Life's Persistent Questions

Is F1 racing a sport?

Shanghai will be hosting China's first F1 racing this Sunday. It is indeed a great event. It is a symbol of how far the country has come along in 25 years, and foreshadows the 2008 Olympics. With the country's "peaceful rise" into a global economic, political, and athletic power, this is just another medal to hang on the country's trophy shelf. But speaking of athletics, should F1 racing be considered a sport?

Certainly, I think it's much more challenging than NASCAR, which by the way why do its fans support Bush when they happily see the cars making 800 LEFT turns a day. But, seriously, you are still just going in loops, albeit in fancy European, abstract shapes. Okay fine, the drivers needs to have stamina and judgment and reflexes, just like most other sports. But, isn't it more about the machines than the driver? Hello, Schumacher hasn't loss since George HW Bush was the president (okay, I'm exaggerating) but you get the point. 9 out 10 times, the driver with the best car wins, so where does that leave the mystic of the sport, if we call it a sport. Why don't we just call it a parade?

I know I'm going to catch fire from someone on this

posted by hedgehog @ 5:19 PM