The vast majority of young NASCAR fans reportedly support banning the Confederate flag from events.
NASCAR sent shockwaves through the sport when the racing league made the decision to ban all confederate flags from events. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
According to Darren Rovell, a study from Performance Research and Full Circle Research found that 76% of NASCAR fans under the age of 40 support the decision.
Of fans older than 40 years old, 53% still support the decision.
Percent of NASCAR fan base supportive of getting rid of Confederate flags
Fans over 40: 53%
Fans under 40: was 76%
(Source: Performance Research, Full Circle Research)
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 6, 2020
That study should tell you everything you need to know about why NASCAR banned the Confederate flag. The racing league is trying to modernize, and the fanbase is modernizing with it.
I’m guessing league officials looked into support for banning the Confederate flag before pulling the trigger on the decision.
The fact it’s such a popular decision with the younger fans, who you can reasonably assume will be around for several more decades, probably made it a very easy decision.
Here’s another little tidbit to consider. NASCAR is becoming more and more popular as we move forward, and that means there’s more big advertisers out there trying to get involved.
Banning the Confederate flag might entice some companies with deep pockets to take a shot on NASCAR. If huge companies will write checks and the majority of fans support the move, then it’s not even a tough call.
It’s just business.