What IS, and What IS NOT "Track Bashing"?

[Zonks32x]

What about fan bashing?

For example, a few fans post a simple, non accusatory ? on FB, like "Just curious why next Saturday's LM program was canceled?" or "Why no lates next week?"

And in response the track promoter takes all those who ask to task and throws in a few "nice" words besides.

Then said track promoter wonders why said track is now closed and why fan1, fan2,.....fan1000, all "bashed" the track by taking their butts and $$ elsewhere.

[No_Weak_Links]

This is track bashing.....

[flagone]

Well this is a loaded question. But I will give my opinion. There is definitely merit to the fact that negativity, warranted or not, does hurt the sport. Here is why I say this. I try to bring new people into the sport all the time. And a good 50-60% of them at some point will say "that sport is so filled with drama and negative people".

Yes there are badly managed race tracks and racing series. Sometimes that happens as the result of simple mistakes, lack of knowledge or lack of experience. Sometimes it comes from greed, stubbornness and spite. But either way the negativity seems to always be the same. And that comes because there are also people in the world who are, for lack of a better term, malcontents. They are only happy when they are unhappy. The internet has provided for a lot more of those people because in many ways they can do it in anonymity. People are much braver and brazen on a keyboard than they would ever be in person.

I am one of those promoters that believes in answering questions and addressing problems on the internet. It is my own personal rule to try and answer as honestly and respectfully.as possible. I don't want to get into in argument. But sometimes I fail at that. It doesn't mean I believe I am perfect or do no wrong. If I feel I am in the right I will tell you why. If I have done something wrong I will also tell you. Ownership. I value that.

So believe what you will but there is absolutely at least a small amount if truth to the "bashing killing our sport" analogy because perception is reality. When that is all someone sees or hears or reads eventually they just believe it. Many times with no other investigation of their own.

I do believe that is a better approach to discuss it with a promoter or owner first. If they don't answer or there isn't a good reason then maybe you find other ways to get attention. But it is absolutely every race fans's responsibility to make sure that the issue they are bringing up is actually something that is wrong or a problem. Don't manufacture issues or make mountains out of mole hills. If your cheeseburger was cold tell them when you buy it. If they can't fix it or if every other cheeseburger you have bought is cold then talk to the promoter. If they don't fix it then maybe look at other means of attention.