Are Americans obsessed with size?

[Mr. Boy]

I read an article in the December 2005 issue of Road & Track about motorsports becoming more showbiz and less sport, and it mentioned 3 rules of increasing spectator draw: Rules (ie. equalising the capabilities of each car in the race), excitement and size.

We did a study and found that Americans wanted big things in sports. Thats why heavyweight fights are more popular than welterweights; football is more popular than soccer, and stock cars are more popular than open-wheelers.

What is it about size that Americans are fascinated about? I'm not trying to bash Americans, but I just want someone to give me some insight into why size matters for them.

 

[Omnis]

Probably because a lot of america is very open-country. It's no where near as densely populated as japan and europe and etc.

Unfortunately, dumb americans assosciate big things as being powerful and stuff, but are too ignorant (as in, unaware) of other, demonstratively more powerful/grand/etc. things that may come in different (smaller) forms (such as insane martial artists as opposed to fat boxers and "wrestlers", and F1/etc as opposed to nascar).

 

[X-Othermic]

Well, they do enjoy shunts, which is what NASCAR has lots of...

 

[niky]

Which makes it strange that they don't like F1, which has more power than the smaller engined Indy series... or how CART imploded... seeing as how it was bigger (engines), badder, and faster than Indy cars.

The rules part I can get, though. It takes a lot to keep an American audience's attention, hence, they prefer oval races (in general), where there's a lot of overtaking and a lot of wheel to wheel action, over F1 and WRC, where overtaking is rarer (and non-existant, in the case of WRC), and you're usually reduced to watching the winners post best laps.

It's just like soccer. The US doesn't like soccer, because it's 90 minutes of back and forth, punctuated by the rare goal or goal attempt. Basketball and Football are different, where time limits are shorter, and the action more frenetic.

Baseball, I don't get... it's long, slow and boring... but that's probably just me... I'll watch it from time to time.

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

I hate football, and it has to be the worst sport out there. Something about grabbing balls from between mens legs and throwing passes at guys, looking for a tight end or wide reciever and trying to score bothers me.

 

[Grand Prix]

I'm surprised this thread hasn't been locked or deleted yet.

I think the American mentality is to like big, secure things. A bigger gun to stop dangerous criminals. A bigger car to survive an accident with. A bigger engine to make up for insecurity or a quiet voice. A bulletproof vest for fear of bullets. A game where plays happen for 7 seconds to match the attention span of its audience. A form of racing where people can see the whole track instead of having to figure out who's winning, themselves.

Hmm, I might have went off a tangent somewhere. The point is that the easier or bigger or faster something is, the more likely an American audience will watch it, eat it, or drive it. It is human nature. But since America has a ton of resources and wide open spaces, they can afford to do all of these things. But in other countries there are more barriers and limits that must be (painfully) overcome, in order to do whatever they want.

Of course this thread will probably be deleted after I submit this post...

 

[xcsti]

I think part of why nascar is prominent is that it adresses the wide audience while mostly ignoring the enthusiast market. People who aren't really motorsports fans watch it to see cars mash up against each other not to see driving skill.

 

[Jedi2016]

I think the main reason NASCAR is so popular is because the people just don't know any better.

I was a big NASCAR fan back in the day. I was a big Dale Earnhardt fan, but then again, who wasn't? Then, as I was exposed to what I refer to as "real racing", I started getting more and more dissatisfied with NASCAR.. the races just weren't as exciting as they used to be. It started to feel more like what the naysayers say.. "a bunch of guys driving in a big circle" as opposed to "racing".

I agree with the "big cars to survive accidents" thing, as I heard it first-hand just a couple weeks ago. A girl I know at work pulled in next to me when I got to work in the morning. She's driving a huge SUV that totally dwarfs my little Mazda next to it. I say "Okay, your car's bigger than mine!" to which she replies (with a wonderfully cute laugh) "Yeah, makes me feel safe."

Mine's faster, though.

 

[Omnis]

I hate football, and it has to be the worst sport out there. Something about grabbing balls from between mens legs and throwing passes at guys, looking for a tight end or wide reciever and trying to score bothers me.

Oh, shut up. Jeez.

 

[Fonce Diablo]

I don't want a big car. I don't even want a mid-size car.

I want a little car, which goes where I tell it, when I tell it to, and how I tell it to without feeling like a convention center on wheels.

I hate big. I like small and controllable and zippy.

