One score and
3 years ago, Tony George brought forth, in this sport, a new
Championship Series, conceived in the spirit of competition, and
dedicated to the proposition that oval racing remain the cornerstone
of American open wheel motorsport.
Yes. I just
paraphrased The Gettysburg Address. But as we're all aware, the split in
American open wheel racing in 1996 brought about a Civil War of sorts
within a sport at arguably its peak in popularity and profitability.
It forced a rift between teams, drivers, fans, sponsors, and anyone
in between.
The story has
been told time and again from every angle, and with the IndyCar
Series approaching its 10 year anniversary of reunification, I
thought it would be interesting to explore a perspective seldom
considered: That of media within the sport.
To do this, I reached out to former ESPN writer and
IndyCar pundit John Oreovicz and he was kind enough to write
back for a discussion on The Split, what it was like to cover, and
his thoughts on the state of the sport today.
“Until I got involved as
a writer in 93 I was a hardcore fan. Robin and Gordon Kirby were my
main media sources,” he told me via DM on Twitter.
My first question was
about initial rumblings of a possible split. “I suppose it was thru
Robin’s coverage of (Tony George)’s trip to the late 1991 CART
board meeting.” He said. “When he announced the start of the IRL
in March 1994 it was shock and disbelief. CART was (in retrospect) at
its peak in 1993 during the Mansell championship year. Why would TG
(screw) up an easy cash cow for IMS?
Worldwide interest in the
Indy 500 was never greater. They had to expand the media center to
accommodate all the international media Mansell brought and IMS was
resentful because it didn’t fit their dream American dirt car
storyline.”
Our discussion then moved
over to email the next day, where Oreovicz elaborated on the story of
the split's beginnings. “TG made a presentation to a CART board
meeting in late 1991 in Houston in which he outlined his plan for IMS
to again lead the sport. The CART owners blew him off and the legend
goes that he made the decision on the plane back to Indy to start the
IRL.” “...it was difficult to figure out whether he was bluffing.
He was not. TG announced in July 1995 that the 75 percent of grid
spots at all IRL races (including the Indy 500) would be reserved for
IRL point leaders. That was the tipping point for CART. In the fall
of 1995, CART began plans for the US 500 to be run at Michigan on the
same day as the 1996 Indy 500.”
The split not only left an
indelible mark on the competition side of the sport, but had a
profound effect on media as I had suspected. “For most journalists,
the split forced you to choose sides,” he said. “I covered Disney
and Indy in 1996 for Autosport, but mostly concentrated on CART
because it had 95 percent of the best teams, drivers and race
venues,” adding that “Every step the IRL took toward reality made
me sick to my stomach. People try to call me a "CART guy,"
but I never cared who was running the sport. I was drawn to CART not
because I liked their management, but because I liked what the series
developed into in the 1980s - sleek, technologically advanced cars, a
great mix of American and international drivers, oval tracks and road
racing venues. It was truly the best of all worlds, which is why in
the first half of the 1990s it was a rival for NASCAR in the U.S. and
Formula 1 internationally.”
He then stated, “I
always attempted to cover what I wrote about fairly. It's impossible
to tune out all bias, but I always try to give credit where it is due
and assess blame in a fair way where appropriate. I hope that
attitude is reflected in my coverage.”
Then, John lamented how The
Split effected his personal life, “Ultimately, the biggest effect
the split had on my coverage is my current state of
unemployment...mismanagement allowed NASCAR to become the dominant
(indeed, synonymous) form of racing in America and prevented Indy car
racing from achieving the potential it started to demonstrate in the
'80s and '90s before the formation of the IRL. It had a direct
negative impact on people like me trying to derive a living from a
sport that they love.”
As Sunday dinner passed,
he ended our conversation with this, “The state of the sport is
relatively stable, which is actually quite good in the current market
conditions. IndyCar's attendance and TV ratings are growing slowly
while F1 and NASCAR are in clear decline. The appointment of Mark
Miles really seemed to settle things down on the political and
marketing side, while Jay Frye has created the greatest level of
trust and cooperation between the teams and the sanctioning body that
I can remember. The biggest question mark is the next broadcast
distribution contract.”
So what is the state of
the sport today? While many agree it is healthier than during The
Split, there's still a long way to go. With a diverse schedule, a
(Slightly) growing fanbase, and hot young stars like Alexander Rossi
and Josef Newgarden, time will tell if the pre-Split success of the
sport will ever be obtained again. Many also agree that the 2019+ TV
deal will have the biggest impact on future success, and being the
first major American sport to go all-digital through a deal as
rumored would be uncharted territory, for better or worse.
One thing I did notice in
my talk with Mr. Oerovicz is his passion for racing, although
subdued, is still very much alive. A historian with a wealth of
knowledge, John showed me that even the most calloused still have a
deep rooted love for the sport of IndyCar racing, and as long as that
passion still flows, there's always a chance.
Thanks to John Oreovicz
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