Does our skin color need to match that of our heroes? This may be precisely the kind of thinking responsible for the difficulty African-American drivers find in getting major NASCAR sponsorship. Leonard T. Miller is a race-car driver, President of Miller Racing Group Inc., and author of the new book Racing While Black: How an African-American Stock Car Team Made Its Mark on NASCAR. Said Miller in a May 15, 2010 radio interview with Tavis Smiley:
"I mean, when you go to these corporate marketing departments, they'll tell us that there's not any African-Americans in the grand stands, in live attendance. But then again, when you look at Serena Williams and Venus Williams you don't have a lot of African American attendance sitting in the stands and the same thing with Tiger Woods on the golf course."
In 1972, Miller's Father Leonard W. Miller was the first African-American to enter his team for the much vaunted Indianapolis 500. In 1991, the Miller Racing Group gave Dr. Pepper its first win on the track. Yet, said Miller to Tavis Smiley, when approaching a corporate marketing department for sponsorship, such accomplishments are "discounted" and the team's request for sponsorship is instead diverted to "Diversity Departments."
Could the majority-white live audience for NASCAR really be the reason for corporate reticence in doling out the dough? If so, it is insulting on many levels. I hail from a part of the country with a large contingent of white NASCAR fans, but an equal number of white Tiger Woods fans as well. So, I'd like to think that I know a little something about this subject.
If NASCAR sponsors really aren't giving Miller's group a fair shot at their dollars because of race, then they underestimate the talent he has assembled, as well as the evolving NASCAR audience which also includes statistically significant numbers of Asian, Latino and African-American fans, according to Sports Business Daily.
To be sure, racism still exists everywhere, and there are, no doubt, some in the audience who wouldn't cheer for Miller's team because of race. Still, to assume that NO ONE, or even just a small minority would accept a black team, is to perpetuate a stereotype created in movies and comedic routines of NASCAR fans as beer-swilling, stars and bars flying, racist yokels. Again, to look at the numbers, that just ain't so.
NASCAR is not the only organization to assume that whites can't be interested in a black hero. A field-trip in Ann Arbor, Michigan recently made national headlines when a group of exclusively black students were taken to see a University of Michigan rocket scientist.
In a letter home to parents, Principal Mike Matthews of the now embattled Dicken Elementary School wrote:
The intent of our field trip was not to segregate or exclude students ... but rather to address the societal issues, roadblocks and challenges that our African-American children will face as they pursue a successful academic education here in our community.
As a result of their segregated field trip, students returning from the outing were booed by those left behind. Segregation in any form is another type of "societal issue" that must be addressed.
The kind of logic that prompts a school to take only black students to see a black Professor for inspiration would seem also to inform the comparatively small number of dollars many corporations are willing to dole out to tested African-American race-car drivers. Both instances damage our national progress on race-related issues. Both actions send a message to whites and blacks alike that their heroes must have the same color skin as they do. This is no way to achieve unity and a great way to perpetuate racism.
Follow Susan Deily-Swearingen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sdeilys
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You contend that it is talent holding black drivers back; "where are the black race car drivers ? If there were some and they could win then they would be in a car in a minute ." Well, one of the places they are is at Miller Racing Group, and they have won but their sponsorship dollars have not kept up with white drivers who also win. Yes Micheal Jordan and Tiger Woods have been embraced as heroes of their respective sports. The question I am trying to ask is if black athletes are accepted there, then why not in NASCAR. If you don't accept my credibility on the subject that is fine, but I am trying to examine Leonard Miller's thesis about the dearth of black drivers and he has more inside knowledge than either one of us. You are free to disagree with him, but you can't with any degree of believability dismiss his knowledge and experience.
And so what? Racism doesn't exist any more? Are you actually that St00pid enough to believe that?
What's the mystery?
You think people actually want to watch cars drive around in circles?
