Sports 1. Yet the least Fox could do is tell us that!

Hit and Miss

It appears as though the last few months in sports have had one thing in common. Domestic abuse allegations seem to be running wild. There was a point in which every day it seemed another athlete was accused of some sort of domestic assault.

Some stories caught fire quickly. Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson have gone from being high profile NFL stars to social pariahs. Everywhere you look, someone is talking about domestic abuse. The public is becoming more aware. It is not going away.

However, there is one case that media outlets are trying to squash. It has been almost one month since Kurt Busch was accused of domestic assault. The Associated Press first broke the story early in November. NASCAR was racing in Phoenix that weekend. Kurt Busch was there. He was going to drive no matter what.

For roughly a week the story was kept warm. A few articles written here and there. A mention of the allegations on a news program every so often. Overall very few people were discussing this. NASCAR made a statement in which no action would be taken against Busch until any legal proceedings were finished.

After that, poof. No more. The story was gone. Talk concerning the case has been relatively minimal. The story itself never grew. There is simply no excuse for this.

Fox, NBC, and ESPN all own rights to the NFL. All three networks discussed domestic violence in the NFL until none of us could bear any more. Conveniently, all three networks also owned rights to NASCAR. Regardless of whether the case had any weight to it remains a massive question. Only slight mentions of the Kurt Busch case made their way onto SportsCenter, Fox Sports Live, and NASCAR America.

If these networks had no trouble at all exposing and slightly tarnishing the NFL, why can they not do the same to NASCAR? NFL fans grossly overpower NASCAR fans. Yet just as NFL fans will still watch the NFL no matter what, NASCAR fans will still watch NASCAR.

The purpose of journalism is to expose the truth. Even if the truth isn't interesting that shouldn't warrant ignoring the story.

The European Invasion

The Indianapolis 500 has long been looked upon as being one of the greatest sports traditions in America. Throughout the 1960's to the 1980's drivers racing on the American open wheel circuit were fast, brash, and American. It wasn't until the 1990's that drivers from Europe began to migrate overseas. None of these drivers were slouches.

Nigel Mansell shocked the world in late 1992 when he left the Willams F1 team. Mansell, the reigning Formula 1 World Champion, would not return to his seat at Williams. Instead opting to race alongside Mario Andretti at Newman-Haas Racing in the CART series.

Mansell wasted no time collecting five wins and the 1993 CART championship. Mansell boasted a solid third place at the 1993 Indianapolis 500 - his first oval race. It was most likely the most impressive run anyone had seen up until that point.

Mansell began a trend. In 1996, Italian Alex Zanardi joined the CART series and promptly won back to back championships in 1997 and 1998. Fans seemed to buy in. Mansell and Zanardi quickly became fan favorites.

That trend continues to this day. IndyCar continues to see more and more European and South American drivers compete each season. For example, this year's Indianapolis 500 featured 11 Americans out of 33 drivers. Thirty years ago, the 1984 Indianapolis 500 featured 26 American drivers out of 33.

For 2015, rumors are swirling. Formula 1 drivers now see IndyCar as a far more practical option. European teams see IndyCar and Indy Lights as a cheaper option that will bring more chances of success. All of these aspects are great for the overall health of the series.

However, will fans buy in? Will television buy in? Most sports networks enjoy broadcasting NASCAR because of the logistics. Yet it also appears as though for networks, promoting an American born driver is also the easier option.

Telecasts of IndyCar seem to have a difficult time promoting drivers from European backgrounds, instead opting to focus on Americans and Brazilians.

That leads to the main question. With the exception of Jean-Eric Vergne, few fans and television networks will be familiar with these European drivers. Will ABC and NBC be able to promote these drivers as the future stars they are? Will IndyCar itself market these drivers properly? It remains to be seen. However the ball is in IndyCar's court. They have many options as towards how they can use these drivers to their advantage. Hopefully, pride and proper promotion turn out favorable.

Where's Our News Show??

