ABSTRACT
After modest beginnings, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has grown into a billion-dollar sporting endeavor that dominates the North American auto-racing scene. Recent decades have seen the introduction of a product designed for mass consumption in gigantic venues, with a broad spectator audience both live and on television. While NASCAR's biggest events had attracted 200,000 fans attending live at one time, those live attendance numbers, as well as strong TV ratings, have faded in recent years. With participation in women's sport booming, the women's market has been targeted by sporting goods companies as an area for substantial growth. Ross examined the expertise and attractiveness of the female racers featured in print advertisements by analyzing the contents of yearly issues of the official Indianapolis 500 program from 1977 to 2006 while examining ads for pose, connotation, role portrayal, and camera angle.
