GPWizard F1 Forum
Other Sports => Other Sports => Topic started by: cosworth151 on May 24, 2020, 03:49:37 PM
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The U.S. government has announced that they will give Covid quarantine exemptions to pro athletes in most major sports - except racing.
The Department of Homeland Security specified “Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the Professional Golfers’ Association Tour, the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour, the National Hockey League, the Association of Tennis Professionals, and the Women’s Tennis Association.”
Our National clown act continues.
https://racer.com/2020/05/23/racers-not-among-pro-athletes-granted-us-entry-restriction-exceptions/
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This is the fundamental problem with motorsport in the USA: there is literally no one looking out for the interests of drivers. Owners and organizers exploit them mercilessly. The other Major Leagues all have powerful unions who know who to call to get things done by the American Congress. Most professional sports are organized, tennis, golf, they know how to get stuff done.
I'm sure that NASCAR can't be bothered to ask for special treatment, and what is Indy going to do when an American congressman says that American racing is already happening without foreign athletes?
Certainly the FIA can get involved if there's an effort to save the 2020 American Grand Prix, but I doubt they have.
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Don't feel too sorry for American racers Jeri, they can certainly earn a lot more than in almost any other series' in the world. :-*
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Don't feel too sorry for American racers Jeri, they can certainly earn a lot more than in almost any other series' in the world. :-*
The winner of the Indy 500, arguably the best American racer, would earn approximately $2 million for their efforts. The third string right fielder for the last place team in major league baseball will earn $560,000. On one hand, these are apples to oranges comparisons, but the right fielder has full health care, a travel budget, probably not many sponsor obligations, and is very unlikely to be injured.
There is room for racers to be treated better.
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Nice comparison.
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Yeah nice comparison of Apples and Oranges Cos and I can't disagree with you.
Of course I meant other motor racing series in the world - just forgot to spell it out. :-[
Is there really any other proper sport to us petrol heads :P
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Yeah nice comparison of Apples and Oranges Cos and I can't disagree with you.
Of course I meant other motor racing series in the world - just forgot to spell it out. :-[
Is there really any other proper sport to us petrol heads :P
I know what you mean, IndyCar may be a step down from F1,and probably NASCAR, but is clearly higher up the ladder than most other racing series, in terms of fame and fortune.
Racing below that level is basically an expensive hobby, and not a true sport. If we want auto racing, at all levels, to be treated like a true sport, then the top level racers need to be treated like top level athletes.
That's when international racers will be allowed to enter the USA.
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That's odd, I thought Indycar got a separate announcement saying it was allowed to retrieve its two drivers that weren't on American soil when the restart schedule was announced. I was mistaken, and a senator from Indiana has formally requested exemption for motorsports competitors from abroad. The one good thing is that there is a workaround (https://eu.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2020/05/28/indycar-teams-battling-international-travel-restrictions-texas-season-opener/5273064002/), and at least one of the two full-season drivers affected in Indycars is using it: stay in a non-blocked country for 2 weeks and then fly into the USA. (Multiple oval-only drivers have the same issue, and it's not clear how many plan to use the workaround).
NASCAR, I think, has gone its merry way without them, because it prioritised getting back running as fast as possible over all other considerations.