The biggest I'd probably go is an Impreza or Lancer, even.

Addressing the popularity of NASCAR...

I have no idea. It *is* just a bunch of fast, heavy cars driving around in big circles five million times. Give me an F1 race any day, or a touring car race.

Or the Australian V8 Supercars! I loved that series, but I never see it on Speed anymore...

Anyway, just my twin pennies.

 

[xXSilencerXx]

Something about grabbing balls from between mens legs QUOTE]]


That part made sense but the rest didn't. That's why I never played at quarterback.

To the nascar stuff its true I don't watch F1 because they do not pass barley at all when I'm watching. It also has to do with I enjoy watching something from my own country. That bein said I still am open to other racing.
I wish they showed JGTC over here and I did watch the WRC on occasion when I found it on Speed. Another reason I don't enjoy Open wheel racing as much is one hit and your out. I like to see people push and shove when they have to or atleast be able to repair their car.

 

[skip0110]

To all the people extolling the virtues of small nimble cars:

I think that a big boat like a Impala or Galaxie (if anyone knows what those are any more) running something like 14.2s in the 1/4 is much cooler than a little car like a Impreza or Eclipse running 11s. How does the rule of thumb go, every 2 lbs lost is a hp gain? Not to mention that you are a lot safer in the big car...

 

[VIPFREAK]

To all the people extolling the virtues of small nimble cars:

I think that a big boat like a Impala or Galaxie (if anyone knows what those are any more) running something like 14.2s in the 1/4 is much cooler than a little car like a Impreza or Eclipse running 11s. How does the rule of thumb go, every 2 lbs lost is a hp gain? Not to mention that you are a lot safer in the big car...

there's only one problem with that statement... the driver.

 

[niky]

Hmmm... I prefer Camaros in the 9's.

I hate football, and it has to be the worst sport out there. Something about grabbing balls from between mens legs and throwing passes at guys, looking for a tight end or wide reciever and trying to score bothers me.

That is just too perverse... I'll never be able to look at a sheepskin... errh... pigskin the same way, ever again.

I'm surprised this thread hasn't been locked or deleted yet.

I think the American mentality is to like big, secure things. A bigger gun to stop dangerous criminals. A bigger car to survive an accident with. A bigger engine to make up for insecurity or a quiet voice. A bulletproof vest for fear of bullets. A game where plays happen for 7 seconds to match the attention span of its audience. A form of racing where people can see the whole track instead of having to figure out who's winning, themselves.

Hmm, I might have went off a tangent somewhere. The point is that the easier or bigger or faster something is, the more likely an American audience will watch it, eat it, or drive it. It is human nature. But since America has a ton of resources and wide open spaces, they can afford to do all of these things. But in other countries there are more barriers and limits that must be (painfully) overcome, in order to do whatever they want.

Of course this thread will probably be deleted after I submit this post...

Nah, no need to lock this... it's a legitimate discussion. It's true, as a whole, that the general American psyche is geared towards bigger things. It's an effect of the environment, too, as you so correctly pointed out. I've got friends who were satisfied with cute little people movers out here, then as soon as they get a job in the US... *BANG*... they're buying SUVs. All because of those long highways, and wide open spaces... I think it makes cars feel smaller than they really are.

Take me, in the US, my car is a compact, but out here, trying to thread my way through Asian traffic, scooters zipping past me, people crossing everywhere... it feel ten feet wide.

As for the attention span... it's an effect of being spoiled by TV. Since MTV (damn you!!!) has reduced the average TV viewer's attention span to just about three seconds (seven seconds is just tooooo long), you need to keep things simple, watchable and short, or any two of the three.

 

[Blake]

NASCAR has been a success because it brings in massive commercial dollars, promotors can host the events for relatively small cost, and make huge proffits as the races appeal to the mass market – who like overtaking (if you can really call overtaking in NASCAR overtaking) and big crashes.

 

[Jedi2016]

To all the people extolling the virtues of small nimble cars:

I think that a big boat like a Impala or Galaxie (if anyone knows what those are any more) running something like 14.2s in the 1/4 is much cooler than a little car like a Impreza or Eclipse running 11s. How does the rule of thumb go, every 2 lbs lost is a hp gain? Not to mention that you are a lot safer in the big car...

That's a wierd post.. Not in regards to the content per se, since I do agree with you partly... but in that you start off by using the word "nimble", and then you go on to describe a form of racing where there's no such thing as "nimble".

