Davis & White and motorsports

Amei · Aug 18, 2014

tulosai said:
I absolutely agree that cannot have been their intention. But I absolutely do think that's how it came across (or like meterolight8 elegantly said "they sounded a bit joke-y which came off like they weren't taking the event very seriously"). I think this is actually the 'root' of a lot of the backlash though most people are not articulating it well.

Agree, I doubt they meant it the way it came off to the fans, and i side with the fans, Nascar has their fans and if you give the "starting command" well they will go crazy, do it poorly and they will let you know it. I read an article about it and they portrayed it as Davis/White were booed because they were skaters - which was not the case.

If Charlie and Meryl weren't sure how to do the starting command, they should have asked someone or Googled it. I don't think the fans were classless thought.

skatedreamer · Aug 18, 2014

Amei said:
Agree, I doubt they meant it the way it came off to the fans, and i side with the fans, Nascar has their fans and if you give the "starting command" well they will go crazy, do it poorly and they will let you know it. I read an article about it and they portrayed it as Davis/White were booed because they were skaters - which was not the case.

If Charlie and Meryl weren't sure how to do the starting command, they should have asked someone or Googled it. I don't think the fans were classless thought.

Or someone should have prepped them better and maybe done a little rehearsing w/ them?

Full disclosure: I can see myself getting a bit testy if something similar happened at a skating event (or anything else I'm passionate about) so am now feeling slightly more forgiving toward the NASCAR fans.

Olympia · Aug 18, 2014

I heard about this. Very annoying. As Skatedreamer says, maybe they weren't prepped properly, which certainly isn't their fault.

tulosai · Aug 18, 2014

Olympia said:
I heard about this. Very annoying. As Skatedreamer says, maybe they weren't prepped properly, which certainly isn't their fault.

I dunno, I am a REALLY big D/W fan so I feel weird coming down on the other side of this, but you really don't think it was AT ALL their responsibility to figure this out on their own? I have NEVER watched a race and even I know the start your engines phrase and how it 'should' be said.I also maintain it was inappropriate for Charlie to dissolve into giggles immediately afterward. I know he's a happy guy, but it sent the wrong message. It would be kind of like someone introducing a famous figure skater, butchering her name, and then giggling immediately afterwards. While you can argue about whether they should have been booed or not, it's not realistic to expect great applause to follow such an announcement.

ice coverage · Aug 18, 2014

tulosai said:
... I don't understand why he laughed right after she said start your engines. Clearly, to a NASCAR fan, this is not going to be funny. ...

I think Charlie's laugh was a nervous laugh ... as if he reflexively was trying to make the best of what he realized was a cool opportunity taking an unexpected left turn (no pun intended).

Hindsight is 20/20, but I agree with others who have said that it would have made more sense for Meryl to speak first, followed by Charlie.
We know that Charlie is capable of hamming it up and raising his voice (in fun) to a powerful volume -- as he did in the ShibsSibs comedic video at Champs Camp 2013. In a strong delivery of the punch line :laugh:

, Charlie channeled Donald Trump and gave a loud yell :eek:

at newbie Max Aaron.

http://youtu.be/we9qODx1Kxk (1:45)

Coltrocks12 said:
... She has a beautiful collage of pictures from race weekend on her twitter and only has positive words for the event. .... Here is the link to her twitter page. Collage is second tweet from the top. https://twitter.com/Meryl_Davis

Permalink to the collage:

https://twitter.com/Meryl_Davis/status/501094774074798082 (Aug 17)

karne · Aug 18, 2014

Coltrocks12 said:
It implies that Danica is not a qualified driver.

Well, she isn't. There are dozens more female drivers better than she is. Just none of them look as good in a bikini I guess.

I just watched the video and oh my god. ONE LINE. That was all they had to say. The most famous line in motorsport and pretty well known among the world. How can you get ONE LINE so freaking wrong?!

It wasn't the volume of Meryl's voice that was the problem. It was the hasty, rushed, squashed-together way she said the words. Even if her voice was a little quiet, they might have got away with it if she'd drawn it out a bit more dramatically.

Amei · Aug 18, 2014

skatedreamer said:
Or someone should have prepped them better and maybe done a little rehearsing w/ them?

Maybe everyone could have prepped a little better, but at the end of the day - I put it on them to do a little research if they are going to agree to do a public appearance.

skatedreamer said:
Full disclosure: I can see myself getting a bit testy if something similar happened at a skating event (or anything else I'm passionate about) so am now feeling slightly more forgiving toward the NASCAR fans.