Frankly, racing much like golf and tennis are pretty much niche opportunties - and as a white person that grew up wanting to do all of them, yet without the resources to chase a dream - I will just suggest that talking about it in general is a lot easier than making it happen.
Why? Because there's just as slim a chance to install go-kart tracks in every urban (or country) neighborhood as their are golf courses. And the countries that produce many of the world-class drivers of today all come from a karting background.
Racing is not cheap, and it's not like basketball (cheap, all you need is a ball), and most of the U.S. bred drivers competing today in the upper levels of NASCAR only got where they are because of the incredible amount of financial support they had from their parents growing up, and the sponsors only jumped on board with their dollars after they were a proven entity (to some extent).
Again, it's not that the sponsors aren't there. It's more like the minority drivers aren't there.
I wish any aspiring racer well, but I don't see why black drivers would want to waste their efforts for a bunch or beer-swilling rednecks. Still, if there is fame and fortune to be had there, go for it.
However, I'm not sure that prejudice is the largest part of it. Margins are so tight now that the teams don't want to take a risk on any driver who doesn't have an incredible record or a very clear marketing advantage.
(PS I have worked in the industry and also am related to drivers. It is not an easy life for any of them.)
Every institution, it seems, follows its own schedule, its own timeline to catch up with society as a whole. NASCAR may be trailing now, but all it will take is for one Michael Jordan-like superstar to emerge and even some of those stars-and-bars fans will be cheering him (albeit a little ironically, though).
What I think is interesting and I'd be curious to get your take on it is this: When Tiger Woods burst onto the scene, there was so much speculation that in 10 years or so we'd see a wave of black golfers inspired by Woods. That really hasn't happened. Is it too soon? Are there other factors at play? I'm similarly curious about kids following in the footsteps of the Williams' sisters in tennis. I'd hate to think these athletes will be cultural anomalies when they have retired and their sports will return to their traditional pale appearance.
Susan, first of all, yes there are African American fans at races. And more-so, there are entire families. There are are grandmothers (like my mother) who know more about tire pressure than many men. Also, these fans crowd tracks to the numbers of hundreds of thousands, and there are fewer problems than sports with smaller crowds. You can bring a cooler full of beer into a NASCAR track -try that at a hockey game.
Sponsors are both the life-blood and the biggest problem with the sport as far as I can see though. It's becoming more about budget than anything else, and I think declining attendance at tracks shows that too.
The biggest question, to me, isn't that there is an apparent lack of sponsors, but is there any real driver interest? Do we know if there is a glut of highly qualified black drivers sitting in ARCA or the sprint car circuits that are being denied rides simply because of lack of sponsors or investors? If so, then this is a real problem. However, if this is not the case, then it appears as though we are simply seeing a lack of diversity and making assumptions about the motives of lots of folks, from the organization itself to the sponsors to the folks in the stands to the folks who watch from home, etc. And what did Jesse Jackson do with that Nascar money anyway?
Yes, I think other notables have dabbled in investing in NASCAR, but, as of yet it has not come to much.
RAT OWN, Miller!!!!
As for being from the deep South, I had a very different experience from the one you describe. the rest of my family is all from NW Alabama and I am very much connected to that culture. My husband and I lived in New Orleans for many years until Katrina blew us out. While I have wittnessed some of what you describe, more often I have seen integration especially in New Orleans where the black population is largely responsible for creating that city's culture.
Can you please clarify this: "the fact that there aren't any may be why it is more popular than football, baseball, or basketball." It sounds like you are saying that the reason NASCAR is more popular than these other sports (which is not entirely accurate) is because there are no black athletes involved. Is this what you mean? The point of my article is that the fan you describe is not the "typical" fan any more. While that type of fan is still in attendance, analysis shows that there are larger numbers of people have some degree of higher education, have a higher than average income, and come from all over the country. In addition, the numbers show that fans are increasingly racially diverse . I do think there's a much stronger likelihood that the new NASCAR demographic would accept a talented driver, no matter what color he is.