Nextel, Sprint, AT&T and the
NASCAR Fan
Submitted by Lady B
January 14, 2008
It’s no secret how loyal
NASCAR fans are to the sponsors of the sport they love. From the title sponsor to primary sponsors
and even a part-time sponsor, fans flock to support the companies that keep the
cars on the track. Because of the loyalty it has been said that there are more
Fortune 500 companies involved in NASCAR than in any other sport.
As with most NASCAR fans, when I shop I look for the
companies and products that support my driver, team and the sport in general.
Given a choice of a product with the NASCAR logo or one without I’ll generally
go with the logo product. To a
non-NASCAR fan this is total craziness but to me, my family and millions of
other fans out there we understand completely.
Years ago I decided I needed a cell phone. It was the time when Adam Petty was debuting
at Texas Motor Speedway and he was being sponsored by Sprint. As a long time fan of the Petty organization
it was a no-brainer who I was going to go with. I proudly got my Sprint phone
and went on my merry way. We all know what
happened to Adam but I stilk kept my Sprint phone…that is…until Nextel became
the primary sponsor of the series. My
contract was up and in keeping with my commitment to the sponsors of NASCAR I
changed my service to Nextel. My friends
thought I was nuts because I didn’t even compare plans from other carriers.
Nope, Nextel was the title sponsor and that was where my loyalty went. Then Sprint and Nextel merged. My cell phone contract expired and I decided
to go back to Sprint. After all, being a Petty fan it was where my heart was
leading me. Then something happened…in
the middle of my contract…and it was ugly.
The Sprint/AT&T/NASCAR battle. For the first time as a NASCAR fan I
was not happy with a sponsor. I mean,
really not happy.
I’m not going to rehash the whole mess of who was
grandfathered in, what company changed names and what the final outcome
was. It drug on for a while and I’m
sure you have made up your mind about who you think was right or wrong. The
whole thing was awful and really put NASCAR in a bad light not just for this
issue but for any other sponsor for any team that happens to buy or sell other recognizable
brand names. In a sport where the three
series have seen significant changes to the title sponsors what makes NASCAR
think the other sponsors won’t have the same changes? If Subway decides to
sponsor the Truck series does that mean that no other sandwich company can come
into the sport? With some teams really hurting for sponsorships that doesn’t
seem like a smart move to me. But I digress.
On January 2, 2008 my contract with Sprint ended. Last week I signed up with AT&T for my
new cell phone service. So far Sprint
hasn’t asked me why I left them. My
friends and family have and I’ve told them my deciding factor. I believe that AT&T was treated unfairly
by Sprint and NASCAR. I suspect I am not the only one who believes the way I
do. And so this loyal sponsor NASCAR fan has made a change. AT&T must leave the sport at the end of
2008 but I will still keep my AT&T service…who knows, maybe AT&T will
sponsor the Truck series…it could happen…Craftsman is leaving at the end of
2008…I will be ready…
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