For each traditional sport, no matter what channel, there exists a specific talk show. It's not enough that shows like SportsCenter and Fox Sports Live discuss all sports. Each sport must have its own talk show. To prove this point, here is a list:

ESPN sports specific talk shows:

• Baseball Tonight
• College Football Game Day
• College Basketball Game Day
• Sunday NFL Countdown
• NFL Insiders
• NFL Live
• ESPN FC
• MMA Live

Fox Sports 1 and 2 sports specific talk shows:

• MLB Whiparound
• UFC Tonight
• Fox Football Daily
• Fox Soccer Daily (no longer aired)

NBCSN sports specific talk shows:

• Pro Football Talk
• Premier League Live

Excluded from the above lists are programs related to NASCAR. Fox Sports 1 has NASCAR RaceHub and NBCSN has NASCAR America.

One thing that has never quite made sense is that generic motorsports does not have its own show. Sports networks would rather discuss Fantasy Football instead of auto racing. NASCAR RaceHub and NASCAR America are high quality programs, however they have become less like news programs and more like magazines on television. Instead of reporting and analyzing news, there appears to be an emphasis on feature stories.

RPM2Nite on ESPN2 and SPEED Center on the now defunct SPEED Channel reported the news of auto racing with favorable ratings. It was not ratings that killed those shows. It was management pulling the plug due to something beyond their control.

Many fans have been pleading to NBCSN which now holds rights to the big three racing series to create an auto racing centered program. NBC teases the fans many times by discussing and promoting IndyCar and Formula 1 during NASCAR America.

For cripes sakes, NBC. You have the least sports specific programs on your network. You have knowledgeable anchors. You have the rights. Just give in.

History Repeats Itself?

Fifteen years ago NASCAR signaled the first move of its visionary plan to grow in popularity. Fox Sports along with NBC/Turner stole television rights to NASCAR away from ESPN and CBS. Fox Sports at the time was showing signs of being a serious competitor to ESPN. Fox Sports Net regional sports channels were growing in viewership and adding NASCAR programming would only bring positive results.

ESPN and NASCAR however experienced the kind of mutual benefit seldom seen by any network and property. Without NASCAR, ESPN would most likely still be airing collegiate table tennis. In contrast, without ESPN NASCAR would still be a southern niche sport.

The very moment Fox aired the first NASCAR telecast it became clear Fox was more committed to NASCAR than ESPN ever was. Fox launched a daily NASCAR news program, Totally NASCAR, to compete with ESPN2's RPM2Nite. That wasn't enough however. Fox then went ahead and acquired a majority stake in the car and auto racing channel SpeedVision. Only a few months after the acquisition, Fox decided to buy SpeedVision entirely and use the network to air more hours of NASCAR than anyone had ever experienced.

One of the main factors to Fox's success was NASCAR's treatment of ESPN during the 2001 season. ESPN was all but banned from NASCAR events. ESPN was not allowed to show video of any NASCAR event on SportsCenter or RPM2Nite. Instead, any mention of NASCAR on either program was accompanied by still images. This treatment resulted in ESPN cancelling RPM2Nite in late 2003 and subsequently ignoring NASCAR completely outside of ESPN Classic from 2004-2006.

The 2015 season will see the return of the Fox/NBC partnership. This time however, both Fox and NBC now operate their own 24/7 cable sports networks. SPEED Channel has become Fox Sports 1 and OLN/Versus is now NBCSN. ESPN now is facing NASCAR on competing networks, something it has never experienced before.

ESPN has clearly realized the threat. Coverage of NASCAR on SportsCenter over the 2014 season has been more common than ever before. For the first time since 2001 ESPN dedicated more than five minutes to discuss NASCAR!

Hopefully, NASCAR will allow ESPN to continue to cover NASCAR. To have three major cable sports networks discussing NASCAR can only be beneficial. However, it's up to NASCAR to allow this to happen and ESPN must still be willing.

IndyCar's Struggle With Relevancy

There might not exist another major form of auto racing that has a longer offseason than IndyCar. Six full months of no on track activity describes IndyCar's winter break. While NASCAR and Formula 1 soar in ratings due to season ending excitement, IndyCar sits stagnant.

Despite the few news stories of drivers changing teams, there isn't much happening in IndyCar that is worth discussing. Teams are supposedly developing and testing aero kits. European drivers who cannot find a drive in Formula 1 are being given IndyCar tests. Josef Newgarden is probably volunteering right now.

Those aren't enough to keep casual or hardcore fans interested. Social media work can only do so much. That seems to be IndyCar's battle plan. If we post as much on social media as possible, people  will remember we exist.

