Daytona 500 v. NBA AllStar Game

More than twice as many watch it on TV, more than 4 times as many watch it live. So why does the NBA All Star game, the leagues premier show case of talent, garner more media coverage than NASCAR's premier competitive race?

 

A couple of thoughts:

1. The NBA has been in the mainstream for a lot longer that NASCAR has. It was only in the mid-1990s that NASCAR started getting more mainstream recognition. Prior to that, it was mainly seen as a southern sport.

2. The All-Star game is a unique event for the NBA, only happening once a year. While Daytona is the most prestigious race for NASCAR, it is still one of 36 races that will be run. NASCAR even returns to the track later in the season for another race.

 

When the World Cup was on and garnering higher ratings it didn't receive the attention that it deserved.

It should not be left out that Nascar was on FOX while the All-Star game was on TNT. There is also a difference in start times for these events.

Nascar is still a niche sport. In certain areas, I'm sure it garnered grand attention. In many others it shouldn't.

 

It all averages out because the Dura-Lube 350 or whatever will get more media coverage than a random Suns-Jazz Sunday night game.

Or it's just a big conspiracy because the media hates race cars, white athletes, fans of NASCAR, the south, driving in general, etc. etc. etc.

 

How do you quantify the ASG getting more media coverage than the Daytona 500? Are you judging it by sports talk radio? What you see on ESPN? Coverage in the NY Post?

 

What if we don't give a shit about either one?

 

I watched Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs and a rerun of Smash Lab.

 

I'm guessing many more papers centerpieced the race than the All-Star game. The NBA might have had a bigger presence online last night and into today because it was played later and thus many sites updated with that as their lead story. Overall, though, I'm pretty sure the race got more coverage, as it should, IMO.

 

I realize I'm in NASCAR country (we have two races a year in our coverage area), but we made a much bigger deal out of Daytona --- front-page story with a full inside page of coverage all week --- than the NBA All-Star game.

We ran a dunk contest story on the back page Sunday and a gamer (with no art) on the front Monday. But had the dunk contest not been so spectacular, I doubt we would have played it as big as we did.

Maybe we're in the minority, I don't know ...

 

I spend very little time following NASCAR, but if I had to choose between the Daytona 500 and the NBA All Star game for the lede on a sports section with a national mindset, the NBA would be relegated to the inside.

You're talking about the Super Bowl for a sport that has surged in popularity over the past few years, enough to be in the conversation as one of the major sports in America versus an all star game for another such sport.

 

Well one thing for sure you won't see any Rebel flags waving at the NBA All Star game.