by Rj
Secret Fines For Criticizing NASCAR Shouldn’t Be Tolerated
NASCAR tacitly admitted this week that it would not tolerate criticism of the sport from within. That really does not surprise me. What has surprised me is the fact that it appears that a large portion of NASCAR fandom is supporting the series’ stance.
The Associated Press this week ran a story saying that two drivers have been fined $50,000 each for speaking out about such things as curious cautions. Secretly fined, moreover.
Through a spokesperson, NASCAR said, basically, that it cannot have drivers or owners or anybody else inside the series undermining the integrity of the sport by inferring that all is not on the up and up during races.
The spokesperson went on to say that other sports do it and in business, it is pro forma to adopt a policy of zero tolerance when it comes to criticizing the bosses. Some on the NASCAR side of this have mentioned recent fines imposed in other sports, most notably, the NBA, which recently slapped a major fine on the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the whole LeBron debacle.
Being an avid reader of racing social media, it seems that the ticket-buying public is also buying NASCAR’s side on this.
As a journalist, as an American, I cannot.
As an American, I think that expressing an informed opinion about a perceived injustice is not only a right, but a duty. Patriotism is not simply marching in lockstep with the party line. It is about doing what’s best for the democracy.
As a journalist, I will now be forced to ask myself if, when a driver says something to me during a press conference or interview: Are they telling me the truth or are they telling me something less out of fear of being visited by the secret-fine police?
Nobody – not fans nor drivers nor teams nor even NASCAR itself – will benefit from stifling opinion.
Instead of saying everybody else does it, NASCAR should say that it will not do it. More than any other sport, NASCAR hypes patriotism and the American way. Secret sanctions for not toeing the line are not, in my opinion, the American way.
Jim Pedley is managing editor of Racin’ Today. Read more NASCAR news at [3]racintoday.com.