It sadly doesn't work that way. Without a major news show dedicated completely to auto racing, the majority of fans actually do forget IndyCar is still around.

There have been talks about some winter races in warmer climates. Hopefully a completely separate championship. However, the likelihood of Mark Miles making that a reality sits at questionable.

It's time for IndyCar to understand if they are committed to ending the season before Labor Day, they need to stay relevant. Stay relevant in all forms of media. Make an effort to gain exposure in newspapers, on television, and on the radio. Continue the level of social media involvement. Just by all means, don't let us forget you exist!

Formula E: Fox Stepped Up

Doubt has long loomed over Fox Sports' commitment to Formula E. Critics remain skeptical of the sport's appeal. Fans appear disinterested. As a result, many people, as well as myself, have wondered if Fox is willing to remain loyal to Formula E.

Fox decided to air the Putujaya ePrix live on the less available Fox Sports 2 over the weekend. For the sake of a college football news program on Fox Sports 1. However, Fox employed a strategy that worked well for their sports car coverage.

Fans who may have missed the second round of the Formula E calendar due to the time zones had two more chances to catch the race. Fox opted to re air the race about mid morning on Saturday. This time, on Fox Sports 1.

Fox didn't stop there. Taking a gamble that would either pay off or cause permanent disinterest, Fox re aired the race once again, after the early NFL game. Exposing NFL fans to such a radical idea as Formula E seemed risky.

The ratings are not in. The reactions have not been recorded. Whether or not viewers even bothered to pay attention to the race remains unanswered.

However, one thing is certain. Maybe Fox does see a future in Formula E.

NBCSN: Race Fans' Dream?

Race fans are probably some of the most spoiled sports fans on the planet. Traditional sports have long offseasons. Auto racing, doesn't really have an offseason. Instead, we have a period of time in which the next season has not yet started.

We are now in that period. Race fans channel surf on weekends, hoping to find something interesting. However this year it seems that will be a little easier.

At the conclusion of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, NBCSN made the first public promo for the Race of Champions. For race fans, the Race of Champions is like our olympics. Two of the most successful drivers from any given country compete to become the Champion of Champions.

In previous years, US television hasn't touched the Race of Champions. Few even know it exists. Yet NBCSN has announced it plans to air the event on a one week tape delay.

NBCSN has quickly become the new SpeedVision. Boasting a line up that includes the biggest three motorsports in the world, NASCAR, IndyCar, and Formula 1, as well as racing's minor leagues such as GP2, Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, USF2000, and ARCA. They don't slouch in sports cars either, sharing coverage of the Pirelli World Challenge with MavTV.

Very few people ever thought we would see the Race of Champions over here in the United States. Thankfully, NBCSN knows auto racing can build a network. It worked for ESPN, so far it's working for NBCSN.

College Football Vs......Formula E?

Yesterday, Fox Sports announced a programming shift. The Formula E race from Malaysia will now air live on Fox Sports 2 instead of Fox Sports 1. The reasoning for this change was cited as "scheduling conflicts". However, the timeslot now shows a college football news show.

It's a pretty well known fact that college football is necessary for a national sports channel to grow. The rights are relatively easy to come by. Just take the games no one will broadcast. Yet, how many people religiously watch college football news?

Apparently, more than would watch the Formula E race. This would not be as big of an issue if Fox was pushing harder to get Fox Sports 2 bundled with Fox Sports 1. For most people, Fox Sports 2 is too expensive. Many race fans wanting to tune in will be alienated.

The question of whether or not Fox cares about Formula E remains. In a previous article, that was the main focus. It appears relevant still today. Fans were promised these races on Fox Sports 1. It's expected they will be able to see it. However, unless you have Fox Sports 2, it appears as though the college football saturation will be the only thing to watch.

Editorial: Racing's Greatest Women

 Settle in. This could get long.

Ever since I entered college, I can't say I kept up with the events at my former high school. That was until this last week. I noticed arguing on Twitter. Students typing in all caps as to illustrate their displeasure. As focused as I was on the news of auto racing, I couldn't help but take notice and investigate.

I soon found out someone had made a bracket. No, not an early draft of NCAA predictions. A bracket ranking girls in the school based on perceived attractiveness. My first reaction was sheer disbelief. I honestly thought this was a middle school student garnering for attention. As I investigated further, I found out the culprit was a senior. A student one year younger than me.

