Pitarresi: Danica should just drive the car
Sunday is the
I’m not one of those who puts down Patrick because “she’s never won anything.” Patrick is obviously a very, very good race car driver, and if she hasn’t won Indy yet, she’s got some time to work on it. She finished fourth the first time she raced there, and she’s just 27 now. A lot of great drivers had to wait a long time to win there, and many never did.
No, I’m one of those who puts down Patrick because of her tendency to disrobe at a moments notice for Sports Illustrated. Playboy, and the multitude of soft porn magazines that pretend to be dedicated to men’s health, recreation and other interests but are really just … soft porn.
Is Patrick an attractive woman? I’d say so, but I don’t think she is particularly sexy. Maybe you do. And I think she has an unfortunate habit of coming up with questionable poses, some that push the limits of poor taste out there quite a ways.
But that is beside the point. Patrick is free to peddle her wares anyway she likes, but I think she diminishes herself when she adopts her sexy model persona. She’s a race car driver. If she wasn’t a race car driver, she’d never have been asked to pose for any of these magazines. Appearing as a bathing beauty or whatever does nothing to add to her credibility as a driver, and probably detracts from it. Why she feels she has to do this is beyond me. To maximize her marketability? I guess, but, geez, have some dignity.
Can you be more than one thing, like maybe a sportswriter and an underwear model? Of course. No one says you can’t, but just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. The race car driver/pin-up model combination doesn’t work. It just comes across as cheap and tawdry – Patrick is the only athlete I recall ever displaying her butt crack in SI; very cheesy - and pretty sad.
I had similar feelings about former Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard, who now is – or maybe was – a model. I didn’t begrudge Beard her new career – remember, she was done swimming, or was supposed to be – but like Patrick she has a liking to pose in ways that go beyond alluring to past tacky. It might make her popular with the frat boys, but it overshadow her significant accomplishments as an athlete.
So, drive the car Danica, do your best, and let the results do the talking.
posted by John Pitarresi at
8:56 PM
5 Comments:
There's nothing wrong with porn, but I do agree with you on this one, but I will throw out the "she never wins any races," line. I know she won in Japan, but for some reason that doesn't count---for me. She needs to win one stateside, not in a country that is 14-18 hours ahead. Everybody was sleeping when she won that race.
As for the magazine spreads, I also agree. She's just taking the money, because she knows that her racing career can't last forever. I also agree that she is not the sexiest and it is my conclusion that there was a lot of airbrushig going around during those shoots.
Somebody write a book called "SHut Up and Sing," about half-brained actors and singers who dropped out of high school but are now political know-it-alls. I would like to see Danica shut up and drive.
Is the Indy 500 even a ig deal anymore. I went to six straight races from 1989-1994 and loved every minute of it. The spilt occurred before the 1995 race and Indy Car racing has never recovered. I'll watch out of nostaglia, but as for the rest of the Indy Car season, does anybody care? That said, NASCAR never has done anything for me---Indy Car racing is much more exciting.
Keep up the good work. I see you're an old LaSalle Explorer. I graduated from Grand Island and LaSalle was quite a rival back i the day.
I think that you should concentrate on your pathetic sports page instead of making comments about national sports.
All I can say is you should keep your narrow minded Stick and Ball sports reporting in your 2 bit newspaper to what you "think" you know.
When your wanna be newspaper starts to report racing news and results from local tracks, and not stories from AP, ect. then you can give your thoughts on racing.
Oh ya, you calls call the Boiler Maker a race, shows how much you know.
I'm sure you'd love to hear a woman's point of view on this John!
Although I'm not as good at stating my opinion and reporting on sports, both local and national, as you and my brother, Ron, so obviously are. It does seem to be apparent that it's interesting enough to spend the time and money on reading .
I hope that the O.D. is able to continue providing the coverage its readers are looking for and have recieved for so many years. I fear that that may be compromised in this troubled economy. I also hope that you will recieve the support you need.
Back to my thoughts on your comments about Danica. Even though I grew up with my brother and his interest in the sport I have no interest or knowledge of it. But I do feel competent enough to comment that perhaps nobody would even know or even care who Danica Patrick is if she simply drove the car. Sad, but true I'm afraid. This doesn't mean I agree with her choices but it may help you make your point that racing is racing and the marketing of Danica, the woman, is a whole other deal.
It is good to know that a woman has the opportunity to actually race the car and not just drape herself accross the front of it!
You must be gay. I don't recall you having this issue when Chris Cooley posted naked pictures of himself. Or how about the underwear ads that Tom Brady and Derek Jeter do. And actually Danica Patrick has won a race, maybe not the Indy 500, but the "Twin Motegi" or Japan 300 is still in the IRL circuit. You shouldn't even report sports or anything without knowing squat.
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