ESPN disrespects NHRA fans or did they?

Let us be honest the sport of professional drag racing is treated like red headed stepchildren in the arena of sports and in particular motorsports.   This was very evident last Sunday evening, when ESPN decided preempt the NHRA broadcast to show the conclusion of the rain delayed NASCAR event from Chicago.

The NHRA telecast was the switched to ESPN news or HD. This is not found on most basic cable or satellite subscriptions. Therefore, many fans could not watch the remainder of the event.

Now as I understand it, and it is possible my information is not accurate, ESPN pays NASCAR in the hundreds of millions of dollars for the rights to show “Cup” racing. The NHRA pays ESPN to show the drag races.

Now so it seems as though the management team at ESPN is more concerned with taking care of those they pay money too rather than take care of those who are a profit center for them.

However, I can see from a business standpoint that ESPN sees paying to broadcast NASCAR as an investment and ESPN must to do whatever possible to achieve a return on investment or better known as ROI.

Therefore, since there was MLB game Yankee’s verses Red Sox on the “mother ship” ESPN, and the millions of viewers tuned in to see that game on the Eastern Sea Board. There was no way ESPN is bumping that game.

Therefore, ESPN management saw NHRA drag racing as being “expendable” and who is bumped? The drag races to ESPN News, to make way for NASCAR on “the duce”. 

The problem is that not all the basic cable and satellite programing packages have ESPN News as an option.  Thus, those fans that waited all day to watch drag racing from Charlotte were “bitch slapped” by ESPN because of economic reasons, and demographics.

Is this entirely the fault of ESPN? No.  Why you ask?  Let us go back to that word demographics.  More people watch NASCAR. It is a basic fact.  More people who watch means more money is charged for advertisements on the broadcasts and there you have a return on the investment.

 Advertisements that are part of a racers marketing partner’s (sponsors) activation plan. So, the more people who watch, the more marketing partners get views of their branding and the more people will go out and act on the impulse to purchase from those partners. And the marketing partners see a return on investment.

NASCAR racing’s format one race with 43 cars running at the same time, allows ESPN to produce a live telecast.

NHRA’s format, of having many different classes of cars and focus strictly being on the  professional cars during the event, does not allow a live telecast to take place, because the focus of the event is on the professional categories,(top fuel, funny car, pro stock and pro stock bike)  so it has to broadcast on a  live/ tape delayed. 

The other thing I have noticed is that broadcasters at the NASCAR events will work in a team’s marketing partners into their descriptions of the action. I have heard many times pit reporter Dr. Jerry Punch describe a pit stop by Jimmy Johnson by saying. “Jimmy Johnson brings the “Lowes” “Chevrolet” to attention of Chad Knaus”.

I feel this practice has to happen more on the NHRA broadcasts to help promote those marketing partners who have decided to use NHRA drag racing to promote their products. “Tony Pedregon’s American Racing Wheels/ Toyota approaches the water box”.

One last thing, while having the drag race broadcast preempted and moved to another part of the ESPN family of channels, was a slap in the face to the drag racing fans, we as fans need to know that at least they are showing the events.

There is not a lot of other sports channels clambering to broadcast NHRA Drag Racing events. 

How can that change. In my humble opinion, a few things would help:

One- The NHRA must open up the market place start allowing more marketing partners to come into the sport by stopping the practice of exclusive advertising practices.  For example since Coke is the umbrella sponsor of the series, and under the NHRA/Coke sponsorship agreement,  there can be no other soft drink sponsorships can be brought into the sport.  

If this agreement is modified it would allow, for example other, drink companies come on board with teams needing marketing partners.  The possibility of more and diverse companies coming to drag racing is enhanced and expands the field with more teams.

Two- When a new company does come into the sport, the NHRA needs to keep their hands in their pockets and not try not get “theirs” too.  If the new company wants to expand their activation to the NHRA side then great. The NHRA needs to capitalize on those opportunities, only when offered.

Three- Teams need to do a better job of taking care of sponsors.  Do not give away the car just to have a name on the side of it. Team need to prepare handle the activation of the sponsorship, and under promise and over deliver on the expectations given to the marketing partner.

Learn a lesson from Kenny Bernstein, how he took care of Anheuser- Busch and Budweiser for nearly 30 years.

Four- TV must do more to promote those partners who are in the sport or those new partners who have decided to use NHRA drag racing to promote their products and services. Not concentrate on just a few of the “major” players such as JFR and DSR.

Five- NHRA needs to examine the pricing structure for event tickets so that more people and their families can afford to come to the races. Give the fans a great value.

Six- Fans need to do their part by going to the events marketing partners love to see a racecar in front of full grand stands. Fans need to interact through social media with teams and marketing partners, to show their engagement with the sport and the event.

Seven- Fans must become engaged, and support those who support drag racing. Moreover, tell those marketing partners why you use their service or buy their products.

Will all of these suggestions work? Will any work?  I honestly think that some of these suggestions will help expand the sport and keep the fans who love to watch drag racing on television from being “bitch slapped” again.