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Super_Sport

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I read online somewhere someone talking about fighting sports being sinful or not. And that made me want to ask is auto racing sinful? Some people have told me it is because it is dangerous. But the cars have so many safety feature (roll cage fire suit etc) that it has been proven that your in more danger driving on the interstate or driving to Mass or playing football then racing on a track. And a lot of the series that you can run locally don’t run much faster then interstate speeds. I am currently building a car to race locally as a hobby while in college and I wanted to be sure it was not morally wrong.
 
Super_Sport said:
I read online somewhere someone talking about fighting sports being sinful or not. And that made me want to ask is auto racing sinful? Some people have told me it is because it is dangerous. But the cars have so many safety feature (roll cage fire suit etc) that it has been proven that your in more danger driving on the interstate or driving to Mass or playing football then racing on a track. And a lot of the series that you can run locally don’t run much faster then interstate speeds. I am currently building a car to race locally as a hobby while in college and I wanted to be sure it was not morally wrong.
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To put it simply, no not a sin.
 
If you ask if something is sinful you will get replies and reasons for why it is and why it isn’t.

What kind of car are you building? It’s important because there is the whole Chevy vs. Ford on the morally acceptable side of it 😛

Build your car, race to your hearts content.

Ready to see the scathing replies to my acceptance of your obvious sin? 😛
 
b_justb said:
What kind of car are you building? It’s important because there is the whole Chevy vs. Ford on the morally acceptable side of it 😛
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I want to note that I am on the Chevy side of that:D lol

The reason that made me ask was because a priest told me it was a sin. But I didn’t think it was.
 
Sin requires some serious moral fault and/or willful, deliberate, malicious intent. Dosn’t fly in this situation.

Of course I think it’s scandalous that they let Toyota into NASCAR
 
Super_Sport said:
I read online somewhere someone talking about fighting sports being sinful or not. And that made me want to ask is auto racing sinful? Some people have told me it is because it is dangerous. But the cars have so many safety feature (roll cage fire suit etc) that it has been proven that your in more danger driving on the interstate or driving to Mass or playing football then racing on a track. And a lot of the series that you can run locally don’t run much faster then interstate speeds. I am currently building a car to race locally as a hobby while in college and I wanted to be sure it was not morally wrong.
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You asked this same question of Fr. Levis on EWTN. He gave you a very good answer, but, it appears that you just want to be told that it is not a sin to deliberately risk your life for a sport.

When you ask people here on this forum all you will get is opinions. When you ask a holy, orthodox, Catholic Priest on EWTN you will get a much more accurate answer.
 
All sports are dangerous in some way.

For example, I run Cross Country. I can get hurt from running to much or I can break my leg if I get a stress fracture and do nothing about it.

Does that make Cross Country sinful? No.

It’s the same for professional auto racing.

Illegal street racing, on the other hand, is sinful because of the danger it causes for other people on the road.
 
I know a priest in my diocese who has a racecar, and he indeed races it in Joliet and other places.

It isn’t the racecar that’s sinful. The racecar is an object, and of itself is neither sinful nor not sinful.

It’s what the human being with the thinking brain and free will does with the racecar that counts.

Of course, the priest I know will tell you that if you are not using a Pontiac frame, you have a problem.😉
 
Auto racing and boxing are blood sports, but they are just wimpified for our culture. People watch races just to see the car accidents and they put on a false air of sympathy whenever a driver gets hurt or dies, but they’re really just hypocrites.

If we were ancient Romans, we would be watching people kill each other in the Colosseum or run over each other at the Circus Maximus.
 
Larowyn said:
Auto racing and boxing are blood sports, but they are just wimpified for our culture. People watch races just to see the car accidents and they put on a false air of sympathy whenever a driver gets hurt or dies, but they’re really just hypocrites.

If we were ancient Romans, we would be watching people kill each other in the Colosseum or run over each other at the Circus Maximus.
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I follow NASCAR and I always say a prayer when there’s wreck.There is always a religious leader saying a prayer for drivers,crews,and spectators before each race.We’re not all
hypocrites!
Frankly,the accidents give me a sick feeling in my stomach.I always say a prayer for any injured player I see on the field,court,etc. no matter what sport I’m watching.

Any activity brings risks: some I’m willing to take,others I’m not.It was a totally different climate and culture back in the Roman times or in ancient times period,and I don’t think it’s fair to say that all of us would be watching the “death sports”.
JMHO
 
Car racing today is different from racing in the Circus Maximus in that today officials actually care enough to drop the yellow flag for every spinout. Back in ancient Rome racers had to cut themselves from the horses’ reins and get out of the way. In both cases the audience really only cares about the wrecks. Ever actually go to a race? People only pay passive attention except at the beginning of the race, at the final laps, and whenever a crash is taking place. During the other laps they’re gabbing or eating or doing something else.
 
Actually, auto racing is a descendent of moonshiners during the 1920s and 1930s who used to race to beat the G-men and revenuers. By the end of WWII, it was cleaned up so that it could be digested by families.

There is not too much more American than auto racing. Even baseball and football have their roots in other countries.

