Red Sport, Blue Sport

By CHRIS RASMUSSEN

NASCAR es mucho blanco.

The present and future of American sport are on display within two miles of each other in KCK.

The Kansas Speedway hosts NASCAR, which recently supplanted baseball as the second most popular televised sport in America. Initially discounted as a regional phenomenon, NASCAR exploded in popularity in the 1990s, at least among a predominantly white audience cheering on almost exclusively white drivers. NASCAR acknowledged the perception of NASCAR as a “white” sport with a widely publicized diversity program, but with little success.

NASCAR is also isolationist in its appeal. In 2008, NASCAR held a few Busch races (a.k.a., minor-league auto racing) in Canada and Mexico. In Europe and Asia, NASCAR is a foreign afterthought. Foreign investment in NASCAR? NASCAR nation largely rejected the idea of Toyota as a corporate sponsor.

At Community America Ballpark two miles away, the Kansas City Wizards play in their new home. Older American sports fans often reject soccer, but soccer is the global game. The very nature of soccer is itself symbolic of the requirements of the global economy: 11 players of widely divergent backgrounds playing on the same team.

Better yet, MLS claims that 35 percent of its fan base is Hispanic, a healthy trend as America’s Hispanic population grew 58 percent from 1990 to 2000. MLS’ major challenge is simply the perception of lackluster quality of play.

The Wizards, like their fans, are a diverse bunch.

Older American sports fans might choose to ridicule or ignore soccer’s growing popularity, as some American political leaders talk about courting NASCAR voters and decry the growing Latino population.

They need to get used to it.