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Most environmentally expensive sport?


Neo

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I also agree that hunting doesn't really hurt the environment. Same for fishing. And even if it did, groups/associations of hunters and fishermen have done more to protect the environment than most others. I would have to say that auto racing is pretty damaging. I know a lot of people love it, and its good to see that they are working on being more environmentally friendly, but it still seems awfully destructive.

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I didn't realize NASCAR still used leaded fuel. That does explain a lot about the fans who sit there and breath those fumes though.

Just kidding... :D

Is that your theory? Oh did I say that out loud? :P

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  • 3 weeks later...

let's not forget that while nascar cars might be running on greener fuels that it is the largest spectator sport in the world... and most people drive to those races... in fact, they usually travel from track to track. i have a person sitting right in front of me now who does just that, although he's press. nevermind the space it takes to build a large track and all the stands and then the parking lots...

i'm not a nascar fan, i just hear a lot about it everyday...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Actually coal is starting to be used on a small scale to fire the plants to make ethanol, but I am not aware that it can be made directly into ethanol.

Yes, it can be, I've actually heard it is a quite efficient and promising source of ethanol.

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Auto racing , NASCAR's brand in particular, is the most popular spectator sport in the U.S. currently. That being said, that is equivelant to NFL football being the number one sport in America on TV ratings. There are other leagues for football in the US, but the NFL brand is most prominent. There are many non-NASCAR and independent short tracks nationwide. Open-wheel auto racing - Champ Car/IRL, Sprint Cars, Midgets, etc.; drag racing, motorcycle racing, arena racing, go karts, etc. just to name a few. It covers a wide spectrum and racing runs the gambut in terms of variety.

In response to your question about the Staten Island track, a recent post on the NASCAR rumor site Jayski has the answer.

"NASCAR will cut race traffic for NYC track: The company hoping to build a NASCAR track on Staten Island is working to reduce the number of fans' cars that would be allowed onto the grounds on race days, officials for track developer International Speedway Corp. said yesterday. ISC's current plan to allow 8,400 cars at the 80,000-seat stadium has drawn the ire of local public officials, and company executives now promise to try to reduce that number, though they would not divulge key details, such as the number of cars permitted to park in the track's lot, or what alternate mode of transportation they would employ. The most recent traffic plan, released in January, relies heavily on buses and ferries to transport the bulk of the fans to races on the Island's West Shore. "We are working on a reduction in the car count on race days, and it would be a significant reduction if we're able to achieve it. We're not in a position today to give numbers on that, because if and when we make a statement about a reduced car count, we want to make sure it's something we can deliver," said John Graham, vice president for business affairs at ISC. "We don't have a specific time frame," Graham said about announcing details of the effort to limit cars. "It will be just as long as it takes for us to determine that, yes, we can in fact deliver on the lower number." But Graham said he hopes to finalize a new traffic plan before the next public hearing on the track, which has yet to be scheduled by the Department of City Planning.(Staten Island Advance)(7-11-2006)"

The 3/4 mile oval is targeted to open in 2011 at the earliest.

"On top of roughly $14 million in day-to-day spending on the plan in fiscal 2005, ISC also paid $110.4 million to buy the 675-acre West Shore property where it hopes to build the track. Overall, the developer expects its 80,000-seat Bloomfield speedway will cost between $550 and $600 million to complete. (Staten Island Advance)(4-15-2006) "

Our campiing neigbors at Pocono, PA this past weekend were from New Jersey and mentioned that the public transportation - bus, etc. - (in their case a ferry) would work out fine for them in getting to the track. They are avid fans and try to attend a different track each year. They've gone to Pocono the past few years and plan on going to Bristol, TN this August. Prior tracks they've been to include Homestead, FL last season and Martinsville, VA for several seasons among others.

Racing fans are among the most diehard fans your will find anywhere.

Incidentally, a group called Top Gun Sports & Entertainment Inc. is trying to build something called the Suffolk County Sports and Entertainment Park in Yaphank, LI. :thumbsup:

Located south of the LIE exit 67, they've propsed an oval track, drag strip, motocross park, motor-sport museum and an ATV park. Also included are concert amphitheater and an arena, a 135-room "destination" hotel, RV park, a "youth zone," and "Pleasure Isle" of restaurants, dance clubs and bars (Newsday Article).

