Transworld Biz explains what REALLY happened with XGames reversal...

[skategeezer]

at this point, most of you probably don't really care either way, but I figured, hey, someone might care...


Behind the Scenes: Vert Rapid Fire Timeline


Friday, April 11th, 2008 | 40 views |



By Sean Mortimer
Less than a week after the X Games officially canceled this year’s vert event, it’s back. The dust-up made it very clear that even though only a small percentage of riders shred halfpipes, skaters respect the hell out of them and have their backs.
Here’s the rapid fire timeline of the past week:
• April 2nd: Transworld Business posts a story titled: “Hell Hath No Fury Like A Vert Skater Scorned—But Does ESPN Care?” The piece recounts vert skaters’ shock and anger at the X Games canceling vert during a recent rider’s meeting.

• April 3rd: On the same day they officially announce the vert comp cancellation, there’s an article on EXPN.com titled “The Death of Vert.” An image of the Grim Reaper looking down on a vert ramp accompanies it. Here’s the complete third paragraph:
“It’s time. It’s been time. ESPN’s always a little slow on the uptake. It’s no secret that the vert field has stayed the same for the last decade. It’s no secret that there aren’t any vert ramps for kids to ride outside Southern California. If you want a vert career, you have to move there,” says X Games General Manager Chris Stiepock.
The vert skaters took it personally when Stiepock spoke as a skateboard expert, rather than an X Games expert. The article possesses glaring mistakes (completely misses the early-’80s depression when recounting popularity shifts, has Gonz ollieing his namesake gap in the 1990s, etc.) and highlights Gator and Hosoi’s misdeeds. Pro skaters who aren’t even entered in the vert event pitch in support and the rumblings are felt through the skate world. The comments section at the end of the article is stuffed with angry salvos aimed at ESPN. On the EXPN.com poll, 80% vote that canceling vert is “bad.”
• April 3rd: From the start of the cancellation discussion, Tony Hawk made it clear that if vert was cancelled, he would pull out from commentating. Bob Burnquist and Danny Way among others start flexing, and the unofficial boycott begins. What are they boycotting since there’s no vert and Danny doesn’t even skate that event? Mega Ramp.
• April 4th: Bob works on a press release to counter the EXPN.com article and gathers a list of skaters prepared to boycott. Transworld Business emails Stiepock for answers and explanations for an upcoming article. Phone calls and emails between Burnquist and the ESPN heads shoot back and forth for the next few days. The boycott threatens to bleed over into the street contest.
• April 8th: EXPN.com backpedals with a confusing disclaimer on the “Vert Is Dead” article:
If you looked past the morbid illustration and read past the headline and first two sentences of ‘The Death of Vert,’ you would have found evidence that vert is still alive and well for some people in some parts of the world…The title and crux of the story [The Death of Vert] is merely a reflection upon the X Games’ decision to remove the discipline from its lineup.
• April 9th: The X Games reinstates vert skating.

[mc99david]

thats funny, i thought that it wouldnt work if they didnt have all the big dogs allready on board with the change... they are basically pissing off all the biggest money makers in the sport.. now if they got them behind the change first ill bet they could transition just fine

[Homer80]

Leave it to ESPN to try and take the Exteme out of skateing. Street skateing is easy money 80-90% of your market is geared in that direction.

[Xgecko]

funny the suits didn't talk to the money makers...they bought into the "street is all there is" myth...kinda sad actually, they looked at the videos and thought they could make a contest out of the average skate video not understanding that,
1) most of those pros don't compete
and
2) it's really hard to judge a contest based around clips of video filmed over a year

[skategeezer]

now, we push for the return of downhill and the addition of slalom

and what about freestyle?

[.secrets]

didn't take them long to bring it back! it just shows how much tony hawk and bob burnquist actually matter to the skate community

[Xgecko]

Bob and Tony carry a lot of marketing weight. Tony....well he's Tony Hawk there isn't any other person involved in SKATEBOARDING that even the suits know by at least name if not face. And Bob? Bob has the only permanent Mega Ramp for people to practice on. If he decides to be a DICK and say no one going to the Xgames can Skate my ramp??? there goes progression...hell people probably won't even be able to do what was done last year. As for other disciplines? I would love to see Downhill as real event (as opposed to a staged on a half assed course) which to me means a mile or more of fast semi technical road. Plenty of that in the LA area (which seems to be the home of the Xgames for the foreseeable future). Slalom I think hasn't peaked enough (though arguably it's more organized and easier to manage/stage) nor does it have enough perceived new blood like downhill does...

[bemmis]

there are too halfpipes out of california. there is one big one at the local indoor skatepark in madison, wi. and theres another on about a 45 minutes away in milwaukee.

[mc99david]

as far as halfpipes go, you have one in hoodriver OR, and lets not forget RDS in vancouver, tons of pros practice there.. actualy thats where a lot of the dc team skates

[claude regnier]

For the record, RDS has been closed since late 2006 or early 2007. Can't quite remember. New land owner raised the rent and Local Pro's that pretty much own the sk8 biz in Canada pulled the plug as the losses we're around $10,000.00 per month.

The biggest sk8 biz guy in Canada was trying to put a group together to purchase the building and property as this would have made it more then affordable. Not takers last I heard.

Vert is still a huge part of the sk8 biz in many ways. For the companies it means quite a bit of revenue along with many other benefits. Many of the top guys are involved as partners and such therefore their own interests are at stake.

I can't sk8 and make money none of my boys can either. The fear was likely also put out to establish another exclusive, contact, sponsor to replace the event with another broacaster. Imagine ESPN faced with the thought of losing the sk8'g but even worse someone else picking it up and moving ahead with new park format. That probably wasn't something they wanted either.

[BergaLiden]

They should have miniramp in the X-Games, imagine the #### being done.

[Xgecko]

They should have miniramp in the X-Games, imagine the #### being done.

won't happen....it's like flat land BMX, all the riders respect the super tech of flatland but ESPN couldn't figure out how to sell it so that canceled it (much to BMX's loss and sorrow). Mini ramp would be very popular with the skaters but it's not big air it's super tech and ESPN can't sell tech.

[MJKam11]

ESPN sucks at everything, their "experts" have no idea wtf they are talking about, no clue in the world about anything they say. When it comes to baseball, their opinons are so far off, that it really causes me to hate them.

[Xgecko]

ESPN sucks at everything, their "experts" have no idea wtf they are talking about, no clue in the world about anything they say. When it comes to baseball, their opinons are so far off, that it really causes me to hate them.

Yankee fan??? or Mets fan???

[longboardorific]

espn sucks. they gave tanner hall a gold

[JerseyJay]

I went to the X-games the first year it was in Philly, mostly because it was free and it as a lazy summer day in high school and we could take the train. Words can't explain how mindless and silly it was. Only about 30% of the seats provided for the skateboard street park content could actually see the course, and were pushed back by security when we tried to sneak into a better area to see (I think) Chris Sen skate. Water was like 4 dollars a bottle, and it was like 95 degrees outside, so we were reduced to drinking samples of Xtreme MilkChug for hydration.

One of my friends wanted to stay for another 4 hours to see MotoX Stupidly Big Xtreme Nobody Actually Does This Best Crash contest, but we figured it was about time to go home and skate the quarterpipe.