As the dust settled and my anger subsided I realized something. This issue of equality was at the forefront of my life. I could finally speak up. I found the Twitter page of the women's group from my school. They had campaigns left and right preaching equality and feminism. Many students also were speaking up with them. It was a heartwarming sight to see after all the outrage and anger just a few days prior.

Scrolling through the inspirational and motivational tweets and stories I noticed a retweeted article. There was a photo attached showing Ryan Hunter-Reay after he won the Indianapolis 500 this year. Hunter-Reay was surrounded by the United Fiber and Data grid girls. The caption read "The tradition of using women as trophies continues. At some point, will someone please realize how stupid this?"

Now it was my problem. Those girls were not being used as trophies. When a driver wins a race the last thing on their mind is women. Maybe thirty or forty years ago, but certainly not today. The sponsors place those women there for the sake of marketing. I do not personally agree with that strategy, but it is not meant to be demeaning. Most of those women are models. Getting paid to simply look good and advertise a product. They sign up for it. When Danica Patrick won at Motegi in 2008 she posed with girls just like that. They are there to increase awareness for a brand and nothing more.

One of the things I love about auto racing is the fact that it is the only sport in which men and women compete at the same time on a level playing field. Teams do not care about gender. They care about talent and marketability. If you're not talented enough you won't last long unless you have money.

Then I thought about all the women in auto racing the media passes over. Never do I see ESPN doing documentaries on female racing drivers. I would argue they have it worse than anybody.

Good motorsport journalists talk about women racing drivers as they would male. If the driver is doing well, talk about them. If the driver is doing poorly, do not talk about them. Several journalists have lessened the amount they talk about Danica Patrick because she is simply under performing in NASCAR. They are not being sexist. Do you ever hear anyone talk about how well Josh Wise ran 36th?

It's not just the female drivers either. Few people mention Sarah Fisher outside the IndyCar niche. I had never heard of Leena Gade until Audi ran a commercial showing off her work. The females in racing who never raced or no longer race are even more strong.

Sarah Fisher went from being a racing prodigy to being a successful team owner and mother. Leena Gade was turned down countless times until Audi gave her a chance. She later won the 24 Hours of LeMans as the head engineer. Nobody talks about the work DeLana Harvick did for her husband's race team. Or the fact that Teresa Earnhardt kept her deceased husband's race team alive well after she even had to. All of these women were successful on their own.

I firmly stand for equality. And that's why I love auto racing. The inner workings of the sport love women. The media for some reason does not.

ESPN and NASCAR: A Farewell

This weekend marks the final NASCAR race ESPN will broadcast for the foreseeable future. The network that grew the popularity of NASCAR and auto racing will end its seven year run with NASCAR this Sunday.

When NASCAR and ESPN announced a seven year deal in 2006, it seemed success was imminent. However, the network had not covered or even discussed NASCAR since the cancellation of RPM2Night in 2003. ESPN failed to produce a quality broadcast in its first year back as well as subsequent years. NASCAR fans grew to dread when the ESPN part of the season arrived.

It wasn't just the race broadcasts that were bad. SportsCenter continued to ignore NASCAR news. There were so few mentions of NASCAR on ESPN's flagship program some wondered if the network had the rights to broadcast highlights. ESPN launched NASCAR Now, a NASCAR news show similar to Baseball Tonight or NFL Live. NASCAR fans enjoyed the program. NASCAR Now would air every weekday at 5 PM on ESPN2. Right after SportsNation.

NASCAR Now provided the most in-depth look at NASCAR. ESPN did not slack on hiring talent. As is the norm with ESPN, they hired former drivers and crew chiefs as analysts. However, their hires of Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree, Ricky Craven, and Ray Evernham were met with praise. Couple some of the most knowledgeable former drivers with the best NASCAR journalist Marty Smith and you had the most credible news program on ESPN.

By 2011, ESPN's production in NASCAR had stepped up. They were now on par with Fox. The commentating team of Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree was a pleasure to listen to. Bestwick was professional only when he needed to be. Never botching a call, Bestwick could make paint drying an event to see. Dale Jarrett was just like his father. A smart, strategic driver with a knack for television. Jarrett could almost broadcast the thoughts of each driver. Petree had the best pedigree of them all. Having worked with Dale Earnhardt and being a former small team owner with a win under his belt, Petree knew the ins and outs of the sport. If there was a problem with a car, pit crew, or team, Petree could tell you.

