Brian France named to SportsBusiness Journal’s most influential list
By SceneDaily Staff
Monday, December 15, 2008
NASCAR chairman Brian France makes a speech during Champions Week earlier this month in New York City.
Chris Trotman
Getty Images for NASCAR
NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian France is ranked ninth on Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal’s list of the 50 most influential people in sports business.
France was ranked 10th last year by the magazine, which is published by the same company that operates SceneDaily.com.
The magazine’s item on France in this week’s issue reads as follows:
“The foreword to the 2008 season was written when Brian France proclaimed NASCAR’s intent to get back to the roots of the sport. France set the tone in January by reaching out to those hard-core fans who felt left behind when NASCAR grew beyond its regional roots over the last 10 years. A NASCAR branding campaign followed and many of the sport’s stakeholders, from tracks to network partners, worked that theme into their promotions and broadcasts.
“With an industry that depends so heavily on sponsorship facing tough times in 2008 and tougher times in 2009, France’s leadership will be under close inspection. But it’s clear – as this season showed – that when he sets an agenda, most everyone in the sport falls in line.”
John Henry, whose Fenway Sports Group owns the Boston Red Sox and half of Roush Fenway Racing, is 20th on the list.
Topping the list is ESPN/ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer.
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24 responses to "Brian France named to SportsBusiness Journal’s most influential list". Post a Comment.
Pat Draper said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 12:32 PMThis has to be a joke right? Ninth out of 50. Maybe just maybe he could have come up 50th. In my eyes he has nothing to help nascar be the good old boys sport anymore. With all his rules and can't do this and don't say that, he's taken all the fun out of the racing.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportTom Meier said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 3:02 PMHi Pat!! Many, many things have changed in the past 50 years that we don't agree with. We graduated from high school 50 years ago. At that time, couples got married before they lived together and had children. There were no terms like "single mom" or my "baby's daddy". Families were stable units of a father, mother, and children living together. I guess nothing stays to same.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportterry ruth said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 4:16 PMI don't know where to start...As one of those left behind....just what did he do to "get back to our roots"??...we keep turning into IRL/CART/IROC....when we should be getting back to Grand National days....smart Mfg/teams/racers out built/drove the other guy...you know competion.....RACING...NOT PARADES
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDan Seibert said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 4:29 PMSTREET & SMITH ARE JUST AS BAD AS HE IS.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJay Hauser said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 4:44 PMNice to see most people agree with my opinion of Brian France. He appears to be driven more by money than a love of stock car racing. Many fans are disgusted with the direction the sport is going in, tv ratings are in decline, ticket sales are not what they used to be, and after this year, several Cup teams won't survive to see 2009 without serious help. Oh yeah, he should be ranked #9!! No, not everything is his fault, but he is the ringleader.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHoward Englishman said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 5:03 PMBrian hasnt really changed anything in NASCAR. the sport has evolved into what it has because of teams and big sponsorship. NASCAR has a board of directors just like any other company. Dale Sr. had a big following in this sport and he had alot of fans and they are gone now along with the fans of 30 other drivers who are not in the Cup series anymore. Things have not changed that much in the sport except that we have a safer car that people dont like that much but the sport is much better with it.You cant blame Brian on all the problems in this sport. Its the teams that jacked all the sponsorship dollars up and the drivers who demanded big salaries.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportterry ruth said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 5:12 PMThey could have regulated a safer stock car like they did the walls...instead we got COT and an even more boring series...yes it is not all Brians fault...it's all of us who let it happen over the last 25 years....BUT THE FRANCE FAMILY IS IN CHARGE...or they are just a figure head....
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner Boehmert said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 5:27 PMwho cares...Street and Smith...they own NASCAR Scene don't they...
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHoward Englishman said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 5:33 PMActually all you hear everyweekend at the track is the COT this, the COT that. Well if you roll a COT, a street version, and the old carnext to each other, the COT would win when it comes to what looks closest to the street version. As far as boring races, I think we have had some great races with the COT.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportterry ruth said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 5:43 PMOld car was not a stock type car....COT is a CHECKER CAB..with different model labels ..I wasn't comparing them I was refering to a real Thunderbird/Monte Carlo..type car..(last I could think of).. As for great racing....depends on where your bar is set...
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner Boehmert said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 5:53 PMTerry...what ever it is, it's going to be...they're never going to be "stock" again...at least this new car doesn't look like an egg like the cars were getting...these guys are racers...drive the car...
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» Confirm Abuse Reportterry ruth said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 6:03 PMThan I quess I just have to give up on this....I can't watch it anymore the way it is....I had hopes of a change for the better...maybe something will come along that will be worth the time....good bye you all..I enjoyed the interaction....
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMichael Daly said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 7:05 PMTerry Ruth, the bar is set at 50 lead changes a race.
