Dumbest idea EVER: NASCAR Drivers tweeting during the race...

[madinmaryland]

Seriously. Brad Kaselowski was tweeting during a race last weekend. The douchebag writer of this article thinks it a great idea for the sport! I suppose if you want a race that is a crash a lap...

When Brad Keselowski stepped out of his car during a lengthy red-flag delay, NASCAR stepped firmly into a strange new cyberworld filled with hashtags and acronyms. Keselowski's use of the social networking phenomenon Twitter while the race was stopped sent the sport roaring into a future where the only restrictor plate is how much information you can convey in the 140-character limit. Other than that, Twitter offers NASCAR an excellent way to connect to a fan base that has been dwindling in recent years, a development that can be only good news for the sport.

Sure, there are still plenty of people who are resisting this new way of communicating. They want nothing to do with -- as New England coach Bill Belichick said last year -- "My Face, Yearbook or any of that." That is to be expected. Certain segments of the populace have always resisted technological change. There were people who didn't want an automobile, or a telephone, or a television, or a computer, or a cell phone. Some people still don't want those things.

But the reality is if you wish to remain connected with the world, especially if you are a company with a product to promote, then staying on top of the latest technological developments is essential. That is especially true in sports. It would be ludicrous these days for any sports league to say they don't like television, so they're not going to allow their events to be broadcast on it. One day soon, an aversion to social media will seem just as antiquated and narrow-minded.

NASCAR thought otherwise. On Feb. 28, a little less than 24 hours after those epic tweets, it said Keselowski wouldn't be fined and could keep his cell phone in his race car during all events. "NASCAR will not penalize Brad Keselowski for his use of Twitter during last night's Daytona 500,'' NASCAR said in a statement. "Nothing we've seen from Brad violates any current rules pertaining to the use of social media during races. As such, he won't be penalized. We encourage our drivers to use social media to express themselves as long as they do so without risking their safety or that of others.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/racing/news/20120308/brad-keselowski-twitter/#ixzz1oZcbJFUm

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/racing/news/20120308/brad-keselowski-twitter/#ixzz1oZcAIBXg

[frylock]

1. Keselowski's use of the social networking phenomenon Twitter while the race was stopped..

while the race was stopped.

[madinmaryland]

4. If Dale Earnhardt saw someone "twittering", I guarantee there would have been a serious

asskicking!

[frylock]

6. not gonna argue that!

[HuckleB]

9. Your "guarantee" is based on a dead guy who did all he could to support his sponsors while alive.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

[madinmaryland]

11. His car would have plowed into those iDouches who were twittering thus saving his life.

nuff said.

[HuckleB]

12. Say what?

Who was tweeting while driving?



Game over.

[madinmaryland]

13. Sigh. nt

[HuckleB]

14. Uh, oh.

Someone's fictions caught up to him again.

[MaineDem]

2. Not while he was driving, I don't think

I didn't see most of the race but if he was using a cell phone while moving that should be banned. But having the announcers talk to drivers during the race should be stopped, too. But I don't make racing rules. And if NASCAR can get fans because of it, they'll keep it.

[Union Scribe]

8. They were parked.

It was during that long delay after the jet dryer truck went up in flames.

[MaineDem]

17. That's a whole different story then

Completely different. Thanks.

[El Supremo]

3. It's NASCAR for Pete's sake! Sort of like Darwin Award training. >>

[madinmaryland]

5. Dammit, EL! I was looking for that and couldn't find it!

That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the article!

[HuckleB]

16. Nice confession.

In other words, even though you posted some paragraphs, you hadn't actually read them.

Wow!

[Pholus]

7. Kinda puts paid to the concept of NASCAR as an actual "Sport" I think.

Even the drivers are bored...

[HuckleB]

10. Yes, when they're not driving.

[HuckleB]

15. Hmm.

NFL to allow Twitter during Pro Bowl
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7503314/nfl-allow-players-tweet-pro-bowl

Do we need to talk about NBA and MLB in-game tweets, too?



PS: I hate NASCAR, but I hate stupid attacks on things even more.

[Pholus]

18. One of these things is not like the other....

NFL, NBA, MLB -- TEXTING FROM THE SIDELINES

NASCAR -- TEXTING FROM THE FIELD OF COMPETITION if you read the actual article.

Your generalization works if athletes are carrying their cell phones onto the field and using them as they are participating.

Now, getting to the joke I made, I believe that art requires skill and that sports require concentration. I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt to NASCAR on that right up to the moment that they seem to have time to divide their attention during competition by doing something that gets me fined if I do it on the highway.

And that hits on the real issue -- if texting behind the wheel is safe for NASCAR drivers, is it safe for NASCAR fans?

The day I posted I was still ticked off from nearly getting clipped by an aggressive driver doing a double lane change at 70'ish mph who wasn't even looking as he started to move. Those three big #3 stickers I was starting at as I crammed on the brakes kind of burned into my memory and sorry, my thoughts about NASCAR were less than kind at that point. If that clown currently thinks he's handling a car okay and it's in any way connected to his identification with auto racing, he DOESN'T NEED ANY MORE ENCOURAGEMENT.

[underpants]

19. It is a bad local product that has over expanded due to corporate cash

they over expanded worse than the NHL while the economy was rolling and have been trying to make up for it since.

[MrSlayer]

20. Have them wear blindfolds if you want to make it really interesting.

I might tune in for that.

[El Supremo]

21. I've come to the conclusion that you are...

a psychopathic fiend.

Go get help.

[MrSlayer]

22. Thank you.

Come on, I was obviously joking. I wouldn't actually tune in even if they were wearing blindfolds.