Now, ESPN will say goodbye to NASCAR for only the second time in fourteen years. However, they have announced to be retaining Marty Smith and Ricky Craven. Smith, the most professional journalist around. Craven, the former driver turned investigative journalist. Both are tasked with explaining NASCAR to general sports fans. Only time will tell if ESPN sees NASCAR as a worthy topic of conversation. With the inclusion of Smith and Craven, it's a pretty good guess NASCAR will be about as relevant as the NFL.

Stop kidding yourself, IndyCar

In IndyCar it's always one step forward, eight steps back. A series still recovering from one of the worst twenty years ever witnessed in the American sports market continues to disappoint at every turn.

Lets face it. Taking consulting advice from a firm unfamiliar with your product is never a good idea. Actually sticking to the advice after it has proved feeble is even worse.

Ending the season before Labor Day does more harm than good. Yet IndyCar, primarily Mark Miles, insists the strategy is good. His reasoning? Ratings are up!

While ratings are indeed up the only attribute has to be from increased promotion and awareness. Verizon stepped up and promoted IndyCar more than IndyCar could promote itself. NBCSN made everyone watching Formula 1 or NASCAR America know when and where to watch the next IndyCar Series race. Even ABC showed a significant increase in quality.

The increase had less to do with the schedule and more to do with promotion and awareness. Those two aspects had been severely lacking the past few years. Avoiding the NFL had nothing to do with anything.

Even now most fans and tracks remain frustrated. Auto Club Speedway moves its date for the fourth year in a row. Pocono Raceway, still upset over attendance drops, moves to a late August date.

It seems in an effort to boost ratings, Mark Miles has upset everyone but the pocketbook. Which for IndyCar, is probably a good thing. Yet fans crave ovals. Losing Pocono and Auto Club would see legions of upset fans. And what's the only response? We needed to end before Labor Day otherwise the big bad NFL would destroy us?

It seems that television is only helping IndyCar at this point. Which is good to a point. If more fans watch the race on television instead of attending the race, tracks can't make a profit. If tracks can't make a profit, they won't be on the schedule. If tracks aren't on the schedule, IndyCar ceases to exist.

TV ratings are nice, butts in seats are better.

Half Truths

Last week things looked promising for the United States Grand Prix. There was a strong possibility Alexander Rossi would finally make his Formula 1 debut. There was a significant buzz amongst Formula 1 enthusiasts.

This buzz however, has died. The Caterham and Marussia F1 teams have gone into administration. The two teams are bleeding more money than they can earn. As a result, neither team will race in Sunday's United States Grand Prix.

Eighteen cars will start on Sunday. Down from twenty two last year and twenty four in 2012. That's not how you keep fans interested.

Of course, at least it's not the 2005 United States Grand Prix.

That's the race where Formula 1 lost all of it's appeal in the States. Six cars start the Grand Prix while every other team parks their cars due to safety concerns. Safety concerns that could have been resolved.

The only positive showing so far is NBC. Over the last week almost every NBC television program is screaming the United States Grand Prix. To show how much NBC wants the USGP to be a big deal, Lewis Hamilton was on the Today Show. The likelihood of any viewer even knowing who Matt Lauer was talking to is slim to none. Yet, it sure generates publicity.

Good publicity too. Something the race - and the sport - needs.

Saturday Practice and qualifying are going head to head with college football. If fans unfamiliar with Formula 1 and its history in the United States tune in, the mindset could change. It only works if NBC is successful.

Formula 1 and America

The annual Formula 1 United States Grand Prix is finally upon us. With only three races remaining in the 2014 Formula 1 season, excitement is rampant throughout the message boards. Will it be Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg who wins the World Drivers Championship? Will Red Bull make a charge to end the season on a high note? Where will Fernando Alonso end up next year? All these questions making big news across the globe. Except for the U.S.

Ever since the 2005 tire controversy which saw only six cars start the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis, American fans and American media have paid little to no attention to Formula 1. Filled primarily with disgust towards the handling of the situation, American fans and journalists seem to disregard Formula 1 for 355 days of the year.

This year however, it is different. With Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas seeing rave reviews from drivers and tourists many wonder if Formula 1 will regain popularity amongst American fans. The ever looming possibility of Alexander Rossi taking the grid as the first American Formula 1 driver in eight years seems to have increased fan interest.

