F1 racing has been a lucrative attraction for superstars from all professions. However, the increasingly flashy nature of the sport has yet to go down well with three-time world champion Max Verstappen. In the less popular motorsport NASCAR, a similar issue has also worried former driver Kenny Wallace.

In a conversation with the NASCAR community in his latest YouTube upload, Wallace appealed to Max Verstappen to hold his horses and realize that glamour has become an integral part of sports now. Wallace also cited Taylor Swift’s recent connection with the NFL and how it has kept fans more motivated to attend games.

Kenny Wallace slams sports fans for their attitude after Max Verstappen threatens to quit F1

Coming off a win at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Dutch champion has been a formidable force in the past few seasons. However, amidst these sublime and dominating moments, Verstappen recently came forward to reveal what bothers him about the sport sometimes. The driver indicated that the star-studded affair becomes overpowering and eventually takes away from the sport. He said, “It’s 99% show, 1% sport.” Going by his recent comments, it’s clear that Verstappen is not a fan of the glitz and glamour F1 events bring.

Now, discussing Verstappen’s claims, Kenny Wallace has come forward saying how he believes that the opinion is easy to announce considering he has already earned a fair share of prize money this year. “Verstappen says Formula 1, if it continues to get too showy, he’s going to quit and do other stuff. Well, hold on now, Max. Easy to say now that you’ve made 50-100 million dollars a year or whatever the hell it is,” Wallace quipped.

The huge scope for financial profits in the sport has drawn the attention of some big names in world business and elite-class sponsors who add a different dimension to the equation. On the other hand, Wallace believes that the fans are at the center of this issue.

“I’m going to call you fans out. All of you fans don’t like normal football anymore. You don’t like normal baseball, normal hockey, or normal racing. The fans are the issue here, not Formula 1.”

“Can fans watch the sport anymore? Or do you start tweaking and you got to get on your phone, and you got to go up, and instead of getting a beer, you’re going to hang out somewhere because you want to talk to your friends and you want to complain about the wi-fi in the stadium or the arena. Look at the stadium; that’s what they are doing. They know that you go down to your seats for a bit, you act like you’re a fan.”

With time, major parts of many sports fan bases have been diluted by the influence of star power. While more fans have been drawn into the sport, a few have explored it solely because of their favorite celebrity’s involvement. Talking about this, Kenny Wallace continued to have a go at the fandoms while using Taylor Swift and the NFL connection as an example.

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Kenny explains Taylor Swift’s influence on the NFL and Kansas City Chiefs

“That’s the way all sports are now. Nobody watches the sport,” continued the former NASCAR driver. Having watched different industries operate together for a long time, Kenny has formed a fair idea about what drives the fans. In NASCAR, stars like Michael Jordan and Pitbull have also made significant contributions, but rarely have they hogged the limelight like Taylor Swift’s entry to the NFL did.

“Now listen, they watch the sport, but they can’t do both at the same time. So the reason all sports have become entertainment venues is because of you. If they go, ‘Hey, come to the football game’, you won’t come but if you say ‘Taylor Swift’s going to be there’, sold out. Standing room only, all over National TV, right? Football is getting to where it cannot stand on its own two legs. But if you say Taylor Swift is going to be at the Chiefs game, sold out, standing room only, crowd on feet.”

Taylor’s relationship with Chiefs star Travis Kelce has been her breakthrough into the NFL. Swift’s attendance at the Chiefs’ games has been the perfect money-making scheme for the NFL as the high-profile relationship continues to invite a lot of attention to the arenas. Elaborating further on this with a concluding note, Kenny had one final message for Max Verstappen. He said:

“I win right there cause I just reminded you. Here’s my message to Max Verstappen: It’s happening everywhere buddy. It’s all about show. In the garage area at a NASCAR event, we still believe it’s about the car which it is. But these promoters, these owners, you know, it’s like us holding this downtown Chicago race or racing on a football field at the start of our season in 2024.”

So a serious question poses itself: Is the increasing meddling of the star culture into sports worrying? Let us know what you think.

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