Less Young Men watch NASCAR: Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal says NASCAR appears to be losing some appeal “in the key demographic of males 18 to 34 years old,” with the races on Fox down 22 percent in that category this year. The decline comes at the same time that “amost every major sports property has seen ratings among young men — the audience many advertisers covet most — fall disproportionately with general household ratings.” Writer Andy Bernstein says that even for NASCAR’s April 21 Aaron’s Rent 499 at Talladega, which drew 9 percent more viewers than last year, the ratings fell 29 percent among men 18 to 34. Other sports have suffered similar drops, with the NHL down 38 percent among the group, the PGA Tour off 21 percent and Major League Baseball on ESPN off 30 percent. The story says that overall ratings for races on Fox are down 2 percent this season.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(5-20-2002)