As heartbreaking as it is to see Marussia F1 driver Jules Bianchi remain in a coma after his accident on October 5th, Rossi making his debut could help ease those wounds.

For Formula 1 to survive in America it needs a driver fans can cheer on. Sadly, if Rossi is to take to the grid next weekend, his chances of pulling off an upset win are slim to none. Marussia isn't exactly the ideal team to make a career for, yet giving fans in Austin someone to cheer on might help.

The question of how much media attention Rossi and the USGP will gain still remains. With media coverage already surrounding Gene Haas' Haas F1 Team 2016 debut, perhaps extra attention could be given to the recent Americanization of Formula 1.

NBC is set to air the Grand Prix going head to head on network television with the NFL. Last year's race saw big ratings. It could be doubled if interest is present.

A Sad State of Affairs

Sports news programs exist for a reason. Professional sports journalists exist for a reason. ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and CBS Sports all have cable channels. When those channels are not showing live sports, odds are they're talking about sports. On Monday the world saw proof of why you should leave sports to the sports people.

ABC's Good Morning America opened their broadcast Monday morning like any other. The headlines from around the world ready to be discussed. Only there was something new. A NASCAR story. Not just any NASCAR story. A story about a NASCAR fight.

Fights in NASCAR are about as common as a fight in hockey. A fight put NASCAR on the map in 1979. On the final lap of the Daytona 500 that year, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed on the final lap. Richard Petty went on to win the race while Yarborough and Allison threw punches on the back stretch. It's a tale every NASCAR fan has heard. The first live telecast of a NASCAR race happens to show the raw emotions of the drivers up close. However that was 1979.

Saturday night's Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race saw four of NASCAR's top drivers scuffle. Brad Keselowski made some questionable moves on Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth. Following the race, Kenseth and Hamlin showed their displeasure towards Keselowski by aggressively bear hugging him.

However it was the fourth driver, Tony Stewart, that is receiving most of the heat. In one of the most sickening displays of slanderous journalism, reporter Gio Benitez focused his NASCAR story on Tony Stewart. When Brad Keselowski came speeding down pit road, Keselowski made contact with Stewart's car. Stewart, feeling the move was reckless and unnecessary, backed up and crunched Brad's front bumper. This act is nothing compared to what Brad had done. Keselowski intentionally trying to wreck Hamlin, running into an unbuckling Matt Kenseth, and squealing his tires through the garage area was apparently nothing to Benitez.

Benitez twisted his story, almost blatantly ignoring facts. Stating "Tony Stewart is under NASCAR's microscope in the wake of the death of Kevin Ward Jr." could not be any further from the truth. In fact, NASCAR is in no way involved. The accident was not associated with NASCAR in anyway.

To further discredit the story, Benitez brought in USA Today columnist Christine Brennan. Brennan claims Stewart's actions were 'nonsense' and 'unconscionable'. However, doing a little research on Brennan will tell anyone she is as credible a source for NASCAR as an American is for cricket. Her main stories focus on basketball, football, and the Olympics.

Benitez concluded his story with one last jab, saying Tony Stewart had not responded to his request to comment.  The camera then shifted to anchor Robin Roberts who showed disgust. Roberts claimed she 'couldn't believe it'. If Roberts could not believe this happened, she probably hasn't watched much NASCAR to know how common this kind of thing is.

It is truly saddening to see such irresponsible and sensational journalism be approved. Stewart wants to move on. Whenever tragedy happens in racing, you cannot dwell on it. You must move on and learn. It seems the general interest media wants Stewart to either express only sadness or retire from racing all together. Neither of which he should feel inclined to do.

Chasing Ratings

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. A championship determining concept that has generated almost as much controversy as the BCS in college football. Since its inception in late 2003 fans have been mixed. Some believe the champion should be the most consistent driver. Others believe the champion should be the driver with the most wins. No matter what the fans believe, the Chase is still a turn off for die-hards.

Over the winter, NASCAR announced it would be tweaking the Chase format for the third time in ten years. The rules simple, win and you're in. Sixteen drivers, either with a win or the most points, are now eligible for the championship. Only now, you have eliminations. Four drivers are eliminated every three weeks for ten weeks. All this done to fulfill Brian France's agenda: appeal to the casual fan.

