"Best achievement by a female athlete ever."

[dando]

So said Mike Tirico on Danicaday. I had respect for Mike before that shill of a statement. Here's the note I sent him in response:


Mr. Tirico:

Sorry, but I disagree with your opinion that Danica's win was the greatest moment ever for women in sports. In fact, such a statement cheapens the achievements of others who competed against both men and women in auto racing alone. Consider the vast achievements of Shirley Muldowney, who won numerous (19?) races and 3 championships in the NHRA in a time when the playing field was far less level than it is today. She achieved this despite the fact that her career was ultimately cut short by an accident in the mid-80s. In your defense of your position, you mentioned that it took "6 seconds" to race in top fuel, and "500 miles is 500 miles" (when in fact the Firestone 300 is 300 miles). Make that 6 seconds @ 300+ mph in cars that @ the time were far less stable or safe than the race cars of today. IMHO, it took far more guts to race in the NHRA in the 70s and 80s than tooling around an oval race track today for two hours with your foot mashed to the floor in a detuned race car, and winning on fuel mileage. The Indy Cars of today are not the cars we used to know in the 70s, 80s and early-90s, and neither is the on track competition. Not by far.

And what about Katherine Legge, who won three races in the Champ Car Atlantic series three years ago, or Simona De Silvestro, who won in the Atlantics Series the very same day as Danica? Both in far less than their 50th start. Sure, these accomplishments are not @ the "highest" level, but neither is Indy Car these days. However, they were competitions against other male drivers in equally prepared or formula vehicles. Why didn't these accomplishments receive any attention when Danica "broke the barrier"? Is it because E$PN/ABC has a horse to back in Indy Car?

Kudos to Danica for finally backing up the hype with a result. However, if I'm to believe that this is anymore than a blip, she needs to show us more. Otherwise, she's just the Anna Kornikova or Michelle Wie of auto racing...over hyped and under producing.

Needless to say, listening to all of the Danica hype pizzled me off and gave me energy to finish moving the 12 cy Mt Everest of mulch on my driveway. :irked:

-Kevin

[solpadeine]

Yeah, so we got that and then got to see one of the greatest road racers of all time win the LBGP less than 24 hours later. Who'd have thunk it?

[Brickman]

Good letter. Truth over hype.

[Methanolandbrats]

Best achievement by a female "athlete"? That's just stupid. Joan Benoit 1984 tops the list.

[FCYTravis]

Danicle, the crying, screaming, stomping "WAAAH IM OUT OF FUEL" athlete, "best ever?" WTF is he smoking?

[opinionated ow]

I don't like her, but Dawn Fraser surely has to get a mention for being the first athlete to win 3 consecutive Olympic golds in 3 consecutive games.

[emjaya]

Danica. Overhyped by some media, ridiculed by others.

[Insomniac]

Does he mean in any sport, or just auto racing?

[IlliniRacer]

I'll go with Bonnie Blair until Katie Hoffs destroys the pool in Beijing this summer.

[Andrew Longman]

The Sunday paper compared her win to BJ King, and competition by women golfers and hockey goalies in men's events. By those comparisons, yes it is an accomplishment.

Discounting the accomplishments of other women racers is a mistake though.

In the end, the real story is that DP finally won. Not that winning for any driver in 50 starts is a remarkably big or little accomplishment, just that the expectation game that the IRL, the media and DP herself has played have made this long in coming.

I'm really hoping we are approaching an era in America where a racer's gender is not worth mentioning. In drag racing, it hasn't drawn a mention in years.

I'm glad this is over and we can move on. And I even feel a little relief for her. This had to be killing her, even if she was in part to blame.

Of course, from now on every time she is on screen we'll now have to listen to Mary Reid say, "Danica Patrick, the first woman to win an Indycar event..."

[ChrisB]

One of the great things about all the talk in the last few days is that Shirley Muldowney has suddenly gotten a lot of recognition and appreciation!

[Insomniac]

So winning is the barometer to make her the best ever? She did get into a sport dominated by men, but there was never a women's series and a men's series for a reason. I think it was a higher achievement by her to actually get into a top ride when all the women before her were unable to. Winning a race was inevitable for her given the circumstances.

I don't know the entire context of what Tirico was saying (link?) but at least from my perspective, a lot more women have accomplished far greater things as athletes despite not winning against men.

[opinionated ow]

I'll go with Bonnie Blair until Katie Hoffs destroys the pool in Beijing this summer.

Stephanie Rice will destroy her.