The track is still in the proposal stage, trying to get political support and all that stuff before anything close to a groundbreaking ceremony happens.

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  • 2 weeks later...

In a NASCAR.com article, driver Ryan Newman was asked about unleaded Sunoco racing fuel to power his #12 Alltel-Penske Racing South Dodge Charger.

"From an environment standpoint, it is a big deal, but with all the things that pollute throughout the year, we are a very, very small part of what could be better with pollution in America."

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let's not forget that while nascar cars might be running on greener fuels that it is the largest spectator sport in the world... and most people drive to those races... in fact, they usually travel from track to track. i have a person sitting right in front of me now who does just that, although he's press. nevermind the space it takes to build a large track and all the stands and then the parking lots...

i'm not a nascar fan, i just hear a lot about it everyday...

That could basically be said about most sports though (except for the track to track thing). Most stadiums have ridiculously large parking lots and cause huge back ups when games let out, except of course for places like MSG, Fenway, the Fleet Center, etc, which instead cause massive subway jams.

P.S. I'll never understand the appeal of NASCAR. To me it's more boring than soccer...

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They've been talking about building a NASCAR track in Connecticut for years, it never seems to get built though...

there's a few tracks in CT already... stafford springs, thompson, waterford, limerock...

That could basically be said about most sports though (except for the track to track thing). Most stadiums have ridiculously large parking lots and cause huge back ups when games let out, except of course for places like MSG, Fenway, the Fleet Center, etc, which instead cause massive subway jams.

P.S. I'll never understand the appeal of NASCAR. To me it's more boring than soccer...

i simply meant that nascar events draw more people than baseball, football, basketball, etc...

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  • 1 year later...
That could basically be said about most sports though (except for the track to track thing). Most stadiums have ridiculously large parking lots and cause huge back ups when games let out, except of course for places like MSG, Fenway, the Fleet Center, etc, which instead cause massive subway jams.

P.S. I'll never understand the appeal of NASCAR. To me it's more boring than soccer...

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I think, in America at least, that hunting is one of the most socially and environmentally responsible sports that exist. Granted, prior to ~50 years ago, hunters were horrible, pushing many species to extinction or close, but nowadays, hunters and their groups, i.e. Ducks Unlimited, etc., do more to conserve natural areas than many other areas. Much of the money that is paid for licenses goes to buying wetlands and other areas to conserve them and prevent further development. I've read several times that hunters have just about been the sole conservation group in quite a few states. Also, some species, such as deer, have lost all of their natural predators, so hunters help them out by thinning the herd. If their populations remains uncontrolled, many will starve to death due to lack of food and disease will spread quite easily.

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My feeling is that spectactor sports are more 'environmentally expensive' than participatory sports. A deer hunter, a surfer, a fly fisher, a rock climber, etc. have to immerse themselves in a natural environment to participate in their 'sport'. This immersion in the natural environment often reinforces an ethic of natural resource conservation.

We all use our vehicles to facilitate our chosen sports. Which sport has the smallest carbon footprint? A Mets vs. Yankees game probably relies on the the least amount of burnt fuel.

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I think, in America at least, that hunting is one of the most socially and environmentally responsible sports that exist. Granted, prior to ~50 years ago, hunters were horrible, pushing many species to extinction or close, but nowadays, hunters and their groups, i.e. Ducks Unlimited, etc., do more to conserve natural areas than many other areas. Much of the money that is paid for licenses goes to buying wetlands and other areas to conserve them and prevent further development. I've read several times that hunters have just about been the sole conservation group in quite a few states. Also, some species, such as deer, have lost all of their natural predators, so hunters help them out by thinning the herd. If their populations remains uncontrolled, many will starve to death due to lack of food and disease will spread quite easily.
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In my community, deer are about as common as squirrels. It's no big deal at all to see a pack of 6-8 deer standing in your yard, just grazing around chewing on shrubs. Just yesterday I passed a carcass where someone hit a deer on the highway and didn't bother to call someone to get rid of it.

Twice a year the community lifts a ban on hunting, allowing locals to apply for licenses to hunt for about 2 weeks. In the months after the cull, the deer are back at natural levels. Furthermore they're much fatter and the natural foliage grows back after a few weeks. I'm not a hunter, but without the cull we'd have a serious overpopulation problem which would be deadly to both deer and humans.

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