View Is NASCAR Like a Hypocritical Parent
Is NASCAR like a Hyprocritical Parent?
By Gregg Leary
Category:NASCAR -> Sprint Cup
NASCAR’s lifting of the ban on hard liquor advertising (2004) reminded me of the old story of the father telling his teenage son…”When you go out this weekend, I don’t want you smoking, drinking or swearing.” Dad, patting his shirt pocket proclaims…”####, I left my cigarettes at the bar!” Double standard…you bet. Irresponsible? I’m not so sure.
I have a teenage son who I’m proud to say doesn’t smoke or drink…however…he has been exposed to racing advertising since we took him to his first Indy 500 when he was one. He’s been to Winston Cup races, seen Champ Cars zoom beneath the Budweiser bridge at Mid-Ohio and seen The Jim Beam car run at the Brickyard. He loves racing and supports many of the sponsors…but I don’t think he’s INFLUENCED by most of them…sometimes I wish certain sponsors WOULD influence him…when the #32 TIDE car passes by us at the Nextel Cup race at Darlington this weekend, I wish he would suddenly decide to do a load of laundry instead of bringing it home from college for his mom to do. (11-14-04)