How to hate Kyle Busch

[Schwartz Fan]

How to hate Kyle Busch
By Jeff Gluck - Associate Editor

If a prison team consisting of thieves and drug dealers played a basketball game against Duke, I would have no problem rooting for the convicted felons.

If Tom Brady suddenly forgot how to play football and never won another game, I’d cheer.

I know what it’s like to openly despise pro sports teams and athletes, and spend energy hating their every success and even their very appearance on my television screen.

So in some respects, I feel bad for those Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans who want to scream and tear their hair out every time they see Kyle Busch win another race.

On the other hand, it’s hilarious.

Busch has become NASCAR’s version of the perfect “heel” – to borrow pro wrestling’s term for a bad guy who fans love to hate.

He mocks those who boo him by wiping fake tears from his eyes.

He talks about sending them crying on their way home and asks that they throw full beer cans at him instead of empties so he can knock back a cold one in celebration.

When he sees middle fingers, he suggests that those haters are just telling him he’s number one.

It’s antagonizing, outrageous – and completely funny.

The thing about Busch is this: He really doesn’t care if you hate him. At all.

Go ahead, taunt him. Tell him he sucks. You think he goes home at night and gets upset about it?

Send him nasty letters, throw stuff at him from the stands and give him the finger.

All you’re doing is fueling his fire, which lets him turn around and incense you even more.

When Busch rides around the track on the back of a pickup truck before the race, fans unleash a torrent of angry noise in his direction.

Busch, behind his mirror-like glasses, gives it right back. He’ll wave his arms in the air, telling the fans he wants to hear even more.

So what should you do if you hate Busch?

Keep it up.

Some people might dare suggest the approach of “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em." This is absolutely wrong.

I could never root for Duke or the New England Patriots in a million years. Even if they win multiple championships, I’ll still hate them just as much as ever – probably more.

But when they slip up or fail, I’ll be right there waiting to cheer like crazy.

That’s how you should treat Busch. If you hate him, go ahead. Let him frustrate you and get under your skin.

That’s what makes sports worth caring about, and especially since Busch doesn’t seem to be too affected by the haters, it’s mostly harmless.

Just be prepared for some long days – and years – when Busch wins race after race and maybe even title after title.

In some ways, this is only the beginning. Busch isn’t going anywhere, and there’s no chance he’ll suddenly go ice cold.

And when you vent your frustration at the track, Busch might just soak up your boos with a smile and a bow. It’ll make you red in the face.

Your hatred will take a firm commitment, while others around you eventually fold and decide they kind of like Busch after all.

It’s a funny thing about those heels in wrestling – they might start out being loathed, but they eventually gain enough fans to become loved.

If you smell what Kyle Busch is cooking.



Jeff Gluck: How to hate Kyle Busch - Sprint Cup Series - Scenedaily.com

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