Race car driving is not a sport

By Izzie Thornley 

So, you want to be an “athlete?” Why don’t you invest your life savings and drive a car in continuous circles everyday? All that extreme physical effort will total to a loss of a whopping 55 calories an hour because not only do both arms have to move simultaneously, but your right foot has to switch between the accelerator and the brake. You heard that right, switch between two pedals. The level of multitasking a race car driver endures is astonishing, and I’ll never be able to comprehend it, but wait, I kind of can. 

Buckle up because I’m irritated and ready to shine the truth on this controversial subject. Race car driving is not a sport. Think about it. Do you hear me screaming from the hilltops that I am the best athlete in the world after beating my best friend for the fourth consecutive time in Scrabble? Of course you don’t because although mental capacity and concentration are necessities, physical strength is not required to achieve victory in either Scrabble or race car driving.

After passing my permit test, I realized that although nerve-wracking, driving is only difficult because you have to pay attention to your surroundings for extended periods of time. Following a brief, fifteen-minute lesson in an empty parking lot, I was totally capable of using my arm to reach to the gear shift and press my foot against the accelerator. Driving, a task everyone over 16 is basically required to learn, does not count as a sport, so why should driving at higher speeds and on a controlled track? The race car may be zooming, but it is not due to the driver’s physical effort; it is the mechanics in the vehicle moving the drivers while they sit. If you classify race car driving as a sport since it is hot and sweaty, I want you to think about driving in the mid-summer heat of Las Vegas in a car that is not air-conditioned. Also, don’t bring up the fact that race car driving is dangerous, so it has to be a sport. I could get in an accident on the way to school tomorrow, and you’re telling me I’ll be considered a high-profile athlete if I get rear-ended by a Jeep Wrangler. 

The demographic for this activity consists of scrawny young adults that received participation trophies during their Little League Baseball seasons. If you are not blessed with athleticism, don’t create a new activity that consists of no physical exertion just so you can pose as an athlete behind black and white checkered tracksuits. I guess these races are broadcasted over national television making them seem important, but “Wheel of Fortune” is as well, and I use more brain cells conjuring up a three word “Food and Drink” than signaling to change lanes. 

Mental exhaustion is real, and I applaud those who have the nerve to spend hours concentrating hard. However, the thought of everyday people assuming that driving a car in loops at excessive rates is a physical process is driving me crazy. For the last time, race car driving is not a sport, and if you still believe otherwise, I’m going to have to come to the conclusion that you are overly naive. Apparently, I guess I’ll just have to accept that.