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Should Loyalty Play a Role?

Smoke_dega_crash

Rowdy's take on the news:

Is he or isn't he? Should he or shouldn't he? Tony Stewart will be a major story in NASCAR racing until he inks a new deal with Joe Gibbs Racing or decides to move on. And as it was with Dale Earnhardt Jr. last year, loyalty is an issue that fans immediately consider when a big-name driver changes teams.

Why? Well loyalty is what makes a race fan, or really a fan of any sport. Sure, you can get some level of enjoyment from just watching the competition in a detached way, but until you're willing to put your emotions on the line, you really haven't experienced the ultimate beauty of sports: the joy of winning and the pain of losing. (I get seriously bummed out when my hockey team loses a big game. . . just ask my wife.) The emotions any fan feels are real, very real, even though in the grand scheme of things, who wins a race or a game doesn't really matter.

So it's not surprising that fans look at drivers leaving teams, shopping their services, considering offers, through the lens of loyalty. After all, what would we all call a fan who simply shifted loyalty to the hot driver of the moment (a fan who took the best offer)? Not much of a fan, probably.

But we've got to admit from a competitor standpoint, loyalty is different. Loyalty is giving your best--working hard to earn your paycheck. Loyalty is supporting your teammates and ownership, working with your crew chief or coach. The competitor deserves loyalty as well: income commensurate with performance; the best equipment the team can provide; and the same kind of support, public and private, from ownership and teammates.

What neither side owes the other is an indefinite commitment. And in this, their relationship is completely different from a fan's to a team--because that indefinite commitment is pretty much the only thing a fan does owe.

The owner of a team owes it to the team's other employees and the team's fans to make a change if a driver, or player, isn't getting the job done anymore. Likewise, the player owes it to himself and his family to to find the best situation for himself. That might be more money, or it might be more control, or it might be moving closer to home . . . or it might be staying with the same team and building a legacy. But ultimately I think it's unfair to call a driver selfish or disloyal if they're doing their job.

My thanks to David Poole for bringing up the issue in his blog. It got me thinking. And I'd love to hear your thoughts on loyalty and Smoke.

--BASS

TAGS: Tony Stewart, loyalty, Joe Gibbs Racing

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AS Predicted by Me! Smoke will be back in a Chevy! Chevy Wins! Toyota SU*KS! LOL smoke is a winner and needs that. so he will go back to Chevy! besides It's the Heartbeat of America. p.s. Detroit Redwings Rule! No1RedwingsFan4Life!

Todd
10:46:48 04-30-2008

You make a good point, Bass, in that we fans look at the situation much more emotionally than they do. The first time I learned this was a few years ago when I had the opportunity to meet a pit crew member from my favorite team. I asked him about how he came to the team and he said, "Oh, the money was a lot better..." What? The money?? You mean you didn't relish the opportunity to work for my team??? You mean you're not just like a band of brothers? No. As it turned out, it was just a job. He left a year later (since he went to a Toyota team, I'm sure he ended up making more money :) )

For Tony, I don't think it's about the money so much anymore as it is the challenge. He wants to be like Joe Gibbs, Rick Hendrick, and Richard Childress. I'm sure his friendship with Kevin Harvick has also fueled that desire.

If the Gibbs are loyal to Tony, they will do what they can to help him realize his goals.

Julie
06:46:59 04-30-2008

Loyalty only goes so far these days, eventually money takes greater prominence in the decision as the amount of money in question becomes larger. Also, NASCAR is different from other sports in that a fan is loyal mostly to the driver whereas fans of other sports generally are loyal to a particular team (with heavy emphasis given to geographically close franchises). I'm a Cubs fan but would I root for Derrick Lee against my Cubs if he moved on? No. Conversely, I'm a Carl Edwards fan and regardless of where he ends up next year, I will remain so. NASCAR is unique in that way.

Jason
17:49:27 04-29-2008

I imagine it seriously hurts the sponsors when drivers play musical chairs. They invest so much time and money developing those relationships in fans' minds.

Sadie
13:17:24 04-29-2008

I don't think loyalty has a lot to do with it anymore, maybe back in the day it did, but now, NO WAY. It's all about winning and the $$$$$$. I think when Dale JR left DEI it showed that. His family owned team, could not get it done for him. Last year how many blown motors did JR have. This year DEI hasn't seemed to have that issue, a little funny but, anyway he saw that DEI wasn't giving him the equipment he needed. Even TONY JR came with him, another family member. If family doesn't have loyalty then what does?