The fast-paced, heart-pounding action of stock car racing is never without intrigue and excitement. Add to the equation volatile personalities and rivalries and things can get downright explosive. But what happens when one driver gets out of his car to seemingly confront another driver and winds up being struck by a vehicle and killed? It goes far beyond rubbin' and racin'. That's what happened one fateful August night in upstate New York when racer Kevin Ward, Jr. was struck and killed by the car driven by Nascar superstar Tony Stewart.
The media has been a driving force in the public opinion about this case. After all, we knew nothing about this 20-year-old Ward and the majority of the population has no opinion about stock car racing in general. But when you add a case of purported attempted murder or manslaughter to anything competitive or sporting it takes on a life of its own. From the outset, Stewart never claimed to do anything intentional to strike or otherwise intimidate Ward, Jr. He maintained his innocence and claimed to be "dealing with what was described as 'quite a bit of grief'" (Bianchi, 2014) as he stepped away from Nascar events for a period of weeks. He made his own statements and claims, but the public opinion found on social media that ebbed and flowed as events unfolded might have been the most influential determinate of what people felt about the story. In a study by Brown and Billings about the University of Miami athletic department benefits scandal which found "the three most frequently employed reputation repair strategies by University of Miami fans were ingratiation (34.6%), reminder (23.1%), and attack the accuser (15.1%), jointly representing nearly 73% of the overall sample" (Brown & Billings, 2012). In a similar way, the rabid fans of one of Nascar's most polarizing drivers took to social media and expressed themselves just the same "when his character and moral fiber were repeatedly called into question. Countless times in the weeks since, Stewart's reputation has been besmirched. Incidents from his past where he exhibited anger or rash judgment were often and unfairly used as examples of why he may have intended to do something that could put the life of another person at risk" (Bianchi, 2014). Also up for discussion by the social media community was "[a] toxicology report indicat[ing] Ward was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the accident" (Bianchi, 2014) which of course led to a lot of attacking the accuser.
In the end, "An Ontario County (N.Y.) grand jury absolved Stewart of any wrongdoing in Ward's death Wednesday. 'The videos did not demonstrate any aberrational driving by Tony Stewart,' District Attorney Michael Tantillo said at press conference announcing the grand jury's decision....Now, though, a 23-member grand jury ruled conclusively in favor of Stewart. In the simplest terms, he was deemed to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time and did not intend to hit Ward with his sprint car" (Bianchi, 2014). After all the divisive commentary from fans and speculators, Stewart might regain a little of the respect he once had and the Ward family can carry on with their lives.
References:
Bianchi, J. (2014, September 25). Tony Stewart forever haunted by Kevin Ward Jr. tragedy. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
Brown, N., & Billings, A. (2012). Sports fans as crisis communicators on social media websites. Public Relations Review, 74-81.
The media has been a driving force in the public opinion about this case. After all, we knew nothing about this 20-year-old Ward and the majority of the population has no opinion about stock car racing in general. But when you add a case of purported attempted murder or manslaughter to anything competitive or sporting it takes on a life of its own. From the outset, Stewart never claimed to do anything intentional to strike or otherwise intimidate Ward, Jr. He maintained his innocence and claimed to be "dealing with what was described as 'quite a bit of grief'" (Bianchi, 2014) as he stepped away from Nascar events for a period of weeks. He made his own statements and claims, but the public opinion found on social media that ebbed and flowed as events unfolded might have been the most influential determinate of what people felt about the story. In a study by Brown and Billings about the University of Miami athletic department benefits scandal which found "the three most frequently employed reputation repair strategies by University of Miami fans were ingratiation (34.6%), reminder (23.1%), and attack the accuser (15.1%), jointly representing nearly 73% of the overall sample" (Brown & Billings, 2012). In a similar way, the rabid fans of one of Nascar's most polarizing drivers took to social media and expressed themselves just the same "when his character and moral fiber were repeatedly called into question. Countless times in the weeks since, Stewart's reputation has been besmirched. Incidents from his past where he exhibited anger or rash judgment were often and unfairly used as examples of why he may have intended to do something that could put the life of another person at risk" (Bianchi, 2014). Also up for discussion by the social media community was "[a] toxicology report indicat[ing] Ward was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the accident" (Bianchi, 2014) which of course led to a lot of attacking the accuser.
In the end, "An Ontario County (N.Y.) grand jury absolved Stewart of any wrongdoing in Ward's death Wednesday. 'The videos did not demonstrate any aberrational driving by Tony Stewart,' District Attorney Michael Tantillo said at press conference announcing the grand jury's decision....Now, though, a 23-member grand jury ruled conclusively in favor of Stewart. In the simplest terms, he was deemed to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time and did not intend to hit Ward with his sprint car" (Bianchi, 2014). After all the divisive commentary from fans and speculators, Stewart might regain a little of the respect he once had and the Ward family can carry on with their lives.
References:
Bianchi, J. (2014, September 25). Tony Stewart forever haunted by Kevin Ward Jr. tragedy. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
Brown, N., & Billings, A. (2012). Sports fans as crisis communicators on social media websites. Public Relations Review, 74-81.