Racing by placing oneself in danger is not a great idea. Taking the proper precautions, well, to me it’s boring, but I fail to see the harm in it.

It is certainly NOT a bloodsport!
 
OutinChgoburbs said:
Actually, auto racing is a descendent of moonshiners during the 1920s and 1930s who used to race to beat the G-men and revenuers. By the end of WWII, it was cleaned up so that it could be digested by families.

There is not too much more American than auto racing. Even baseball and football have their roots in other countries.

Racing does not originate in America. Auto racing may have, but it’s still a descendant of horseback and chariot racing, as well as footraces, boat racing, elephant racing, and many other forms, all of which date back thousands of years before the birth of Christ. Roman chariot racing at the Circus Maximus and other venues operated much like modern races, except drivers could and did die frequently because less was mandated in terms of their safety than it is now. Nonetheless, people today still watch races for the crashes. If you think you’re better than the pre-Christian Romans because you object to gladiators killing each other for the entertainment of the masses, then you’re a hypocrite if you ever slow down to see a car accident on the road.

Racing by placing oneself in danger is not a great idea. Taking the proper precautions, well, to me it’s boring, but I fail to see the harm in it.

Racing places drivers at unnecessary risk. Driving around on a circular or curved track at blinding speed crowded in by several other cars is unnecessarily dangerous. It is a bloodsport, pure and simple. The drivers are protected because their sponsors want to keep talented, big name drivers behind the wheel. They may be wearing helmets, seat belts, and flame retardant suits, but they are still zooming around at incredibly high rates of speed that can easily turn the metal frames in which they sit into junk.

It is certainly NOT a bloodsport!
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Just because you want to believe something doesn’t make it true.
 
Larowyn said:
Auto racing and boxing are blood sports, but they are just wimpified for our culture. People watch races just to see the car accidents and they put on a false air of sympathy whenever a driver gets hurt or dies, but they’re really just hypocrites.
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I’m impressed that you have the gift of being able to judge the state of each person who is watching a race. I believe that the some NASCAR races have about 100,000 people in attendance. Do you really think that every single one of them is thinking the same thing? Perhaps some people do, but I doubt that we can accuse every single person of sin.

Also driving around on a curved racetrack at high speeds is not in and of itself unnecessarily dangerous. I know people who are more dangerous at 40mph then some racecar drivers.

Accusing someone of being a hypocrite if they slow down to see an accident on the road is, well silly. Perhaps we might slow down to see if someone is injured? Trapped? In need of help? To safely drive around the vehicles?

With the type of anger here you are showing, I think there is a deeper issue then simply this discussion of racing…
OutinChgoburbs said:
I know a priest in my diocese who has a racecar, and he indeed races it in Joliet and other places.
Of course, the priest I know will tell you that if you are not using a Pontiac frame, you have a problem.😉
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Joliet? Would that be the Autobahn Country Club? I’ve had the pleasure of driving there during an Audi driver’s school. Let your priest know I will be down there again in July if he would like to drive his Pontiac with an Audi Quattro:p
 
Larowyn said:
Auto racing and boxing are blood sports, but they are just wimpified for our culture. People watch races just to see the car accidents and they put on a false air of sympathy whenever a driver gets hurt or dies, but they’re really just hypocrites.

If we were ancient Romans, we would be watching people kill each other in the Colosseum or run over each other at the Circus Maximus.
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If racing is a “blood sport” then WHY is it you hear a lot more about football baseball or basketball players being hurt then race car drivers? Not everyone watches racing just for the wrecks I sure DONT. Just because you don’t like something does not make it a sin.
 
For a sport to be considered a blood sport, it would have to be centered around an activity wherein there is great risk of physical injury or death. Boxing and racing are blood sports because the entertainment is derived from the thrill of the danger the participants are in. Boxers receive a great many blows to the head, and race car drivers risk accidents that could injure, cripple, or kill them.

Baseball, soccer, and basketball are not blood sports because they are centered on the athletic skills of the players, rather than the danger they are in. Football and hockey are violent too and could be considered bloodsports, but people also watch for the skill and strategy involved too.

There is no way that boxing cannot be considered a bloodsport. Officials may intervene to keep both boxers alive, but usually it ends in a knockout. Whether you are watching boxers or gladiators does not matter; the choice of weapons is different because no one wants the boxers dead. You could be in ancient Rome right now watching two men kill each other with swords and tridents and nets and it’s the same thing.

Racing is a bloodsport because the only point in watching is to see the crashes. No one ever sees two cars in a race come dangerously close to coming in contact and thinks “hmm… this is a good time to use the restroom.” The action is in the crashes and the potential that they occur. There are so few deadly accidents now because the drivers are professionals, not your average Joe Buffoon who can’t keep his eyes on the road.

The amount of nitpicking I’m getting from the rednecks in the crowd on this is not surprising. No one likes to be told that something they do or like is wrong and they’ll fight to the last to convince themselves and others that they are not wrong. Obviously when I say “slow down to see car accidents” I mean slow down to gawk at the scene, not be a first responder.
 
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