Thank you (I'm a fan of both sports) I would give Davis/White the example that how they did the 'starting command' would be like someone getting invited to hand the medalists at competition their medals and the person walks up to the podium and tosses them to the winners and said 'here you go'.

Nascar has their fans and if you give the "starting command" well they will go crazy, do it poorly and they will let you know it.

I made the above comment when I was on my lunch break at work, so I was typing on my phone. To show what I'm talking about, the link below is to a 'starting command' given by the actor/comedian Kevin James, who gets it right (he actually does the starting command quite frequently):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOGiu4BaO_s

Icey · Aug 18, 2014

They were just fish out of water, but their attitude as they were doing the announcement gave off the wrong vibe imo.

Coltrocks12 · Aug 18, 2014

I didn't find anything wrong with their attitude. How is it that so many of us can watch the same event and come away with totally different takes. Guess we can chalk it up to human nature and looking through events through the lenses of our own personal experiences. I do think rehearsal would've done them some good. I think they would've sounded stronger, or they would've switched roles which would've worked better. Meryl was professional, just quiet and subdued. I didn't hear Charlie laugh so I have no take on that. BTW I think booing in any sport, arena, stadium, etc is uncalled for, unsportsmanlike, and inappropriate. Can't let NASCAR off the hook, and I live in the South.

ice coverage · Aug 18, 2014

karne said:
... It wasn't the volume of Meryl's voice that was the problem. It was the hasty, rushed, squashed-together way she said the words. Even if her voice was a little quiet, they might have got away with it if she'd drawn it out a bit more dramatically.

Good point, karne. I think Meryl (with only good intentions) was going for originality in her approach, but I agree that emphasizing each word (even quietly) in the more traditional way prob. would have kept the NASCAR fans content.

Amei said:
... Thank you (I'm a fan of both sports) I would give Davis/White the example that how they did the 'starting command' would be like someone getting invited to hand the medalists at competition their medals and the person walks up to the podium and tosses them to the winners and said 'here you go'. ...

Thx, Amei -- I find this analogy very apt. Obviously D/W meant no harm, but they made a rare misjudgment as to what some of their audience wanted.

(Just goes to show that D/W are human, without immunity from an occasional imperfection.)

skatedreamer · Aug 18, 2014

Amei said:
Thank you (I'm a fan of both sports) I would give Davis/White the example that how they did the 'starting command' would be like someone getting invited to hand the medalists at competition their medals and the person walks up to the podium and tosses them to the winners and said 'here you go'.

Ouch. Now that hit home! If something like that happened @ US Nationals, the response probably wouldn't be pretty. :slink:

Re: preparation, assuming that Meryl & Charlie have an agent who books them for events like this, it seems to me that at least part of the responsibility would be the agent's. But I absolutely understand what you mean re: research.

Violet Bliss · Aug 18, 2014

I understand why they booed and am surprised myself at the dispassionate, nonchalant, almost callous, way she uttered the command traditionally most energetically announced. But I believe it was just a spontaneous reaction out of disappointment and surprise and there is no durable personal hostility. It's a mole hill, for all concerned.

As for Franco, I think the old calling of "Gentlemen" was in his head and adding "and Danica" was cute, or courteous. Alas, "Drivers, and Danica" was something else.

Mathman · Aug 18, 2014

SkateFiguring said:
As for Franco, I think the old calling of "Gentlemen" was in his head and adding "and Danica" was cute, or courteous. Alas, "Drivers, and Danica" was something else.

I remember back when Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for and race in the Indianapolis 500. There was a big whoop-de-do over what to do about the traditional words. Finally, the announcer came up with: "In company with the first woman ever to race in the Indianapolis 500, gentlemen, start your engines!" :yes:

Violet Bliss · Aug 18, 2014

People usually get into trouble or cause controversy by doing or saying too much. It is ironic and "interesting" that D/W got themselves booed because they gave out too little.

Mathman said:
I remember back when Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for and race in the Indianapolis 500. There was a big whoop-de-do over what to do about the traditional words. Finally, the announcer came up with: "In company with the first woman ever to race in the Indianapolis 500, gentlemen, start your engines!"

That was awful. Such verbosity and still only the "gentlemen" were commanded to start their engines, albeit in the company of a woman.

noskates · Aug 18, 2014

Well, personally I think the act of booing was rude. Even if you're an avid NASCAR fan (of which I am not) that's a bit over the top.