I guess it depends on what you mean by the word "nimble".. you may mean it to mean quick acceleration because of the lighter weight.. I tend to think of it almost exclusively in terms of cornering. My car isn't "nimble" because of it's acceleration, it's nimble because I can take a corner at triple the speed of my last car and not even squeak the tires.

 

[Jimmy Enslashay]

NASCAR has been a success because it brings in massive commercial dollars, promotors can host the events for relatively small cost, and make huge proffits as the races appeal to the mass market – who like overtaking (if you can really call overtaking in NASCAR overtaking) and big crashes.

NASCAR has always been on the same par to me as Horse Racing or Greyhound Racing.

Oh, and you forgot to mention that they like to give the illusion that things are bigger than they are, too. World Series sporting, where it's only played by American teams.

 

[skip0110]

That's a wierd post.. Not in regards to the content per se, since I do agree with you partly... but in that you start off by using the word "nimble", and then you go on to describe a form of racing where there's no such thing as "nimble".

I guess it depends on what you mean by the word "nimble".. you may mean it to mean quick acceleration because of the lighter weight.. I tend to think of it almost exclusively in terms of cornering. My car isn't "nimble" because of it's acceleration, it's nimble because I can take a corner at triple the speed of my last car and not even squeak the tires.

Yeah, I meant it in terms of the quick acceleration because of light wieght...small cars feel "zippy" but I perfer the hydraulic push of a big engine moving a lot of weight.

 

[LeadSlead#2]

I stopped watching TV because the commercials are to boring........

How is a 10,500 pound, Monster truck running 0-60 in 4 seconds flat not amazing?

 

[Kylehnat]

"Mine is bigger than yours": Americans like big things, because we have a lot of space. In places like Japan, where space is precious, smaller things are better. In the U.S., this has gone to extremes because now people think that bigger = more social power. They're idiots, but whattaya gonna do?

NASCAR: Many people watch because of the possibility of catastrophic crashes. Watch the promos for NASCAR on Fox; mostly accident footage, and computer animated wreckage. People don't seem to care that it puts the drivers' lives at risk; they want to see carnage.

"World" Series: I agree that tagging the "world" label on championships that only American teams play for is silly. However, in our defense, the three major sports that make "world champion" claims (baseball, football, and basketball) are the highest forms of their respective sports in the world. There are no better baseball teams than in the MLB. There are no better football teams than in the NFL (soccer snobs, please stay away from the stale "it's not REAL futbol" remark). And there are no better basketball teams than those that play in the NBA. For all intents and purposes, these "world champion" teams ARE the best teams in the world at their sport.

 

[Jimmy Enslashay]

"World" Series: I agree that tagging the "world" label on championships that only American teams play for is silly. However, in our defense, the three major sports that make "world champion" claims (baseball, football, and basketball) are the highest forms of their respective sports in the world. There are no better baseball teams than in the MLB. There are no better football teams than in the NFL (soccer snobs, please stay away from the stale "it's not REAL futbol" remark). And there are no better basketball teams than those that play in the NBA. For all intents and purposes, these "world champion" teams ARE the best teams in the world at their sport.

That's all well and good, but you don't see World Series Rugby League, World Series Soccer/Football, etc, in the one country.

World Series sports are meant for competitions between nations.

 

[niky]

Who else plays Baseball? (except Japan)

The US is where these sports originated, so they can rightly claim to be "World Series" games.

The NBA can just about claim to be a world championship, with so many non-Americans playing in the league. But there is a World Championship for Basketball.

 

[Pupik]

Back on topic, this seems to be one of those "loaded" statements. Psychologically, Dr. Freud postulated that we're all concerned with size, it's just that some people are more hung up on the idea than others. Sigmund also prescribed himself cocaine, if that has anything to do with it...and one of the side effects of taking in too much coke is...uh...a lack of size.

We Americans don't like everything to be big: Smaller is usually the way to go with technology; thinner and smaller has usually been desirable with electronics and portable devices (save TV sets and monitors). However, bigger is always more impressive if it's actaully useful for the said item to be smaller.

For example, I have a cordless drill. I used to have a one that was half the size, yet it could only do half the functions that my newer, and much larger, rechargable drill can do. Plus, the battery pack lasts about 50x longer, and it's far quicker and more stable, because of it's larger size. However, due to it's girth and weight, it's not practical for every situation. I keep a foldable screwdriver and bit kit in my car, since there's less room in it.

