Contract Length of Each Current F1 Venue

[cosworth151]

Autoweek put up this list of every current F1 venue, the length of their current chances & Autoweek's opinion on the likelihood of renewal.

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/formula-1/a43413875/contract-lengths-for-every-current-f1-circuit-and-chances-each-keeps-its-race/

[rmassart]

I realise F1 is a global sport, but it's not looking good for European races.. only 9 on the list of which three are rated 3/5 or below and none are 5/5.

On the other hand those races with dodgy regimes all rate 5/5.

[lkjohnson1950]

F1 really needs to think twice about dumping historic venues. NASCAR dumped almost all the short tracks in favor of 1.5 mile Charlotte clones and now the remaining short tracks are among the most popular and the clones struggle to sell seats. They rushed to attract new fans and let the long time fans leave and now the audience is shrinking. Oh well they don't care what I think or whether fans like us hang around.

[Jericoke]

I realise F1 is a global sport, but it's not looking good for European races.. only 9 on the list of which three are rated 3/5 or below and none are 5/5.

On the other hand those races with dodgy regimes all rate 5/5.

It's really weird, the tracks that have no legitimate 'business case' are the ones that are 5/5, and the ones that are run as actual businesses trying to make money are the ones hanging on by a thread.  All well and good if F1's goal is make money today, but in 5 years some new shiny bauble will divert fascist dollars to something else (Olympics?  World Cups? X Games? A city that is 170 km long but only 200 m wide?) and F1 will be out their new money losing venues, and have lost the old money making venues.

[rmassart]

A city that is 170 km long but only 200 m wide?

That's going to make an interesting F1 venue. 2 laps and their done. Qualifying will be odd!

[cosworth151]

I wasn't sure if I should put this here or with the $500 tickets that have no track view. It's today's Arlo & Janis comic strip. It's about baseball but sums up the way many of us (including me) feel about F1 these days:

[Jericoke]

I wasn't sure if I should put this here or with the $500 tickets that have no track view. It's today's Arlo & Janis comic strip. It's about baseball but sums up the way many of us (including me) feel about F1 these days:

I appreciate the sentiment, but baseball had already changed.  I loved the game in the 80s and 90s (and I'm sure I'd have loved the 70s game too, had I been around), but once stats took over, it really killed the flow.  When managers start taking pitchers out of perfect games to keep pitch count down, or because hitters ALWAYS do better on the third time facing the same pitcher, something has to change.  I'm tired of constant pitching changes dragging the game out, third inning at bats that are a 15 or 20 pitches long, the entire lineup swinging for the fences only.

The shift used to be something done by a couple of weird teams for a few particular hitters a handful of times a season, not once an inning by everyone.

I even like the bigger bases, it reduces the chances of injury.  As a hockey fan, it's frustrating how easily baseball players get injured.

[Dare]

Baseball in the late 50's was the best.  Mantle, Maris. Mays and the list goes on. Some players even played their whole career on the same team. Mantle was one of the highest paid players and he made $100,000. Some make near that at one at bat now.

[lkjohnson1950]

You should have seen baseball in the '50's and '60's. One televised game a week, with Ol' Diz, Dizzy Dean and Peewee Reese. Actually watching legends: Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Warren Spahn, Whitey Ford, Roberto Clemente. They played because they loved it, not because they could be instant millionaires. Actually watched Hank Aaron stay after a spring training game and sign autographs for every kid who wanted one. You only see that love of the game in a few players these days, like Craig Council of the old D'backs.

[Jericoke]

You should have seen baseball in the '50's and '60's. One televised game a week, with Ol' Diz, Dizzy Dean and Peewee Reese. Actually watching legends: Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Warren Spahn, Whitey Ford, Roberto Clemente. They played because they loved it, not because they could be instant millionaires. Actually watched Hank Aaron stay after a spring training game and sign autographs for every kid who wanted one. You only see that love of the game in a few players these days, like Craig Council of the old D'backs.

It is tough, the sports were making a ton of money, it's only fair that the players, who people are paying to see, reap the rewards, but it's turned becoming a professional athlete into an industry.  Every kid who plays hockey in Canada can easily spend 20 hours a week in various formal training activities, and 99% of them aren't going to get paid a dime to play hockey.  I would assume it's the same for other sports.  (Although it's much harder to play a pickup hockey game than just about any other sport outside of polo)

What I miss are the old style radio broadcasts.  I'm a Blue Jays fans, but in the summer I could pick up the Detroit Tigers broadcasts and absolutely adored Ernie Harwell's broadcasts.  He just infused the radiowaves with knowledge and love of baseball.  Modern broadcasts, you're lucky if someone refers to the game once an inning.

[cosworth151]

Many of us have listened to far more baseball games on the radio than we've watched on TV. Around here in the 60's & 70's it was Herb Score & Bob Neal (later replaced by Joe Tait) for the Indians. The Reds had Marty Brennaman & Joe Nuxhall.

Prior to the mid-1980's, the only way to follow the Indy 500 live was on radio. Sid Collins was the long-time "Voice of the Indy 500," followed by Paul Page.

[Dare]

I always liked Pee Wee Reese and Dizzy Dean. I bowled
in Pee Wee's bowling lanes until they closed. PW was a super
nice guy

[lkjohnson1950]

I remember the 500 broadcasts with Sid Collins. Heard my first in '57 0r '58. He used to pass off to announcers in each corner, following the leader or whatever driver/car they were talking about around the track.