Espn

[Alan Roehrich]

That's just another wonderful deal our fabulous leaders at NHRA have gotten us into.

NHRA drag racing on ESPN, or ESPN2, will be pre-empted by ANY stick and ball sport of any kind. NHRA has been "bumped" by baseball, basketball, football, softball, and soccer. I would not be at all surprised to see it bumped by lacrosse, bowling, curling, or badminton.

With the coverage NHRA gets for ESPN, it is no wonder at all that pro teams cannot get sponsors. Now, mind you, I'm not real concerned with pro teams getting sponsors. But if they can't get money, then the rest of us surely won't get any. And one big reason is crappy air time. Lousy coverage is bad enough, but lousy coverage at 2AM is even worse.

Hell, one year Indy got pre-empted to show a baseball game where neither team was even in a pennant race!

And yet, NHRA happily tells us that "ESPN coverage is the best we can get, and the best deal we can get."

I really like the Lucas Oil Top Alcohol show. Because that is exactly what it is, 3-4 rounds of Top Alcohol and 30 seconds of the entire rest of the sportsman program.

It's no wonder the sponsor pool is drying up faster than a spit puddle on an Arizona sidewalk in July. It's also no wonder at all there are no fans in the stands. If all you saw was the crap you see on TV, would you pay $20 a head plus all the other crap to come to a race?

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

NHRA drag racing on ESPN, or ESPN2, will be pre-empted by ANY stick and ball sport of any kind. NHRA has been "bumped" by baseball, basketball, football, softball, and soccer. I would not be at all surprised to see it bumped by lacrosse, bowling, curling, or badminton.

Don't forget sailboat racing.

I quit watching a couple years ago. I'd rather watch Larry Pfister's Horsepower Heaven videos any day! That's a one-man show that puts all of the 'broadcast' shows to shame.