Report as AbuseAs for "stock" cars, we need to get over that they stopped being "real" stock cars 40-plus years ago and the sport does not need "real" stock cars. It needs RACECARS.
BTW, racers don't drive racecars, they race them. Driving means you're on and off the gas; racing means you're open throttle and fighting for the win.
The COT is not a racecar.
Brian France's changes have had the net result of increased spending, decreased profit for fewer teams, decreased gain for sponsors, greater bullying of sponsors to join the sanctioning body instead of teams, inferior competition, and declining popularity.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMichael Daly said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 7:08 PM"NASCAR's intent to get back to the roots of the sport." The problem is a lot of people such as SBJ don't know what "the roots of the sport" are.
Report as AbuseHere's a reminder - the roots of the sport are ------------------
50 lead changes a race -------
No fewer than twelve winning teams a season -------
Spending/cheating/chicanery kept in check, either unofficially by other teams (why else do you think NASCAR doesn't have closed garages?) or officially by the sanctioning body -------
NO SPEEDWAY FRATRICIDE -------
Drivers acting like professionals.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner Boehmert said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 7:38 PMTerry...you told me not to give up...stay with the cause...France says the automakers need to change...well how about better gas mileage for these race cars...fuel injection...come on NASCAR...let's get with the modern age...get back to racing, less entertainment and political correctness for the corporations...
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHoward Englishman said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 7:46 PMThat's not true, we raced till the late 80s in cars that resembled there street version rear wheel counterparts.
Report as AbuseAs far as the COT, it is intended for decreased spending due to the fact that the car can be used over and over again with just simple changes to revert from short to intermediate to a speedway car.
Its the teams that drove the cost of racing up like RFR asking Office Depot for another 7 million on top of the 25 million they were paying already and thats why they left and went to SHR.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHoward Englishman said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 7:55 PMA typical Cup car gets 5 mpg unless on a plate track. With fuel injection which would mean electronics and a computer that would drive the cost up even more you would only gain 1- 1 1/2 more mpg. the savings are not worth the expense.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportterry ruth said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 8:05 PMWerner it's been a pleasure...but your right...the windmill isn't afraid of just one crazy guy...it takes more than me...
Report as AbuseI already took my email address out...let me know how your ice dragsters doing...see ya.
.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHoward Englishman said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 8:53 PMYou know and I dont see Brian telling Jack Roush that he needs TWO 727 jets, each driver has a private jet, a helicopter and a motorcoach. he goes back and forth between Detroit and Concord once a week and RFR racked up 10 million just in travelin last year. They all are the problem here, not just NASCAR
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» Confirm Abuse ReportWerner Boehmert said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 9:39 PMthere's gonna be some major changes...and it may not be good...if GM pulls factory $$$ for the top teams will this level the playing field?...NASCAR seems to be fairly stubborn thinking things are still well...it looks like it's the last trip to Bristol for my gang...Michigan tix are not being renewed and Chicago may be next...
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHoward Englishman said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 9:54 PMYoull never see GM take any support away from RCR, HMS, or SHR. they will pull support from DEI that has been said.
Report as AbuseFord will stay with the RFR camp
Toyota will stay with RBR, MWR, and JGR
Dodge will stay with GEM and PSR.
the rest will be gone, these will be the nine mega teams with a 4 car stable. gone will be the rest
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSarah Oxfurth said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 10:31 PMI just have to say Tom--No. 2--come on. 50 years ago wasn't all that. It wasn't some ideal June Cleaver time. There were plenty of teen moms back then-they were just shipped off to "boarding school" to have their babies-who were then ripped out of their unwilling arms and given to other families against their will. And there were "single moms" too...they just had "husbands" that were on a constant drunk binge, or they dealt with the black eyes in private. Don't even go there. I wasn't a teen mother, but the empowerment for women to LEAVE their abusive husbands, or alcoholic husbands, or even to have those babies and KEEP them rather than have them yanked away-can only be considered a good thing. UGH Judgment from the "way things used to be" is a sticking point for me. Had I lived 50 years ago, I'd still be enduring an alcoholic husband and weekly beatings.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportHoward Englishman said:
Dec 15, 2008 at 11:25 PMOm Sarah, you are at the wrong forum, please go somewhere else this is racing
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» Confirm Abuse ReportSarah Oxfurth said:
Dec 16, 2008 at 11:22 PMHoward-I don't believe Tom's comments about how there were "no single mothers" and families were "stable units of mothers, fathers, and children" were about racing. If he can make such ignorant comments about "the good ole days" and "how things used to be" he can sure as heck deal with someone who vehemently disagrees. I'll be happy to keep my comments to racing-as long as everyone else does the same. Other than that, I have an opinion and I'll dam n well state it...of course maybe Tom would like it better back in the "good ole days" when women kept their mouths shut while baking cakes in the kitchen.
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