Confederate flags will be gone from NASCAR events moving forward. NASCAR announced on Wednesday that such flags would no longer be welcome at its events and on its properties.
The move is controversial, with one part-time driver already saying he’s calling it quits. But it’s ultimately NASCAR’s right to make the decision, and it’s a respectable move.
To some, the Confederate flag represents Southern pride. It’s a part of American history. American soldiers have brought Confederate flags with them to battle for years as a reminder of the homeland they fight to protect. The people who are proud of it have the right to display the Confederate flag on their property, whether it’s their house, their truck, small business, or somewhere else.
A June 2015 CNN poll found that 57% of the public saw the Confederate flag more as a symbol of Southern pride than a symbol of racism. Conversely, 33% of the population thought Confederate flags represented racism more than they did Southern pride. The split was highly racial: 72% of black Americans said they saw it as a symbol of racism rather than Southern pride, 75% of Southern blacks saw it as a symbol of racism, and 75% of Southern whites saw it as a symbol of Southern pride.
If it were a public policy issue, Confederate flags would be considered popular by those metrics (though recent events have probably decreased the Confederate flag’s favor). But this isn’t a government issue, it’s a private business issue.
NASCAR is a professional auto racing league trying to make money. It wants as many fans as possible to attend its events in-person, watch on TV, buy merchandise, etc. It has the right to be cautious about the optics surrounding its events. Seeing other fans with Confederate flags in-person or seeing the flags displayed on the TV broadcast might be off-putting to some. Presumably, NASCAR does not want to lose out on potential fans because of a flag of a country that no longer exists.
It’s common for sports venues to prevent fans from bringing certain items into facilities, so this is no different. If you were to look at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s list of prohibited items, you’d see an assortment of things that fans cannot bring into the facility, such as alcoholic beverages, balloons, beach balls, fireworks, glass containers, umbrellas, weapons, and so on.
If NASCAR thought Confederate flags would ultimately be good for business, it’d allow them. Instead, the Confederate flag is gone.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a freelance writer who has been published with USA Today, the Boston Globe, Newsday, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Federalist, and a number of other media outlets.
