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This is the archive for January 2007

Not this year, Flying Tomato

And today marked the end of the 2007 Winter X-Games, not that the majority of the writing crew here even realized that the Winter X-Games were taking place. They didn't see Shaun White fail to reach the Gold Medal for the first time at the Winter X-Games in years. They didn't notice the awesome new tricks taking place at the winter X-Games, the events that grow or develop.

But that's okay, the majority of the country doesn't care or pay attention, despite the claims that the sporting event is slowly becoming on par with the popularity of the Super Bowl. Honestly? That's ESPN hype machine at work. Don't get me wrong, I really love the Winter X-Games, but there is no way that the majority of the country is starting to anticipate the X-Games as much as they anticipate the Super Bowl.

But, there is no reason that they should strive towards that goal. The X-Games were not developed to be mainstream. They're not there to celebrate mainstream society and sports. The X-Games were created to celebrate action sports, the sports on the fringe of society, and if they were to go mainstream they would lose a lot of the things the hardcore fans love about the games. The attitudes and personalities of the athletes and fans are developed by the fact that they aren't your run of the mill event, athlete, or person.

Don't strive for mainstream. Strive towards new tricks, new events, and continued excellence. You don't need the mainstream approval. I know you ESPN; you're seeking ad dollars and I know that you are a self-built promotional machine for any sport you carry, working to gain it new fans. But that doesn't mean you have to hope to turn the X-Games into an over-hyped event that usually ends in disappointment, with people enjoying the commercials more than the game itself.

The X-Games rarely disappoint and are usually full of surprises and excitement for the fans, unlike some February events.