In the past two months, Disney has been making sure anyone and everyone is aware that its ESPN sports division owns the rights to air NASCAR races. In June, ABC aired a reality show in which celebrities and NASCAR drivers raced competitively (the show, Fast Cars and Superstars, was the only ABC program that month to tank worse than the 2007 NBA Finals). In July, NASCAR took over ESPN’s primetime schedule for a full week, with specials about the sport pre-empting live sporting events. And in August, ABC News will present a five-week series about the sport, called NASCAR in Primetime.
The latest NASCAR promotional effort “aims to explain the culture and attraction of the nation’s fastest-growing sport to people who think it’s nothing more than a redneck sloshfest.” While NASCAR gave ABC “unprecedented access“, do not expect NASCAR in Primetime to be very critical of the sport. This is not at all like the 20/20 episode on “the NBA’s Culture of Rape, Violence and Crime”, but instead more like a five-hour infomercial. Fans narrate the series, and the article about the series on ABCNews.com reads like a press release — not only for the show, but for NASCAR itself.
While the series may be about as objective as Bob Costas, it should be pointed out that there will be at least some criticism of NASCAR. “A frustrated Johnny Sauter complains about being treated unfairly after being penalized for aggressive driving. Tony Stewart has some gripes, too.”
Ouch.
As for whether or not a news division should be airing what amounts to advertising for one of its sister properties, keep in mind that this is Disney. That SportsCenter once used Pirates of the Carribean as a lead-in for a Pittsburgh Pirates highlight should indicate how much they value journalistic integrity.
