This question has been debated back and forth for a long time now. The debate intensified when it hit Twitter three years ago when then-Fox Sports Live analyst Donovan McNabb said that NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson wasn't an athlete.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of an athlete is "a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina."
McNabb said of Johnson, “He’s not an athlete. He sits in a car and he drives. That’s not athletic…. What athletically is he doing?”
NASCAR drivers and fans fired back at McNabb on Twitter defending Johnson and drivers as a whole. They even questioned McNabb's athleticism when they got the hashtag "#PeopleWhoAreMoreAthleticThanDonovanMcNabb" trending.
But the fact of the matter is, McNabb was right. And he was more of an athlete in his prime than any NASCAR driver ever was. He's obviously retired now, but at one point, he was one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles for the better part of a decade. And being an NFL quarterback is probably the second hardest thing to do in sports behind hitting a baseball -- and McNabb was doing it at the highest of levels with much success.
I don't think NASCAR drivers are athletes. Like myself, they enter a car, sit down in a chair, and drive. I don't drive in a circle 500 times at 200 mph, but we're both doing the same thing. I just drive slower. Jimmie Johnson and I both know how to drive a car, so if that makes him an athlete, I and anyone else who is able to drive a car should be considered an athlete too.
Sure, NASCAR drivers probably train really hard. I know Johnson does, as he runs marathons in his free time. But they train to drive a car. Millions of people worldwide drive cars. I give them credit for putting their lives on the line, though. Driving at that speed can be extremely dangerous. We've seen the brutal crashes that have happened on the race track, so I give them credit for that. But, I just can't call a person that drives a car an athlete.
However, Fox Sports should continue to cover it as many people, especially in the South, follow NASCAR. So there is a market for it. And while I don't think the drivers are athletes, there are many people that do. Just like there are many people who agree with Donovan McNabb and I. The debate is ongoing and will likely never come to an end. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Personally, I don't enjoy watching cars go around in a circle 500 times in a row and I wouldn't call the drivers athletes, but there are many people that do enjoy it. I'll stick to the sports that I like.