Equal Rights, maybe we DO need that Amendment after all

Am I the only one who is sick of the whole Danica Patrick media blitz? The headlines in my local paper after the IRL race in Nashville blazed: Franchitti Wins, Patrick Seventh. Why would we care who comes in seventh?

I think the drivers are also getting tired of it. Increasingly the drivers are asked to comment on what for any other driver would be an average performance.

Dario Franchitti distanced himself from media darling Danica Patrick on Saturday night after the Indy-car race at Nashville Superspeedway.

Franchitti didn't care that the rookie led nine laps on her way to seventh in the Firestone Indy 200.

"There were a lot of guys out there who did a better job," he said.

Franchitti singled out Patrick Carpentier

At the current moment Patrick is 11th in points. This puts her just midpoint among the 21 drivers who have started at least 8 of the 9 IRL events this year. She has 1 pole, 2 top 5 finishes and 5 top ten placings. Compare to Carpentier, who is ahead of her in points, 2 top 5s and 4 top 10s.

Maybe we should compare her to Vitor Meira, who is 7th in points and Patrick's teammate. He is number 2 in winnings this year. He has 4 top five finishes and 5 top 10s. he is using the same equipment as Patrick. Who do you think is better earning his keep at Rahal/Letterman racing? Did the headlines tout his finish at Nashville? Does anyone know where he finished?

The difference is that he has never done this:



In the World of Equal Rights as espoused by NOW and others, we would never single out a person based on their sex. We are all equal right? Can we stop the hype of a person capable of feats most of us could not do, but still, mediocre in her field?