The NRA is sponsoring tomorrow's Sprint Cup NASCAR race, the NRA 500, at Texas Motor Speedway. According to them this is not political, it's promoting their brand. This is the first top level NASCAR race that the NRA will sponsor.
"Our customers are hunters, so demographically, we match up very well," Gossage told USA TODAY Sports. "This isn't a political rally. There will be nobody stuffing NRA leaflets in your hand or making any speeches. That's why I say it's a sports marketing platform. It's not a political message
Right. NASCAR is
denying that they're sending any message.
“NASCAR has no official position on the gun rights debate,” NASCAR spokesman David Higdon said Thursday. “Our fans, racing teams and industry partners come from all walks of life and thus have varying points of views and opinions.
“As a sport, we are in the business of bringing people together for entertainment, not political debate.”
Both sides say the NRA 500 sponsorship – such deals typically are worth more than $1 million – sends a message, though they disagree on what the message might be.
Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s executive vice president, declared in a video announcing the deal that “NRA members and NASCAR fans love their country and everything that is good and right about America. We salute our flag, volunteer in our churches and communities, cherish our families, and we love racing.”
"The NRA will get what all sponsors get: The ability to promote the brand, get the message out, tell the story and engage consumers, and Texas being very pro gun is a logical market," says Zak Brown, chief executive officer of Just Marketing, which has represented sponsors in NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One.
"Clearly (the NRA) are under the microscope right now in a big way, so a lot of companies or organizations use sponsorship as a means for getting a certain message out. Certainly, they have a message they want to deliver. A lot of people will see that message."
The NRA is keeping a relatively low profile at the race compared to logos plastered all over cars, drivers and so forth.
Fox will proceed, but some of national exposure for the NRA will be limited. Though the network is contractually obligated to mention the sponsor once an hour, the NRA didn't purchase a premium package to guarantee multiple mentions, graphics and added commercial time.
The state of Connecticut has taken bold steps in passing gun control legislation in the wake of the Newtown massacre, and now one of its Senators, Chris Murphy, is
pleadingwith Rupert Murdoch of Fox, to not broadcast the race.
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy is pleading with Rupert Murdoch, the chairman and CEO of News Corporation, which owns the Fox Sports channel, not to air a National Rifle Association-sponsored NASCAR race scheduled for this weekend.
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The race "is inappropriate in the immediate wake of the Newtown massacre," Sen. Murphy wrote on Thursday in a letter to Murdoch, referencing the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that took place in Murphy's home state last December.
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I would like to make a similar challenge to you," Murphy told Murdoch. "You should play a constructive role in our national dialogue by refraining from broadcasting the NRA 500. By airing this race you will be strengthening the brand of a radical organization that is currently standing in the way of meaningful progress on this issue."
The contract requires FOX to mention NASCAR once every hour, and no
advertisers have pulled out.
Murdoch will overrule his own personal preferences for gun control legislation and let the dollars roll in:
In Murdoch, Murphy may find a sympathetic ear: The media mogual has long been a staunch advocacte of gun control and even called for an automatic weapons ban in the wake of both the Newtown shooting and the Aurora, Colo., shooting, in July. But Murdoch has not indicated that he will let his personal beliefs dictate the programming on his networks -- most notably Fox News, where anchors and guests continue to oppose gun control measures.