Anyways, some people make a big deal about size, since it seems to incorporate a psycological advantage, since some people inherently fear that which towers over them or appears to be overpowering. Some people like to brag them work in a bigger building, have a larger car/truck, a bigger home, etc. because these seem to be items or concepts that portray luxury and power in America.

This surely isn't an American-exclusive idea. Nobility and heads of state almost always have more and greater objects of wealth, and those who aren't usually desire for these trappings. People tend desire these things rather living an austere life since we it also gives the impression of having an easy time through life if you have more and greater quantities of things.

Size is really a matter "in the head" because it obviously doesn't make everything better; but we tend as children, and even as adults we tend to have a bit of reverance and awe towards large things. Perhaps it's ingrained from childhood, as we are taught to respect our elders and our parents, to fear greater things, or it's just one of those "laws of the jungle".

 

[TheCracker]

The Premiership Football championship in the UK is full of footie players from all over the world, they probably out-number British players - but its still a 'domestic' championship.

A 'World Series' has to be between teams from all over the world, not just because it's teams are the best in the world - especially if the sport in question is predominantly played only in one country with no more than token curiosity from other countries.

 

[TheCracker]

To all the people extolling the virtues of small nimble cars:

I think that a big boat like a Impala or Galaxie (if anyone knows what those are any more) running something like 14.2s in the 1/4 is much cooler than a little car like a Impreza or Eclipse running 11s. How does the rule of thumb go, every 2 lbs lost is a hp gain? Not to mention that you are a lot safer in the big car...

In a 64 Galaxie or Impala, you might have a lot of metal around you - but that only means more metal to crush you in a crash. I can guarantee you will survive better in a Toyota Yaris than either of those monsters. It's really not the case that a bigger car will protect you any better in a crash - it comes down to the car's crush zones, and how well the structure 'deforms'.

 

[FoolKiller]

""World" Series: I agree that tagging the "world" label on championships that only American teams play for is silly. However, in our defense, the three major sports that make "world champion" claims (baseball, football, and basketball) are the highest forms of their respective sports in the world.

When did the NFL and NBA start claiming World championship games?

Super Bowl, not World Bowl. And Super doesn't refer to anything world related but that the first Super Bowl was just nicknamed that after an announcer said it would be a super bowl game. After that it just stuck.

I don't even know what the NBA calls their championships other than the NBA Championship Finals. Does it have another title? They don't call themselves world champions.

EDIT: There is a World Bowl, but it is the championship game for the NFL Europe, where multiple countries have teams.

 

[Danoff]

I should start a thread titled "Are Non-Americans obsessed with Americans?".

Anyway, there is a bit of a "keeping up with the Joneses" attitude here in the US. Most people just can't stand to be outspent - which is funny because it leads to a lot of bad financial situations.

Lots of people have to have the bigger truck. The extra headlights. The faster such and such. The more powerful lawn mower. The Bigger house, the bigger TV. The smaller laptop or cell phone.... blah blah blah.

 

[Swift]

I should start a thread titled "Are Non-Americans obsessed with Americans?".

Now, that wouldn't be very "PC" Dan...

 

[Kylehnat]

When did the NFL and NBA start claiming World championship games?

They don't. But merchandise, championship banners in stadiums, and SI commercials all claim "world champion" status. Player interviews and sports writers also claim "we're the world champions" and things like that. Minor detail, but relevant nonetheless. Well, not relevant to this thread...

Anyway, there is a bit of a "keeping up with the Joneses" attitude here in the US. Most people just can't stand to be outspent - which is funny because it leads to a lot of bad financial situations.

The United States leads the world in per capita personal debt, does it not? I bet there is some correlation between buying penis trucks and then needing said trucks to survive intentional rammings from loan sharks and creditors

 

[a6m5]

I do agree with both Kyle and Jimmy. In basketball, baseball and football, they simply are the best in the world. But when MLB calls their championship series a "World Series", as much as I am used to it, I don't think it's quite right.

Who else plays Baseball? (except Japan)

Japan is arguably the second best in baseball after the U.S., but South Korea, Taiwan, Cuba, Australia, Canada are very competitive also. I'm sure I left out couple of countries, so if I missed your country, feel free to take a swing at me with your titanium bat.

I should start a thread titled "Are Non-Americans obsessed with Americans?".

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