$14 billion worth sport series is reportedly vying to poach NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps

NASCAR's first-ever commissioner Steve Phelps could be soon joining the PGA Tour as its CEO.

Steve Phelps (Via IMAGO)

NASCAR is reportedly at risk of losing one of its biggest executives, Steve Phelps. Phelps, who became commissioner of the sport less than a month ago, is believed to be the target of the PGA Tour to become its new CEO. The NASCAR commissioner previously served as the president of the sport for over half a decade, assuming office in September 2018.

As per the Sports Business Journal, the PGA Tour, the premier Golf body, is keen on poaching the 62-year-old from the world of stock car racing. This is due to Steve Phelps’ contribution in the increase in NASCAR’s popularity since 2018.

The tour’s search committee is likely drawn by Phelps’ role in re-energizing NASCAR since he took over the stock car racing circuit in 2018, and he holds great respect across the sports business community.
The Sports Business Journal report said.

This news comes as a surprise for racing fans as Phelps has served as the NASCAR commissioner for less than a month. Although, currently it is unclear whether the 62-year-old is interested to ditch the sport and opt for the greener pastures at the PGA Tour. Despite this, he is considered as an ‘active and attractive target’ by the Golf body.

It must be noted that Steve Phelps is a passionate NASCAR fan and could likely decide to stick to the stock car racing series for the future. TaylorMade President & CEO David Abeles is also believed to be on PGA’s list for a new CEO. Abeles already has a strong connection with Golf legend Tiger Woods.

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Steve Phelps speaks out on death threats to Katherine Legge

NASCAR’s Katherine Legge has been subjected to immense social media abuse online following a wreck during the Xfinity Series race in Rockingham. The situation became so bad that Legge was even handed death threats by some users online, severely impacting her mental health. Steve Phelps addressed the alarming situation during the Talladega weekend.

Phelps made it clear that NASCAR would never accept such behavior towards anyone, let alone towards one of its drivers. The 62-year-old applauded Katherine Legge’s career. As it is much more difficult for a woman to make it through the motorsport ladder in what is a historically male-dominated sport. He asserted that such hate and opinions had no place in the racing series.

I want to be crystal clear about this, we condemn this behavior. It is unacceptable, this is not appropriate for NASCAR, sports, or the world. This is a woman who has competed very successfully in all forms of motorsports and we want her here at NASCAR. They can take their opinions and their hate right out of NASCAR because there’s just no place for it.
Steve Phelps told CNN.

Steve Phelps has stood firmly with Katherine Legge during this pathetic incident of online hate towards the British racer. The situation did not just stick to death threats. Rather, Legge was on the receiving end of sexist remarks from users on social media, highlighting the backward mindset which still persists in many. Phelps’ comments came at the right time, ensuring Legge that NASCAR was going to support her completely as she continues to race in the stock car series.

Tags: PGA tour Steve Phelps

#About the Author

Armaan Agarwal

(2580 Articles Published)

Armaan Agarwal is a Motorsport Sub-editor and Content Manager at Firstsportz. He has written over 2500 articles with around 1000 edited pieces under his belt. Armaan has years of experience in the field of journalism, having followed Formula 1 and NASCAR for almost a decade. Nico Rosberg's title victory at the 2016 Abu Dhabi GP against Lewis Hamilton remains engraved in his memory. He started his journey with his own motorsport blog in 2017. At Firstsportz, Armaan provides deep insight into the sport for fans through his special editorial pieces. Armaan has several other skills, including social media content creation, script writing, and debating. He completed his Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication with a gold medal from St. Xavier’s University Kolkata. Presently, he is pursuing his Post Graduation in Broadcast Journalism at the India Today Media Institute with a keen eye at the ever-evolving dynamics of a newsroom. Apart from motorsport, he is an avid reader and keeps himself up to date with current affairs.

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