Some might even throw things because they're tired of seeing Johnson win. Such is the widespread disdain for arguably NASCAR’s greatest champion. Fans watching from home may have already turned off the race by then, refusing to watch the surprisingly unpopular Johnson bask in the glory of yet another championship.
That is a shame, because Jimmie Johnson will add another chapter to what is one of the most phenomenal careers in all of sports.
With a sixth Cup championship, Johnson not only will enhance his standing as perhaps the greatest NASCAR driver of all-time, he will become one of the greatest athletes ever, and quite possibly the most dominant star in professional sports today.
Johnson will surpass baseball’s Derek Jeter and the NBA’s Kobe Bryant as the most accomplished current athlete in team sports. Jeter and Bryant each have won five team championships, a mark Johnson matched with his fifth straight Cup title in 2010.
Johnson rivals golf’s Tiger Woods and tennis star Roger Federer as the most accomplished individual athletes in pro sports. And while Woods and Federer count majors (14 for Woods) and grand slams (17 for Federer) among their many accomplishments, Johnson has won all of NASCAR’s biggest races, including the Daytona 500 (twice), Brickyard 400 (four times), Coca-Cola 600 (four), Southern 500 (twice) and Sprint All-Star Race (four). His 66 career victories already rank eighth all-time.
A sixth championship would rank as the most in team sports in the past 15 years, matching Michael Jordan’s NBA reign from 1991-98.
With six titles in eight years, Johnson would join LeBron James as the most dominant athlete in pro sports today. Like it or not, he is the face of NASCAR the way LeBron is the face of the NBA and Tiger is the face of golf.
NASCAR fans should be proud that their favorite sport is represented by such an accomplished sports figure, one who carries himself with grace and class.
Instead, many are disgusted and disgruntled that Johnson will win again. They would rather have a new champion, a fresh face, anyone really, than the driver they love to hate and who they fear will rewrite the record books, surpassing such legends as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.
The widespread disdain and pure hatred for Johnson is hard to fathom in a sport that demands the highest of standards from its stars and places its heroes on a lofty pedestal.
Instead of getting the respect that he deserves, the humble, soft-spoken Johnson is hated for a variety of inexplicable reasons.
He’s a California native who didn’t grow up with traditional stock-car roots (though he comes from a blue-collar, short-track background).
He’s perceived as boring and vanilla (which NASCAR stars aren’t these days?).
His crew chief and Hendrick Motorsports team have been penalized for cheating over the years (name a successful driver and team that hasn’t).
But the common theme among Johnson detractors seems to be this: He wins too much. That’s it: Simple and simple-minded.
Many sports fans don’t like dynasties, of course. They prefer parity, drama and upsets that spark the imagination.
Yet most don’t openly despise the greatest athletes in sports simply for being too good and winning too much.
Michael, Kobe, Tiger, Federer and LeBron — athletes so famous their last names aren’t needed — are each celebrated for their incredible talent and accomplishments and for being able to dominate their respective sports like no other.
Not Jimmie. He is vilified for ruining NASCAR.
Maybe it’s time for fans to give Johnson his due and recognize that what they are witnessing is a form of greatness rarely seen in NASCAR or in any sport.