[dando]

I don't know the entire context of what Tirico was saying (link?) but at least from my perspective, a lot more women have accomplished far greater things as athletes despite not winning against men.

Unfortunately they had a link to the audio on what he said, but basically his take was that Danica's victory was the greatest achievement ever by a woman athlete period. He justified in by saying that everything was equal, and she was victorious in a male dominated sport. Something that the likes of Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wire have been unable to do in golf. He downplayed other achievements (Nadia, Babe Dietrichson, US Womens World Cup, etc.) as being victories against other women and not men, and Billy Jean King as playing against and old and busted Bobby Riggs.

-Kevin

[Andrew Longman]

Unfortunately they had a link to the audio on what he said, but basically his take was that Danica's victory was the greatest achievement ever by a woman athlete period. He justified in by saying that everything was equal, and she was victorious in a male dominated sport. Something that the likes of Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wire have been unable to do in golf. He downplayed other achievements (Nadia, Babe Dietrichson, US Womens World Cup, etc.) as being victories against other women and not men, and Billy Jean King as playing against and old and busted Bobby Riggs.

-Kevin

I have a hard time disagreeing with that. Putting women NHRA competitors aside (not in my book, but in the media attention they draw) it was (arguably) the greatest victory by a woman in a male dominated sport.

I'm OK with that.

It's just that there is no reason for it to be a male dominated sport. Women competing against men on the golf course, hockey rink, tennis court or football field have a decided disadvantage in size and strength. That's why there are different categories for men and women.

In auto racing, while fitness, conditioning and skill matter, strength and size do not. Geez, is DeMatta any bigger than DP?

Her earning a top ride and using it competitively is not a victory for women, as much as it is the story of hard earned success that goes with any race winner.

At least that's how I'd like to see it. Otherwise, I'd also have to accept the story that men beat a woman 50 races in a row.

[IlliniRacer]

Stephanie Rice will destroy her.

You may think that, but you'd be wrong ;)

I will admit that her 400IM in the Trials shocked me. I still think Hoff is primed for a huge Olympics. It will be fun to watch, thats for sure.

[Insomniac]

Unfortunately they had a link to the audio on what he said, but basically his take was that Danica's victory was the greatest achievement ever by a woman athlete period. He justified in by saying that everything was equal, and she was victorious in a male dominated sport. Something that the likes of Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wire have been unable to do in golf. He downplayed other achievements (Nadia, Babe Dietrichson, US Womens World Cup, etc.) as being victories against other women and not men, and Billy Jean King as playing against and old and busted Bobby Riggs.

-Kevin

Andrew put it well. Greatest victory, but not achievement.

[oddlycalm]

Yeah, it's all rampant stupidity with a megaphone. And Simona De Silvestro doesn't rate a mention by the ESPN bobble heads?

Aside from Shirly Muldowny the biggest female in Motorsports story had been Michèle Mouton. She drove the scary fast Group B cars (before they were banned) for Audi in WRC against the best in the world. In 1982 she won three rounds and narrowly missed winning the title when she "done blowed up" handing the championship to Walter Röhrl. She also had a dominant win at Pikes Peak. She was featured in some recent Audi advertising (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2zO2bdoblg) On either the raw talent or bravery scale she has Danica well covered and she did it 20yrs before Danica turned a wheel in a professional race car.

oc

[Fio1]

...the biggest female in Motorsports story had been Michèle Mouton. She drove the scary fast Group B cars (before they were banned) for Audi in WRC against the best in the world. In 1982 she won three rounds and narrowly missed winning the title when she "done blowed up" handing the championship to Walter Röhrl. She also had a dominant win at Pikes Peak. She was featured in some recent Audi advertising (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2zO2bdoblg) On either the raw talent or bravery scale she has Danica well covered and she did it 20yrs before Danica turned a wheel in a professional race car.

oc

Ya, no sh**! That was 100 times harder then what Danica accomplished at Motegi.

[cameraman]

Hell, I can't see Danica handling a current WRC car much less a Group B.

[Don Quixote]

Yes, and those WRC races are rarely decided on fuel strategy. :gomer:

[Jag_Warrior]

One of the great things about all the talk in the last few days is that Shirley Muldowney has suddenly gotten a lot of recognition and appreciation!

At some point this past week, I'm sure that Angelle Sampey called Shirley Muldowney and screamed through the phone, "you have got to be sh!^^ing me!!!"

In related pop culture news: Paris Hilton, with her GED in hand and after not getting a DUI for 90 days +, is set to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.

Thank goodness for F1. :shakehead