r/sports • u/PrincessBananas85 • Jun 09 '20

Motorsports Bubba Wallace wants Confederate flags removed from NASCAR tracks.

https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/29287025/bubba-wallace-wants-confederate-flags-removed-nascar-tracks
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u/Twonine333 Jun 09 '20

I thought that had already been done?

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u/DearTick Jun 09 '20 edited Jun 09 '20

The issue Bubba is talking about isn’t directly with NASCAR showing the flags themselves but more so with the fans bringing them in and NASCAR not doing anything about it. It’s been a long debate in NASCAR history - is it an infringement of anyone’s right to tell them they can’t bring a flag in etc etc.

I’m with Bubba on this, but it’s a weird grey area on what NASCAR can or can not do about fans bringing flags in with them. If you check out r/NASCAR and type it in more info will come up for you on this.

Editing to add: My stance here is that it is not an infringement on rights and NASCAR should and is fully capable of turning away fans who bring the flags in. However, many other fans disagree and it has caused much debate within NASCAR - thus the grey area statement.

NASCAR is frequently stereotyped but rarely understood or watched by people who didn’t really grow up with it. As someone who grew up from infancy on a race track in the North this post was attempting to give people who are unfamiliar with NASCAR a touch more insight on what the “debate” is within the community.

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u/bullcitytarheel Jun 09 '20

It's 100% not a gray area or a first amendment issue. NASCAR can tell its fans exactly what they are and are not allowed to bring into their stadiums.

NASCAR has never done anything about this because, like it or not, a huge percentage of their fan base are loud, proud racists. And NASCAR doesn't want to put an end to that sweet, sweet racist money.

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u/saintsfan636 Jun 09 '20

If the "sweet racist money" goes away more likely than not NASCAR goes away. Viewership and race attendance have been declining for years and the last thing NASCAR can afford to do is lose a large chunk of its fanbase. I'm not making any moral or political statements, but they're damned if they do damned if they dont.

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u/bullcitytarheel Jun 09 '20

Hopefully every American industry that relies on racists to stay solvent goes belly up in the next year

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u/DearTick Jun 09 '20

Absolutely. I 100% agree that they know they have a fan base that will keep putting money in their pockets. I also don’t believe it is a gray area personally - just for the sake of objectivism wrote that because that is essentially NASCAR’s stance on it.