Are Nascar drivers athletes?

[big dog cowboy]

Tony Stewart moves the needle to NO in record speed.

 

[Rogah]

I have always considered something athletic if the primary basis involves physical strength and/or manual dexterity. So chess players are not athletes. NASCAR racers are.

 

[Rack]

I agree with McFlabb. Nascar drivers are not "Athletes". They are in a competitive event, but they are not "Athletes". Period.


If NASCAR drivers are athletes then so are spelling bee participants and chess players.

 

[erod]

Absolutely, positively not. It takes learned skill, courage, and money, but not athleticism.

If it takes a great "athlete", then why are there so many brother combinations in Nascar and Indy racing? Terry and Bobby Labonte. Darrell and Mike Waltrip. Al, Bobby, and Al Jr. Unser.

I know there are brothers in pro sports on rare occasion, but there are hundreds of them in auto racing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_family_relations_in_auto_racing

 

[Phoenix]

Hey, is NASCAR on ESPN?

YES. It IS. So, there ya go. Debate solved.






By the way, are golfers athletes? John Daly moves the needle to NO in record speed.

 

[Tabascocat]

Nascar is a sport, just like golf, America's Cup racing, curling, etc, etc. There are some athletes competing in them but those sports don't require athletic ability to compete. It is more mental than physical. They do have to be in somewhat shape but not physical specimens.

 

[DFWJC]

Nascar is a sport, just like golf, America's Cup racing, curling, etc, etc. There are some athletes competing in them but those sports don't require athletic ability to compete. It is more mental than physical. They do have to be in somewhat shape but not physical specimens.

So that would rule out baseball too?

 

[jimmy40]

Hey, is NASCAR on ESPN?

YES. It IS. So, there ya go. Debate solved.






By the way, are golfers athletes? John Daly moves the needle to NO in record speed.

Isn't the National Spelling Bee on ESPN?

 

[Tabascocat]

So that would rule out baseball too?

LOL, beer league softball maybe, but not MLB.

 

[DFWJC]

LOL, beer league softball maybe, but not MLB.

https://encrypted-tbn0.***NOT-ALLOWED***/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSfhRyuDG0MwAcvI4g5ZMDjz32jOjV9wti__r5aqO8Y4T42TthGyg

 

[Tabascocat]

https://encrypted-tbn0.***NOT-ALLOWED***/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSfhRyuDG0MwAcvI4g5ZMDjz32jOjV9wti__r5aqO8Y4T42TthGyg

Some pitchers are the exception but position players play everyday. That mixed in with travel takes an athlete to overcome 162 games. Even though some are overweight, it still takes excellent physical condition to play a long season.

 

[DFWJC]

Some pitchers are the exception but position players play everyday. That mixed in with travel takes an athlete to overcome 162 games. Even though some are overweight, it still takes excellent physical condition to play a long season.

I was just kidding

 

[erod]

You could teach Adrian Peterson to drive a stock car in time.

You couldn't teach Dale Earnhardt to play tailback with eternity to do it.

 

[daschoo]

The mental focus required in any racing event is incredible.

Chess?

 

[RastaRocket]

You could teach Adrian Peterson to drive a stock car in time.

You couldn't teach Dale Earnhardt to play tailback with eternity to do it.

To say that AP could drive at the level those guys do is an insult to their profession. No, he couldn't compete with their race times.

 

[Hardline]

I can put this topic to rest right now...

If you cant win a scholarship doing it,then you are not an athlete.

 

[jcollins28]

Great bit on F1 fitness.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

It just feels like he is trying to put down somebody else in order to make him look superior. He then goes on to say "but I respect what they do", I found that funny.

Never found McFlabb to ever be funny. Stupid, YES! Funny, NO!

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

What weight training do you need for driving a car? What endurance training do you need like running to drive a car? What level of basic physical skill do you need to drive a car?

Sounds like you're one of the guys on our highways who can basically steer a car down the road and stop at redlights, but not much of a driver and most likely a nuisance on the road. Prob a main contributor to overall traffic problems.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

This

Absolutely, positively not. It takes learned skill, courage, and money, but not athleticism.

If it takes a great "athlete", then why are there so many brother combinations in Nascar and Indy racing? Terry and Bobby Labonte. Darrell and Mike Waltrip. Al, Bobby, and Al Jr. Unser.

I know there are brothers in pro sports on rare occasion, but there are hundreds of them in auto racing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_family_relations_in_auto_racing

This may qualify as one of the dumbest posts ever posted on the internets. And when one considers the myriad of dumb post here in the Clown Zone that is saying something.