Golden Tate Tweets At Jimmie Johnson, Rips NASCAR: Star Driver Responds (VIDEO)

Jimmie Johnson, five-time champion NASCAR driver, was nominated for male athlete of the year at the 2011 ESPY Awards. Seattle Seahawks receiver Golden Tate apparently had a problem with that.

On Wednesday, Tate ripped Johnson and NASCAR on Twitter when he posted, "Jimmy johnson up for best athlete???? Um nooo .. Driving a car does not show athleticism."

The tweets didn't stop there.

"I've driven a car on unknown roads at night at 90mph no big deal. No sign of athletism," Tate said.

He later apologized, saying he "actually read up on it and NO I couldn't race a car 150 mph."

Johnson, the 2009 AP Male Athlete of the Year, responded on Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

"I think it's easy to make a comment when you don't know," Johnson said. "In a lot of situations, people haven't been to a race or been close enough to our sport to understand what takes place here."

WATCH VIDEO AT THE TOP (Courtesy of ESPN.com)

Jimmy johnson up for best athlete???? Um nooo .. Driving a car does not show athleticismless than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyGolden Tate
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Comments

[bosd]

05:34 PM on 07/18/2011

Billiards is considered a sport/competition, But would you consider world class billiard players as athletes. Would you consider world class bowlers as athletes?

[Edogg62]

10:15 AM on 07/18/2011

"Athlete?" Please. Good lord... what's next bowling? Golf? Games of SKILL aren't NECESSARILY "sports" folks. If you don't have to run? Exert one's self physically? C'mon... good lord. It doesn't demean NASCAR drivers to say they're not "athletes." They're good at what they do... that's enough.

What's next? Poker players? ESPN has ruined sports like MTV ruined music.

[earthbone]

08:03 AM on 07/18/2011

A race car driver is as much an athlete as anyone else.A driver needs to make hundreds of decisions every minute of a one,two or more hour race with out stopping.There is no half time in auto racing.Let me see you do that football guy.

[grafik]

02:34 PM on 07/18/2011

So your argument is that prolonged mental dexterity equals athleticism? Air traffic controllers are athletes then? Surgeons too?

[clarke90]

07:56 PM on 07/18/2011

I play video games non-stop for hours on end, I am constantly making decisions throughout the game. Am i an athlete?

[MIMom]

09:11 PM on 07/18/2011

No, just a lo...oh, nevermind.

[Johnny Carcinoma]

07:58 AM on 07/18/2011

Look, it's hard work pounding 8 oz. curls after races, people!

While auto racing is a demanding and physical endeavor, on the athleticism scale I'd rank it right after: Track and field, basketball, soccer, football, golf, tennis, bicycle racing, gymnastics, swimming, ski racing, and a few dozen other sports.

I'm with Golden on this one.

[Joseph Clark]

07:53 AM on 07/18/2011

As a former amutuer racer and nascar fan I would be expected to say otherwise but an earlier post was correct. There is a difference between athleticism and skill. You cannot jump into a racecar and do what these guys do but it is because of their skill level. There has been past champions and contenders whom have never thought about any kind of workout. While extreme heat and tolerance to muscle straining turns and G-forces becomes acquired, You must also devolop heat tolerance and muscle tone in most construction related work. We will see if Bob the builder wins the award next year.

[OzzieVoodoo]

07:39 AM on 07/18/2011

jimmie johnson athlete of the year. HA HA HA HA HA more like cry baby of the year.

[Spartan112]

12:51 PM on 07/18/2011

Funny, he didn't cry about it at all.

[llovejim]

07:33 AM on 07/18/2011

yeah, danica patrick is so freaking awesome as an athlete. it's incredibly difficult, it takes incredible focus, and quick reflexes, and dangerous as hell. but it's not athletic. the car is doing all the really athletic stuff...are jockeys great athletes? i would say jockeys are closer to being "great" athletes than race car drivers are....a lot of people confuse atheticism with great skill. some pool players are incredibly skilled, but they are not athletic, per se. same with dart throwers, skeet shooters, and a bunch more i cannot think of right now.

[Davey Johnson]

07:18 AM on 07/18/2011

Amazing anti-racer commentary from people who never raced before, or from people who only have the most brief familiarity with racing. You think because you can drive a car, you know what it's all about? As an SCCA racer, I can tell you first-hand that you have no idea just how athletic is racing. Yet you probably watch poker and spelling bees on ESPN.

[Johnny Carcinoma]

08:00 AM on 07/18/2011

Physical, yes. Athletic? Marginal.

[MIMom]

09:11 PM on 07/18/2011

Agreed.

[eflow504]

06:41 AM on 07/18/2011

golden tate needs to make a name for himself first before he goes after other people

[SnootMama]

06:44 AM on 07/18/2011

Sorta sounds like a little jealousy, doesn't it?

[tulsey]

05:35 AM on 07/18/2011

MASCAR drivers do not take as many hits to the helmet as do NFL players, hince the confusion.

[LastStar]

05:16 AM on 07/18/2011

If you need a motor for your sport it definetely takes away from the idea of being "personally" athletic. Perhaps there should be a catagory for motor sport athletes and not try to mingle the two.

Soccer, basketball and x/c skiing are examples (for me) that represent the best definition of altheticism. They all require a high degree of physical and aerobic fitness along with a high skill set of individual and team expertise. I rank fitness first than skill in defining an athlete.

For example, a cross country skier is more athletic than a down hill skier by my definition and a cross country mountain bike racer would be more athletic than a motorcross racer.

[Dadeo]

02:43 AM on 07/18/2011

This probably ends the argument, football players change sides of the field at halftime and go the other way. Racecar drivers go the same way all the time, only left turns.

[Spartan112]

12:53 PM on 07/18/2011

How on earth does that end the argument?

How about this, Nascar drivers go all out for 4 hours and football players take breaks...

[Dadeo]

01:48 PM on 07/18/2011

....and some don't see what has gone over their head. What happens if a Nascar driver loses his keys?

[WillistonElkoAlum2002]

01:41 AM on 07/18/2011

Oh and BTW, his name is spelled JimmIE, NOT JimmY.

[mr d]

11:52 PM on 07/17/2011

NASCAR and all other race car drivers(F1, Indy Car...) are not sports, but that said many of the drivers especially today are athletes in terms of staying fit year round in order to try to get an edge. The key here is that a driver's fitness is not necessarily the most important aspect of him(her) winning a race. A driver can be successful without maximizing physical fitness.

[MIMom]

06:51 AM on 07/18/2011

True, to a point.

The G forces that the body endures can be brutal; so can the extreme heat that can build up in a car. I'd say that keeping fit WOULD give you an edge in those situations; an unfit person would be distracted and therefore would not drive as well.

[Sandy248]

11:30 PM on 07/17/2011

If NASCAR is a 'sport' then anyone who drives on I-85 in Atlanta is an athlete.

[Spartan112]

12:53 PM on 07/18/2011

yeah...they're the same...