NASCAR has Bubba Wallace to thank for helping them win the Prestigious Sports League of Year Award for 2020.
The 2020 season was marked by a lot of notable events with challenges on and off the field. The sports was mired by the difficult coronavirus situation and halt to be halted for a number of months. However, NASCAR came out as s the first major U.S. sport to return to competition.
Additionally, NASCAR gave full backing to the initiative taken by Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace in banning the confederate flag and his support for Black Lives Matter in the aftermath of Geroge Floyd’s death.
“Amid NASCAR’s return to racing in ’20, the sport innovated in multiple ways that it never had before while simultaneously navigating multiple interactions with America’s social justice reckoning,” the publication noted. “The sport publicly backed driver Bubba Wallace when he wore an ‘I can’t breathe’ shirt before a race, when he ran a Black Lives Matter paint scheme at a different race, and when he was involved with the highly publicized noose incident at Talladega Superspeedway.”
Congratulations to @NASCAR for winning this year's #SBJAwards' Sports League of the Year! pic.twitter.com/mVLsMug5be
— Sports Business Journal (@sbjsbd) June 24, 2021
“We’ve got momentum. More importantly, we’ve got relevance,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said in accepting the award. Phelps said in addition to NASCAR leading the nation in returning to live sports, the aftermath of George Floyd’s death allowed the league to define who it is and “created an entirely new face of NASCAR, one that is younger and more diverse.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps commended the collective effort of the industry for achieving this award.
“We’re honored to be named 2021 Sports League of the Year and thank Sports Business Journal for this incredible recognition,” said Phelps. This award is a testament to the collective resolve and creativity of our industry as we worked through some extraordinary circumstances in 2020 and in the process led the way for live sports in our country.”
NASCAR beat NBA, NFL, NHL, PGA Tour, UFC and the WNBA in becoming the winner of ‘Sports League of the Year’. This award is NASCAR’s first in the category for the Sports Business Awards.