Copyright 2004, carolinabreeze.com, reposted with permission:

FIRST PERSON/OPINION

What Does it Take to Earn Respect from the Public?

By Papa Thiam

Based on motorcycle racing fans’ behavior, multiple championships and dozens of wins are not the answer. Australian-born AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin has been ruling what is arguably the most prestigious national motorcycle road racing championship with an iron fist since 1999.

His reign was only interrupted during 2002 by phenom racer Nicky Hayden, who went on in 2003 to compete in the MotoGP world championship for the best team in the paddock. Hardly someone one would be embarrassed to lose to. Yet Mladin has managed to gather an impressive crowd of haters in the United States, a following that any WWF bad guy would be proud to claim as his own. Listening to the “fans”, it appears that one main factor is responsible for this sentiment: His attitude.

With the corporatization of motor racing, competitors have become talking billboards any time their helmets are off. This has conditioned the fans to a point where they expect to hear nothing but positive comments about everything at all times. Race fans demand a smile and gratitude they feel entitled to by virtue of turning their television set on. And when they are not satisfied, they threaten to boycott whatever products the offending racer is promoting through his sponsorship. Many racers conform to what the public expects from them, especially in disciplines with extensive media coverage such as NASCAR. And then there are people like Mladin.

Like all great champions, Mladin is extremely focused on his job and works as hard as anyone to stay on top of the game. And of course, he demands as much of others as he does of himself. This has led part of the public to categorize any complaint he voices as “whining.” This becomes even more blatant when similar comments are made by Mladin and by popular American racers such as Kenny Roberts Jr. When others complain about having an inferior machine, they are “merely stating facts.” When Mladin says the same thing, he is “whining.”

Even when his complaints are directed at serious safety items that the AMA fails to adequately address, things that other racers think but are too afraid express, Mladin’s detractors find reasons to criticize him. Fortunately, he has yet to behave like a corporate puppet and remains dedicated to and focused on his task regardless of how this affects his public image. And as a result, he has become the most successful AMA superbike competitor ever.

Racing fans have also been known to complain about Mladin’s accessibility during race weekends. Because some racers are able to smile at all times and willingly pose for pictures or sign autographs between practice sessions, the fans demand the same accessibility to everyone. After all, they paid for a ticket to the event so they are entitled to anything they please, right? Wrong. A ticket buys you a seat for the race and a walk through the paddock.

How would you feel if someone walked into your office during a transaction and asked you to smile for a picture? Just because some are nice enough to do it every time does not mean Mladin has to. People will argue that this is part of what Suzuki pays him for. I am willing to bet that so long as he can deliver championships and Daytona 200 wins, and stays away from drugs, fist fights and other career-limiting habits, he does not have to worry about smiling. Suzuki is paying him to win and so far, he has delivered.

Another favorite complaint about Mladin is his lack of involvement in a world championship series. For every fan who marvels at Mladin’s achievements in AMA superbike racing, there is one person who quickly points out that “if he was so good he would be racing in the World Championship.” What many American fans seem unaware of is that Mladin briefly raced a Cagiva in the 500 GP World Championship long before he won on Superbikes in the U.S..

He was offered that ride very early in his career and was not as successful as he might have been later. And the machine was no Honda. Regardless, none of the critics who have been complaining that Mladin stays in the AMA to avoid a real challenge have been able to produce an example of a good MotoGP offer that Mladin turned down.

The reality is that his success has come at an age when racers do not typically get World Championship offers. Leasing a competitive machine for World Championship racing requires a budget in the millions of dollars. Team managers, manufacturers and sponsors must use more criteria than just speed to ensure a return on their investment.

One of those criteria is the potential for a career long enough to maximize that return. At age 30, a rookie GP racer likely offers a potentially shorter lifespan at the top than a 25-year-old of similar skills. Other factors such as nationality also play a role. A Spanish sponsor may prefer a Spanish rider to promote their products. A motorcycle manufacturer may feel that the size of the American market dictates the choice of an American racer over an Australian. At the end of the day, major-league racing is still a business.

So, is Mat Mladin perfect? Not by any means. But anyone with a minimum of objectivity should recognize that he clearly is untouchable by all but the very best (e.g. Nicky Hayden) and deserves the respect that goes with the kind of racing résumé he has built for himself. What he lacks in the promotion and marketing departments, he more than makes up for on the racetrack. And the latter is what racing history books will be made of.