Yes, the casual fan. An entity hated by die-hards and envied by CEO's. If your sport appeals to the casual sports fan, you're certain to make money. This has been Brian France's goal for NASCAR since he took over as CEO in 2003. France dreamed of making NASCAR bigger, family friendly, and a direct competitor to the NFL. In the eleven years since Brian France's tenure began it has become blatantly clear he has only achieved two out of those three goals. NASCAR is certainly bigger. If you pick up a copy of USA Today or read ESPN's bottom line, you're certain to see more NASCAR coverage than ten years ago. NASCAR has distanced itself from the bootleggers, hillbillies, and rednecks that so plagued its appeal in the 80's and 90's and become a much more family oriented sport.

The NFL however, has always been there. No matter how much Brian tries, NFL fans do not care about NASCAR. France's attempts have seemed great on paper but failed to grow the casual fan base. NFL fans like playoffs? Make playoffs in racing. NFL fans like people hitting each other? Give the infamous "Boys Have at It" speech. NFL fans like halftime shows? It's only a matter of time until NASCAR has halftime.

Even after all the promos on ESPN, ratings have not changed. The first round of the Chase is over. Four drivers are eliminated. This is what NFL fans wanted to see, right?

According to Jayski.com, television ratings for Chicagoland were up 1,000,000 viewers from 2013. However 2013's race was rain delayed. Ratings for New Hampshire stayed the same and last weekend's race at Dover saw a decline in ratings. That only means one thing. NFL fans are still watching the NFL!

No amount of rule changes is going to sway a casual ball sport fan to auto racing. ESPN is doing a stellar job in coverage and promotion, but the needles are not changing. Maybe next year when Fox and NBC take over coverage, fans will be more interested. However if The Worldwide Leader in Sports can't help NASCAR, it's doubtful anything else can.

Is Sports Car Racing Popular Now?

Journalists close to the sport of auto racing reiterate the same statement frequently. The sport is hurting. Not just the local short tracks, but the big guns of Formula 1, NASCAR, and IndyCar. Sports Car racing however, has seen subtle growth throughout the last decade.

2014 marks the inaugural season for the Tudor United Sports Car Series. Announced in 2012, the new series is a unification of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and the American LeMans Series. After close to thirteen years of competition, American sports car racing is now under one roof.

The series is not perfect however. Regulations concerning the class structure have fans and teams in uproar. Many staple teams of the American LeMans Series have left the series for the European tour or closed down entirely. The Daytona Prototypes have been the face of the Rolex Sports Car Series. Sleek European P1 and P2 cars have represented the American LeMans Series. Eliminating P1 cars and pinning P2 cars and DP's has been met with criticism. Attempts to equalize the two classes has proved almost futile, leaving most P2 teams to abandon the series. Despite this controversy, Fox Sports says ratings are up.

Last weekend, Fox Sports 2 aired live flag to flag coverage of the Lone Star LeMans from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The very next day Fox aired a time condensed re-air of the race. The broadcast occurred as the lead out program for Fox's NFL single header. By Wednesday, Fox reported the broadcast received a 1.1 Neilson rating. Was this a fluke? Was this merely a result of being the lead out program?

This tape delayed broadcast went up against live NASCAR and afternoon football. Despite that, 1.1 million viewers tuned in to watch this sports car event. Some critics believe fans never changed the channel after football but didn't actually watch the race. That shouldn't be ruled out.

Nonetheless, Fox has this strategy planned for the final race of the season later on next month. If ratings are the same or higher, it might just mean a positive future for sports car racing in the U.S.

Formula E on Fox Sports 1 Report

If there was any doubt Formula E would provide a spectacle for fans and a lead story for television highlights, the doubt was crushed on Saturday.

Fox Sports 1's coverage however, felt lacking. Something that's quite surprising based on Fox's past history of covering motor racing events at a very high level. One cannot be too harsh however. Fox had little to no control over the broadcast. Yet abrupt commercial breaks with no prior warning took the average viewer right out of the action and into a seemingly endless stream of Michelin advertisements for a completely different racing series.

