Montoya’s Rant Unfairly Exploited By The Media

When Juan Pablo Montoya allegedly sped on pit road with 35 laps remaining in Sunday’s Brickyard 400, he was undoubtedly upset.

He had every reason to be. He knew he had just missed out on his best chance of winning the biggest stock car race of his life. And the viewers at home were treated to the biggest excitement of the day.

“It was a wild rant even by racing standards,” said Dan Wetzel of Yahoo.com.

A rant that was never meant to be heard.

When Montoya threatened to “Kill NASCAR” and swore on his wife and children that he did not speed, the viewers at home were not meant to hear that. And the media, especially those as big as Yahoo! or NASCAR.com, had absolutely no right whatsoever to exploit his private comments in order to get a measly article.

And here’s why.

I believe it was NASCAR on Fox announcer Mike Joy who once said that listening in on driver’s radio communications is a privilege. Anything that is said over the radio cannot be held against them, as it is a private conversation between driver/crew chief/spotter that is not meant to be heard by the rest of the world. However, thanks to new innovations in technology, we now have the ability to listen to in-car audio.

That does not give the media the right to exploit a private conversation.

Joy made that comment when, after Martin Truex Jr. crashed out of the 2006 Food City 500 at Bristol, he used an explicit word over the radio in a private conversation with his crew chief that was heard by anybody who was watching. Joy made it very clear then that the ability to listen to in-car audio was a privilege, not a right.

What’s changed?

At the end of the day, history was made. Jimmie Johnson became the first driver ever to win back-to-back Brickyard 400s. And he was able to accomplish that because of a controversial pit road call. A call which Montoya ranted about in what was supposed to be a private conversation that was, in fact, heard by all.

What’s sad is that the media, in typical media fashion, exploited the most controversial and private of all the above things, just to get a more thrilling story. It’s no different from those paparazzi photos of celebrities being posted all over the internet and talked about, and then being exploited on trashy TV shows.

What’s even more sad is that this rant is being exploited by the mainstream media, as opposed to an unpopular blogger just trying to dig for a story.

Unfortunately, it appears that the only way private radio conversations will remain private, which by connection will keep the mainstream media from exploiting them, is to take away all privileges from everyone to listen to private radio conversations. Unless, of course, the media wants to think about what is a right, and what is a privilege before they act.

In this case, however, it is too late now. Juan Pablo Montoya’s private rant has already been unfairly exploited by the media.

Like what you see? Don’t like what you see? Subscribe to our Feed!