DRUMS, Pa. — Everything is on the internet now, including this column. There is not much left out there in print media that you can hold in your hand and carry with you, or keep to read later.
It all has become fast and convenient, and everyone wants and expects information to be immediate.
Social media has become a very important part of the equation and it’s an excellent source for instant news, photos and results. The one problem, though, is it has become a very nasty place where people say whatever they please about drivers, tracks, announcers, promoters and pretty much anyone without ever thinking about the people they are talking about.
Some people don’t think, some don’t care and some purposely enjoy being part of a thread trashing someone or something.
I’ve been dealing with this for more than 25 years as I’ve always had a message board on my website (hoseheads.com). I’ve always had to deal with people posting things they shouldn’t be posting, but I was always able to delete their nonsense when necessary. When I do delete messages, there are always those who complain about censorship and freedom of speech, but my business name is on the site and I can take down anything I consider to be incorrect.
That’s not the case with social media. All you can do is stop following someone who posts things you don’t want to read. If no one follows them then they are just yelling down a dark empty hallway with no one listening. Sometimes, though, people say things on social media that they really should just keep to themselves or they should go tell the track or individual with which they have a problem.
The big thing now is complaining about track announcers. All of these track and series announcers once were only heard at the track and were mostly drowned out by the roar of 900-horsepower sprint car engines. In the last few years, though, they are all suddenly showcased on live-streaming video with the engine sound in the background.
So, now, announcers are too loud, too excited, they yell too much, they are too quiet, don’t talk enough and it goes on and on. Some have been announcing for a long time at tracks, but never planned on announcing for live television. It’s not easy watching a monitor of what’s going out live over the air and also trying to watch what’s going on all over the track and get it right for the fans in the stands and also those watching the live broadcast.
Some of the younger announcers are more excitable and really get into the action on the track. That’s just a personality they aren’t going to change because someone doesn’t like it.
All of them are different, just like the fans watching, and if you don’t like a certain one, just turn the volume down and watch the race. If every announcer sounded the same at every track it wouldn’t be very interesting.
I like all of the different personalities you get with each different series or track.
We are extremely lucky right now to be able to enjoy the live sprint car events streaming into our living rooms or on our cellphones. I think we need to give the announcers who are suddenly heard around the world a break.
This story appeared in the July 19, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