While the on track product proved exciting and showed the high caliber of drivers participating in Formula E, Fox did little to mention the race even happened on their channels. Twitter absolutely exploded with reactions after Nicolas Prost's abrupt move on Nick Heidfeld in the final corner sent Heidfeld soaring into a protective barrier. Fox noticed the reactions and immediately jumped on the opportunity to inform fans that if they missed the event, a re-air would be played on Sunday at 1 PM EST.

The downside however was the information was provided only through Twitter, as well as the occasional mention on Fox Sports 1 & 2's bottom line ticker. Poor promotion through the only medium allowing access to the race has ultimately cost Fox an opportunity to build on the momentum Formula E generated. Scheduling the re-air of the race at the same time as the first race in the NASCAR Chase for the Cup as well as the 1 PM NFL games hurt even more. With only two opportunities to watch the event, both being at times that inconvenience fans, Fox has ultimately dropped the ball on what could have been a ratings juggernaut.

Many fans still feel skeptical about Formula E and if Fox doesn't show enough interest, it's doubtful those fans will feel any differently.

What will drive Formula E?

In the wee hours of the morning on Saturday September 13th, 2014, the world will finally be able to see the brand new racing series that has received more hype globally than the creation of the Indy Racing League way back in 1996. That racing series is the all-electric Formula E. It will debut on a street circuit in Beijing, China. Here in the states, the Beijing ePrix is set to air on the toddler television network, Fox Sports 1.

 Since its launch in August of last year, Fox Sports 1 has already shown that it is ready and willing to show any sport it can find the rights to. Even after the closure of SPEED Channel, Fox has still shown a significant commitment to motorsports programming. In addition to gaining US Formula E rights last year, Fox Sports 1 re-upped their NASCAR package through 2022, taking over the entire first half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series (soon to be called the NASCAR Xfinity Series). Fox also took a step in the right direction by signing on to be the exclusive television partner of the newly unified Tudor United Sports Car Championship through 2018.

 Fox aired live flag to flag coverage of the 24 Hours of Daytona on Fox, Fox Sports 1, and Fox Sports 2 this January. The coverage was received well and they showed even further that they were not going to leave motorsport fans in the dark. Later that June they aired 23 of the 24 Hours of LeMans live throughout Fox Sports 1 & 2. A year ago, many had serious doubt we would even see 15 of those 24 hours, but Fox has shown they're not going to go the way of ESPN and ignore the motorsports fan base. Fox has made up for their cancellation of SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel last year with equal coverage of motorsports news and highlights on their nightly sports news show, Fox Sports Live, along with coverage of other sports. In addition to the equal treatment of motorsports to ball sports, Fox has heavily promoted its daily NASCAR talk show, RaceHub around their networks. This comes in light of ESPN's cancellation of their own NASCAR talk show, NASCAR Now that had received high ratings since its launch in 2007, only to see a steady decline in ratings throughout the last four years due to constant scheduling shifts.

What does all of this mean however? What does any of this have to do with the success of Formula E?

Currently, there are two planned events here in the United States for Formula E. The season runs throughout the 2014 and 2015 calendar years with planned events in Miami and Long Beach in early 2015. Fox is scheduled to air every race of the season live with a condensed and tape delayed broadcast to run a day or so after the live event. Fox will not be sending any of its own announcers, cameramen, or reporters to cover the series, but instead relying completely on the world coverage feed, anchored by European broadcaster Jack Nicholls and three time Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti.

This begs the question, was this just a PR move to gain more content for the channel while hushing the critics still bitter over the loss of SPEED Channel or a showing of legitimate interest in open wheeled racing? In a recent tweet (which you can read here) made by longtime Fox motorsport broadcaster Bob Varsha, Varsha claims Fox might be waiting and seeing what Formula E is and if it's worth being covered and shown on their channel.

The main worry that gives any fan with hopes that Formula E will take off is that casual sports or racing fans will not be drawn in by Formula E and with many already calling the series 'gimmicky' and 'doomed to fail', poor television coverage in the United States, the only country to hold two ePrix, could cause not only a failure for the series, but also a significant financial loss for Fox.

As of right now, I have yet to see a single promo, advertisement, or plug of any kind on Fox Sports 1 about the race Saturday morning. The Fox Sports Facebook and Twitter pages are however, doing quite the stellar job of promoting the race.

Only time will tell whether or not Formula E and Fox will have success or failure, but with the next ePrix not being held until late November, whatever momentum carries over could predict the Fox's future commitment to European auto racing.