The People's Republic of NASCAR Takes Lead From North Korea

by Clay TravisFiled under: NASCAR Fans, Sports Business and Media, NASCARNASCAR took a page out of the North Korea totalitarian handbook when it secretly fined drivers for comments, which it would not publicize, that were detrimental to NASCAR.

You'll recall that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il, who like NASCAR chief Brian France (pictured right) owes his position to a family dictatorship, recently demoted the head coach of the country's soccer team to day laborer after the team lost three consecutive World Cup matches, including a 7-0 defeat to Portugal.

In addition to making the head coach, Kim Jong-Hun, a laborer, the entire soccer team was subject to withering criticism from 400 members of North Korea's communist party. None of the players were free to express their actual opinions. We expect that from a totalitarian banana republic like North Korea.

But we certainly don't expect it from a major American sports league. It's one thing to fine players or coaches for specific comments as the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL and even major college leagues do, but it's another thing entirely to fine drivers and not even publicly announce what they've been fined for saying. It's a new low in participant-league interaction. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Commentssalomon ski roces golf stores