MoonlightSkater · Aug 18, 2014

karne said:
Well, she isn't. There are dozens more female drivers better than she is. Just none of them look as good in a bikini I guess.

I'm sorry, but I just can't let this pass. Given the results she's gotten, it would seem that she's better than most other women driving as well as a large proportion of the men. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danica_Patrick). Assuming that she is only racing because she looks good in a bikini is extremely demeaning to her, other women, and those that hired her. Her ability to look good in a bikini might have, in combination with her driving skills, earned her some endorsement deals, but it most certainly did not have anything to do with the start of her career. The way James Franco singled her out was not funny. One can assume it was an unfortunate mistake if he had the traditional "Gentlemen" in his head, but it seemed to be delivered as an intentional slight.

Perhaps it's because I'm a woman and have been frequently told that my husband must be a better driver than I am because of his maleness that I am offended, but I think such remarks are totally uncalled for.

karne · Aug 18, 2014

Amei said:
Thank you (I'm a fan of both sports) I would give Davis/White the example that how they did the 'starting command' would be like someone getting invited to hand the medalists at competition their medals and the person walks up to the podium and tosses them to the winners and said 'here you go'.

Agreed. This is the perfect analogy to describe what just happened.

Violet Bliss · Aug 18, 2014

I don't believe Danica qualified to compete by auditioning in a bikini. Her beauty gets her more publicity and lucrative opportunities just as it does other female athletes in other sports. But all the beautiful athletes, male and female, qualify to compete on their performance and records, IOW, by merits.

karne · Aug 18, 2014

MoonlightSkater said:
I'm sorry, but I just can't let this pass. Given the results she's gotten, it would seem that she's better than most other women driving as well as a large proportion of the men. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danica_Patrick). Assuming that she is only racing because she looks good in a bikini is extremely demeaning to her, other women, and those that hired her. Her ability to look good in a bikini might have, in combination with her driving skills, earned her some endorsement deals, but it most certainly did not have anything to do with the start of her career. The way James Franco singled her out was not funny. One can assume it was an unfortunate mistake if he had the traditional "Gentlemen" in his head, but it seemed to be delivered as an intentional slight.

Perhaps it's because I'm a woman and have been frequently told that my husband must be a better driver than I am because of his maleness that I am offended, but I think such remarks are totally uncalled for.

Please. I'm a woman and a fan of motorsport. I get insulted, demeaned, and my intelligence and knowledge questioned practically every time I interact with male racing fans. And I reckon Danica Patrick is the WORST thing that could possibly have happened to women in motorsport. Bikini shoots to get sponsors and rides in Indy and NASCAR, throwing hissy fits every time she is involved in a wreck - her most famous modus operandi was to go confront the driver in the pitlane, even if SHE had caused the wreck, and shove him, because she KNEW that no-one would DARE push back. And at the end of the day, she just ISN'T THAT GOOD. Look at everything she's done in NASCAR - or NOT done, perhaps should be more accurate. Everyone knows the car she got the Daytona pole with was underweight.

There are other women out there with tons of talent. Look at Simona de Silvestra - she's got a test ride at Sauber F1, and she got that on her talent, not just because she's a pretty girl. Joanna Long was racing in the Nationwide series last year and showed so much potential - I don't think she's racing this year. She couldn't get enough sponsorship because she wasn't pretty enough! There are girls in GP3, Moto3, and many other series. What Danica Patrick does is DAMAGE their prospects, not improve them.

ice coverage · Aug 18, 2014

Not a totally comparable anecdote, but I am reminded of the clueless rink announcer at a major competition -- 2009 Worlds, IIRC? -- who in error told the crowd during a Zamboni break that Pairs would be next.
The truth was that Dance was next ... with Davis/White, Virtue/Moir, and others gathered and ready to take the ice for their warm-up.
It must have been disheartening that they were on their own "turf" ... and yet they still had to tolerate confusion over the two disciplines.

I'm sure that the last thing D/W wanted to do at the NASCAR race was to seem like outsiders who did not belong there.

Davis & White and motorsports

Amei

skatedreamer

Olympia

tulosai

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karne

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Amei

Icey

Coltrocks12

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skatedreamer

Violet Bliss

Mathman

Violet Bliss

noskates

MoonlightSkater

karne

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Violet Bliss

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