DeFord editorial

[stroker]

Don't know if this is the correct forum for this or not....

My wife has a nasty habit of listening to the National People's Radio in the morning while I'm trying to sleep. Last Friday that numbnut from Sports Illustrated Frank Deford (?) was talking about racing in general, and the Daytona 500 in particular. His argument was that movies aren't any good any more because they always include some stupid car chase, and auto racing is just another car chase. He said that while football and baseball could trace their roots to the New England states and were therefore upperclass, the problem with racing (I presume he meant stock car racing, but the elitist mofo could easily have meant all racing) was that it was TOO American and worthy of being classified with Pro Wrestling, etc. At that point I got up and didn't hear the rest of his screed.

Couldn't tell if I was more pissed off at my wife, NPR or Deford. Maybe the entire editorial is available online somewhere...

You can listen to it yourself here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4501252

[Andrew Longman]

Ford doesn't get out much these days, or so his commentaries of late would make it seem.

Let's see... Too many car chases in movies cause people to like them and in turn show up week after week to watch stock cars chase each other around a track.

Car chases in movies are bad because they require that we suspend disbelief, just as we need to suspend disbelief around the songs in musicals. I'm no great fan of musicals but where is the inherent evil or tackiness in musicals that leads to inherent wrong of stock car racing?

Frank, they put car chases in movies because people will come to see them, just as they did horse chase and even train races (Buster Keaton) before them. 200,000 went to Daytona because they like it.

There are other reasons to raise an eyebrow at the popularity of NASCAR, but you missed it.

(And I still like to watch an old episode of Rockford Files just to see James Garner do his own driving :) )

[pchall]

Old Frank resides in Connecticut, but I doubt if he knows Lime Rock exists and will never write a paean to the pastoral pleasures of road racing. :gomer:

[Accipiter]

That was like all of Frank Defords stuff. Utterly and completely out of touch.

[rabbit]

Nuck Few Englanders. :thumdown:

[gjc2]

“Stick and ball” types generally have no appreciation of motorsports. I can make similar characterizations of all the “conventional” sports.

George

[pchall]

“Stick and ball” types generally have no appreciation of motorsports.

Very true. But notice how the "stick and ball" set of reporters, talkshow hosts, and commentators will start fawning all over NASCAR when it becomes the teat on which their employer suckles. Fox Radio Sports has become nauseating with new converts. If NPR suddenly got financial support from NASCAR and the MRN radio feed on Sunday afternoons I bet even Frank DeFord would become an instant stock car fan.

[Andrew Longman]

Very true. But notice how the "stick and ball" set of reporters, talkshow hosts, and commentators will start fawning all over NASCAR when it becomes the teat on which their employer suckles. Fox Radio Sports has become nauseating with new converts. If NPR suddenly got financial support from NASCAR and the MRN radio feed on Sunday afternoons I bet even Frank DeFord would become an instant stock car fan.

While it would not match their demographic or worldview, NPR would have more listeners and membership dollars if they were nicer to NASCAR.

Jeff Gordon was on the Today Show Monday because it helped NBC ratings, not because it helped Gordon (though his sponsors love it).

Love it or not people like NASCAR (present company excepted ;) )

[pchall]

Love it or not people like NASCAR

That could be written of many transient blips on the cultural radar. NASCAR and American Idol will disappear once X-Games rules! and inherits the media and the "mainstream" as it inevitably must in the neverending quest for the new sources of commercial profit.

[Methanolandbrats]

NPR would have more listeners and membership dollars if they were nicer to NASCAR.

Not unless they play a lot of horrible country music, learn to speak southern and quit interviewing liberals, queers and commies. The classical music show intro...... "Here's a symphonee fer y'all, these folks play all kinds of fiddles and they plays em real good" On the hour, Larry Mac discusses the Mideast Peace Talks. I don't think so, most NAPCAB programming is even too stupid for FOX.

[Ankf00]

That could be written of many transient blips on the cultural radar. NASCAR and American Idol will disappear once X-Games rules! and inherits the media and the "mainstream" as it inevitably must in the neverending quest for the new sources of commercial profit.
I want to go snowboarding in Taos next week. No one else wants to go :(

[Andrew Longman]

Larry Mac discusses the Mideast Peace Talks.

:rofl: THAT's a scary thought.

How about the Waltrip brothers discussing Medicare reform... And Aaron's new line of home medical equipment rentals?

Or Jeff Hammond giving reviews of the latest presentation of The Vagina Monologues at Amherst College? (brought to you by Pfizer of course)

[pchall]

I want to go snowboarding in Taos next week. No one else wants to go :(

I could wax up my pair of 215 Rossignols and show you how to do the real thing in the deep powder...