Michael Jordan secured a major win by forcing NASCAR to settle the antitrust lawsuit he, 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports filed against the organization last year. The fight and the outcome showcased the grit and mental resilience he has long displayed both on and off the basketball court.
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The settlement has also elevated the respect Jordan commands within motorsports circles. That can only mean that Jordan now has an even greater ability to influence the NASCAR audience.
What stock car racing needs most right now is the attention of a younger fanbase. NASCAR has taken several steps to achieve that goal, including adding street races and international events to its schedule. However, it is Jordan’s pull and popularity that could go a long way in accelerating that effort.
However, the lingering question is whether NASCAR will be willing to embrace his influence after the whole antitrust fiasco. Veteran journalist Bob Pockrass believes it will. “I think they will embrace. NASCAR knows that it needs a younger fan base,” he said in a recent episode of the Awful Announcing podcast.
Pockrass explained that NASCAR is not a sport where 10 or 20-second clips easily go viral. It is built around longer events and race sequences, and does not naturally lend itself to frequent, heart-thumping micro-moments.
“So, I think anything and anybody who can help bring the sport to a younger audience, and I think Michael Jordan obviously can, they’re going to embrace, and then they probably use him as much as he’d be willing to do,” Pockrass added.
Jordan commands significant global recognition and holds the status of a cultural icon. The six-time NBA champion’s association with NASCAR could have a profound impact on the sport. However, to attract more youngsters, the sport also perhaps needs to look at avenues to evolve.
Can NASCAR create more youngster-oriented content?
To battle the dearth of tiny, viral moments like Pockrass mentioned, NASCAR introduced stage racing. With the manner in which media is consumed today, it is vital for more such opportunities to be created. But Pockrass realizes that there is only so much that can be done.
“With a 500-mile race or 400-mile race or 300-mile race, there’s only one finish,” elaborated the journalist. “Now, they do have this stage racing, so they have a couple of other finishes that are sometimes close. And I think they use that, right, that you’ll see stage one finish, stage two finish. I don’t know of a way to create more finishes.”
Pockrass thinks that it is a matter of what kind of videos can be created. And that depends on finding the right types of in-car cameras and the right content that can be broadcast each week.
