Darrell Waltrip is one of those: he's a guy from Kentucky who invented a brand to go alongside his racing, making a name for himself as a trash talker. And trash talking is about as much as Darrell has in common with Ali; if anything, he's got more to do with Deion Sanders and his longtime marketing schemes. And Neon Deion at one time was trying to sell hot dog cookers like George Foreman grills. Anyone who thought Waltrip would step up and use his platform to support Denny Hamlin was mistaken. Waltrip's corporate; he's not going to rock the boat.
When Waltrip created his inane "Boogity Boogity Boogity" it wasn't soon after the t-shirts and merchandise started selling. When Waltrip discovered a Randy Nicholson was using the "Mr. Boogity" name, he sued, knowing full well Nicholson had the trademark in Canada first but couldn't afford the legal battle. From Maclean's:
Waltrip’s lawyer, Scott Miller of MBM Intellectual Property Law, describes the basic premise of Waltrip’s complaint as, “Hey listen, the only reason this guy even started his store in association with ‘boogity’ is because of me.”The sad part is that his "analysis" completely makes you forget he was a three-time champion, 84-time race winner, and the 1989 Daytona 500 champion. His credentials to get into the Hall of Fame were a sure ticket, the only thing was it's only five years old now. So when Darrell didn't get in on only the second ever ballot, he visibly sulked on TV, and sure enough Harry Carson-ed his way into the Hall the next year.
Nicholson, known locally as “Mr. Boogity,” was “a little upset” when told it could cost a minimum $150,000 to fight (complying with the letter has already lost him $8,000)...
... Yet the irony of Waltrip, a blue-collar icon, using his deep pockets against a rural store owner isn’t lost on Nicholson. “Without the country folk, NASCAR wouldn’t be where it is today,” he says. “You don’t see the three-piece-suit-and-tie guy at the race. It’s the blue-collar guy.”
Waltrip always said he based his style on Terry Bradshaw's advice of "be yourself." But Bradshaw's country humor and self-deprecating style doesn't take away from his football knowledge, and he was willing to go out on a limb and criticize Cam Newton and Ben Rothelisberger. Waltrip's brand nowadays is bragging about his own career and never laughing at himself, and has completely run over his play-by-play guy more times than you can count. His catchphrases have gotten old and stale, and were wearing thin when he was using them a year in.
Waltrip hasn't even been the best analyst in his time. When the Fox season ended, fans were excited when the late Benny Parsons appeared on screen, everybody's uncle who's knowledge went hand-in-hand with a relaxed but enthusiastic style. Since Parsons' death, a rising star in Kyle Petty has emerged, with abrasive humor and an ability to speak up when he feels drivers - and NASCAR - have missed the mark. And Dale Jarrett has taken his father's place in the broadcast booth, no schtick and using his career and life in the sport as his credentials. Even Rusty Wallace - who openly criticized the Fox brand of doing things - is finding his place in the ESPN studio.
Waltrip's someone who's time came and went briefly in broadcasting. His driving career was amazing, but his career in the booth has been more of a t-shirt salesman than a broadcaster. At the end of the day, Kyle Petty has only 8 wins to Darrell's 84, but the respect he's earned from fans are lopsided the opposite way. It might be nice if Mr. Waltrip noticed that if he truly believes he's the voice of the sport.
Image courtesy All Left Turns.
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