From: esprit@netcom.com (Alan F. Perry)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport
Subject: Re: More whining about F1 being international
Date: 3 Sep 92 15:45:59 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

From: jsmith@eoe.co.uk (James G Smith)
>I'm sorry that this isn't really an auto sports reply... I am just
>getting drawn into the flame war over words.
>
>esprit@netcom.com (Alan F. Perry) writes:
>: agwiii@fang.att.com (Grayson Walker (660-7949)(12/92)) writes:
>: >>>>>And remember, F1 is a world sport and this is a world net. 
>: >>>>Wrong, F1 is a European sport.
>: >This year we have races in South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and
>: >Australia;
>: 
>: On the other hand, that does not mean that F1 is not an international
>: sport.
>: alan
>
>F1 is international in that there are a collection of drivers,
>constructors, sponsors, circuits etc. from different nations.
>Therefore it cannot be anything but viewed as "inter" national.

Thank you for leaving out the gist of what I wrote to make your 
point.  You must post frequently on misc.politics.

What I wrote was:
>On the other hand, that does not mean that F1 is not an international
>sport.  F1 competition is held through FISA, the sports arm of the FIA,
>the international organization of the automobile, which all major auto
>manufacturers are a member of.  Given the make-up of the membership of 
>the FIA, if they say a series is international, it is international.

My arguments are that if the FIA is the international organization
of the autombile (which they must be because it is in their name ;-),
then competition they call "international" must be international.


>: However, since they are supposed to be international, they should
>: consider it as embarrassment that they don't hold an F1 event in the U.S.
>
>WHY? Is it not international because they didn't hold an event in
>"insert favourite small country here with a GNP of a carrot"? It is
>only feasible to hold so many events, so some "sites" will lose out.
>Like the city/nation that "gets" the olympics, the circuits chosen for
>a particular year probably depends on who gets there first with the
>most amount of money.  Remembering that a lot of the money comes from
>the TV rights (and the sponsors desiring to get coverage), and this
>money comes from the countries that are interested in the sport.

The reason that It believe that it is an embarrassment to FISA that
there is no USGP is FISA is not representing its membership when it
doesn't host an event in a country that supplies so much to the auto
industry.  A large number of FIA members are US-based companies.  The
sole F1 tire manufacturer is a US company.

Are you saying that it would be OK if FISA dropped the British GP or
the Italian GP?

If what you claim about circuits being chosen being based on who
gets there first with the most money, why has the schedule of races
changed little in the last few years?  Why did FISA cancel its contract
with the city of Phoenix (the money was there first!)?  As far as TV
rights go, it doesn't matter where you hold the race. 

>The thing that really made me want to reply to this message was the
>above statement being from a nation where they call some competition
>winners "world champions" when they don't even play any teams from
>other countries. A bit conceited if you ask me.

Do you have any doubt that the NBA competition is the world
championship of basketball?

Most of what you are talking about is hyperbole.  When a sport grows
up in a particular country and all the best players are in that
country, it is very easy for the people of that country to do the
same thing.

On the other hand, the FIA's claim to international status is
through "consensus" of its membership, which is most (in terms of
volume of cars made) of the auto makers in the world.

>                                                As a USofA american
>does it not embarass you that there is no professional American
>Football league in France, yet you call the sport international? I
>didn't think so (France may well have such a league, but the point
>still stands, just insert some country that doesn't :-).

No, because the French have never had a tradition of playing American
football.  On the other hand, the US has had F1 Champions, have hosted
up to three events in one season and plays a significant role in the
auto industry.  Also, France does not have a team in the World Football
League because they chose not to.  The US is not hosting a USGP because
FISA cancelled the contract out from underneath them.

Also, the FIA claims that they have the right to control international
competition if it involves any of its member, otherwise it can kick that
member out of the FIA.  That is the basis of the whole Surfer's Paradise
controversy.  Therefore, the FIA is obliged to, in turn, properly
represent its membership.

>Remember the world is SLIGHTLY bigger than 250million USofA residents.

That's nice.  I will try to remember that.

alan
Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport