Rumor has it that Sprint/Nextel is in dire financial straits. Layoffs are at hand and the stockholders are screaming for fiscal responsibility. As a direct result, Sprint/Nextel is canceling their title sponsorship of NASCAR and all other sports events.
Given this sudden financial void...what's a series to do? Certainly they can't fund it on their own....so who best to step in as the lead sponsor? The answer is simple...Wal*mart! Face it, Wal*mart already gets the bulk of the average NASCAR fan's paycheck each and every week...by jumping in as a sponsor, they have opened the door to collecting the entire paycheck.
Look for a huge new NASCAR branded section to slap you in the face the second you enter you nearest WallyWorld. Gone is the handful of NASCAR t-shirts from the men's department...instead you will find full blown souvenir trailers in every store...if it pertains to NASCAR....you will find it at your local store...from tickets to the next race to camping permits to race worn driver's apparel...you will find it on the shelves.
Each NASCAR track will feature a Super Wally*mart in their parking lot. Forget your sleeping bag? No problemo ace! Just wander over to Wally's and snag all your weekend needs. Want a better seat for next year's race? Again, no problemo...just put those tickets on layaway and make easy weekly installments! One stop shopping folks...we have you covered!
God forbid - what's next, football, basketball, baseball? It's time this country got over paying big bucks to support an elite few. Sports have gotten greedy, charging exorbitant prices just cuz they could. What has it gotten them...loyalty?...No ticked off fans who can't afford to take the family to an event any more. It's time the big money sponsors take a look at what is really important - taking care of their stockholders and perhaps the high cost of American sports will become affordable again for all, not just the wealthy.
ReplyDeleteIf you look...corporate sponsors have already taken over football, basketball and baseball...hell...show me a sport that doesn't have big time external sponsorship. Every stadium going has the name of some company on it. I liked it a lot better when the Phillies played at Veteran's Stadium instead of Citizens Bank Park.
ReplyDeleteOne of the big problems is what we pay athletes. What genius decided that someone was worth millions of dollars a year to play a game? Talk about insanity. We pay the guy searching for a cure for cancer just over minimum wage. What is wrong with this picture?
Dan and Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYour points are well made and Dan your conspiracy theory is ringing a little too possible in my ears! Somehow the Walmart Cup Series just doesn't roll of the tongue so well...
Ganassi isn't apt to give up Target....So Wally*world is the last remaining hope! Regardless of what people think of them...Wally is one of the only US businesses that showed a profit for 2008.
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