X Games, the world's most prestigious action sports competition, is never going to be the same again. Yesterday, X Games controllers ESPN announced that the popular Moto X and Snowmobile Best Trick event has been canned - for good.
According to an ESPN spokesman, the decision to discontinue the Best Trick events follows, but is not directly tied to, the death of Snowmobile Best Trick competitor Caleb Moore in January - the first death directly related to the X Games in its 18 year history.
ESPN also released the following statement:
"This change reflects our decision to focus on motor sports disciplines which feature athletes who also compete in multiple, world-class competitions [e.g., professional events and tours] reflecting the highest degree of athlete participation, competitive development and the global nature of our X Games franchise. Over the past 18 years we have made more than 60 changes to our competition lineups at X Games events to capture the evolution of the sport and these continue that growth."
Which doesn't really say much but we imagine that bad press, high insurance and wanting to reduce the level of risk in X Games competitions probably played a part too. However, we will note that the X Games will continue to host FMX events, which include Moto X Step Up, Speed & Style and Freestyle Run
Freestyle Motocross (and Snowmobile) is an inherently risky sport. But it's the danger and skill required to pull off the most dangerous moves that makes it the biggest attraction for the audiences and the biggest accolade for the athletes.
Without Moto X Best Trick we would not have seen Travis Pastrana's legendary double backflip, Carey Hart's first proper execution of the Hart Attack and arguably helped improve the careers of riders like Brian Deegan, Jackson Strong, Jeremy Stenberg and Nate Adams.
Of course, Best Trick has also been responsible for some of these athletes' biggest accidents too:
What do you guys think about the news that Best Trick has been cancelled?
Best trick as a concept was awesome. When FMX started the tricks didn't have such a highly technical aspect to them, and if they went wrong the consequences wouldn't have been as severe.
ReplyDeleteI think it'll really hurt the (already fading) sport of FMX, and it's a shame they couldn't have found some type of work around. Using a Nitro Circus style softer ramp on top of the dirt, possibly a mulch landing or something similar could have been an alternative.
It's a shame, but it's got to the stage where it's simply too dangerous in the current state.
Already fading your joking right, what world do you live in fmx is still going stronger than ever.Its just pussey management like espn that are scared of looking bad because someone gets hurt, news flash you sooks it is called the extreme games. If these guys want to take the risk to progress the sport they love then they should be given the opportunity , they know and have accepted the risks and consequences involved as do all of us who ride.
ReplyDeleteI just did my X Games Moto X preview and I feel something is missing, but I still expect the athletes to make up for it in other disciplines. Hopefully. We'll see. The athletes know that endorsements are their real bread and butter, not just medals, and building their name comes from the signature tricks. My blog post previewing Foz is here: Summer X Games Foz Preview: Moto X http://bit.ly/17uqFsp
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