Blaney knows where NASCAR is failing — ‘I have | Sports News

Ryan Blaney has suggested NASCAR to turn out to be more interesting and relatable to followers, because the average viewership continues to trend downwards.

Broadcaster FOX Sports introduced optimistic Cup Series viewership figures in 2024, with Amazon Prime additionally celebrating a spike in younger adults, a key space for concern. NASCAR is additionally in the primary season of a seven-year, $7.7 billion TV deal, with expectations that FOX Sports, Amazon, and TNT Sports can help grow the game on linear and streaming platforms.

However, Blaney believes that NASCAR must study from different sports activities and put more effort into profiling the drivers, making them more like actuality stars. Because motorsports are much less relatable than different sports activities, Blaney feels that having an emotional attachment to the drivers will benefit the general viewing expertise.

“How can you make the drivers more personable? How do you increase their stardom, and it starts with not only showing the product on the track, it’s also showing these people and these athletes and things like that,” Blaney mentioned to RG.

“I’ve always said NASCAR is hard to relate to people, to the mass population, because unfortunately unlike football, basketball [or] baseball, you can’t go to a park and play it [race] like everybody can do. You can’t just go have a car and go to the racetrack.

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“It’s completely different, it takes a lot of time and money to do it, so people do not have that connection of, ‘Oh yeah, I performed that sport as a child, so I actually get pleasure from it now as an grownup.’ Watching racing is laborious to do, so how do you do it in a sure technique to where you simply get people if perhaps they have not pushed earlier than, and how do you describe it in a manner that they’ll relate to it?”

Blaney also offered his thoughts on how to appeal to younger audiences, stating that shows like the Netflix docuseries ‘Full Speed’ led to a surge in interest. The Netflix model has worked wonders for F1 following the success of ‘Drive to Survive,’ and Blaney thinks that NASCAR should follow suit.

“I believe that is neat for people to see, variety of that side of it,” Blaney added. “It’s actually important to do these issues, to showcase more information about your sport. No matter what sport it is, how do you draw people that perhaps do not watch your sport?

“How do you draw them in? I’ve had a lot of people since that first season say, ‘Hey you know we watched the Netflix show and we didn’t really know much about racing, but we really enjoyed the people in it and this is our first race.'”

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Blaney is well-loved within NASCAR and was even voted Most Popular Driver in 2014 whereas racing within the Craftsman Truck Series. He has been featured on the ‘Full Speed’ docuseries and admitted on the show that his persona adjustments as soon as the race begins.

“You’re going to be fiery, you’re going to be passionate about what you do,” Blaney mentioned on the Netflix show. “But then you take off the helmet, you’re just kind of a normal person. You can have a completely different attitude or mentality.

“I’m that manner. I’m a freaking tyrant after I put the helmet on, however that is simply how I’m, and I’m a aggressive individual.”