Fuck the X-games ... the down fall of action sports.. its all down hill from here.

wow. kids watching tony hawk in the half pipe back in his prime got so many kids to start to skate. how can they take out such a huge part of skating
 
what. the. fuck.

if i recall correctly vert skating was like the biggest part of the summer x games?
 
Thats fucked, I'm not a skater or anything (I mtb) but I always enjoyed watching a little bit of vert action during the games.... Truly is the death of vert skating....
 
I like how the make the excuse that kids don't have a vert ramp to skate like the pro's do. but who the fuck has a mega ramp to skate?
 
whaaaat that is like taking ski/board pipe out of winter x its my favorite event to watch, maybe because im a skateboard n00b. Maybe PLG should pull a jon and try some dubflips in the vert ramp to spice it up that would be sick.
 
"I think they should keep vert but spice it up a bit. Maybe let everyone go at once or even put in some obstacles in the middle of the ramp. Or better yet, maybe set the skaters up with balls that they have to throw into baskets when they are at the climax of their jump, and then they can be rewarded points based off the amount of balls they make into the basket. Who knows, but if you are listening to me right now ESPN, I would definitely take these ideas into consideration."

That is one of the worst ideas they possibly could have responded with
 
Even if vert skating is to die like this, its only a loss for the general public. I'm sure they;ll be some epic vert segments and such in the years to come.
 
Alright, as a long-time skateboarder, I'll just say it. Vert IS dead. Take a poll of skateboarders you meet and see how many would classify themselves as vert skaters. If you're lucky you'll find one person out of a hundred.

BUT

Fuck the Xgames for taking it out. Vert is the root of skateboarding, period. Some crazy shit goes down in the half-pipe every year and it's a blast to watch it. Just because no kids consider themselves vert skaters anymore doesn't mean ESPN has a right to discredit the incredible contributions to the sport all the half-pipe riders have made through the years.

I've been skating for about 8 years now and I'd be scared shitless to even try and axle stall those 14 foot monsters. The shit they pull is gnarly.
 
espn is like that, anything that might not boost their ratings they just kick to the curb, they are all about the money and not the sports.
 
not a joke and it is being replaced with a super park event. some of the participants of both bmx and skating want a bigger course so they're trying this. its not final at all, so chill out and lets see how it goes.
 
i think they have honestly killed every event that i ever liked. Goodbye sky boarding, extreme shovel racing, inline vert, inline park, LUGING (the best event ever), skate vert, climbing, etc. 

But don't worry guys they will replace it with like 8 more moto x competitions! BECAUSE EVERYONE LOVES FMX RIGHT? RIGHT??!?!
 
"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."

But $100k rally cars are available to every kid that wants to race...
 
Great point. I mean kids have mini ramps and smaller half pipes, which are much more common than a megaramp.
 
tbh, i would always turn over the tv when vert came on, it gets pretty boring, there is so little for them to be creative with that when it comes to the point where it has there is very little progress in the sport from year to year, i can imagin that espn's viewer ratings reflect this and as they are money grabbing bastards that i'm confident don't give a flying fuck about any sport unless it will make them money, this came as no surprise.
 
progression of the sport has left vert behind? maybe. but just dropping such an integral part of the sport seems a little off.
 
It's all ratings and all money. Skate vert, just doesn't do it for people anymore. Guys are throwing the same tricks they threw 5-6 years ago (with some slight tech variations). There really is only so much you can do on a vert ramp with a skateboard. The human body can only be pushed so far. If you make the ramp bigger and bigger then you have guys just getting killed.

Just look where skating has gone these last few years. We see all street/urban and huge park features in films now. Watching someone throw a 900 in the pipe is old news. Why should espn build a vert ramp if people say "ah i don't haver to watch vert this year, its going to be the same old thing".

And in response to the the reference to taking ski/board superpipe out of the x-games... it's not an analogous comparison. Ski and snowboard have not fully matured in their respective categories yet. Especially ski. Switch pipe tricks are becoming bigger and bigger. And you're pretty much shit out of luck if you don't include 1 or 2 in your run. 2 years ago, guys wouldn't dare throw a switch take off. And then only would throw a switch landing on the last hit. Not to mention guys keep boasting 20+ feet out with harder tricks each time. Superpipe is definitely an exciting event. Skate vert... not so exciting anymore.

 
shaun white is gonna be pissssssssssssssssed.

thats so gay though, seriously thats like taking out snowboard pipe for winter.

pretty soon its just going to be shit with motors, cars and dirtbikes and such.
 
" I think they should keep vert but spice it up a bit. Maybe let everyone go at once or even put in some obstacles in the middle of the ramp. Or better yet, maybe set the skaters up with balls that they have to throw into baskets when they are at the climax of their jump, and then they can be rewarded points based off the amount of balls they make into the basket. Who knows, but if you are listening to me right now ESPN, I would definitely take these ideas into consideration. "

---there is no fucking way that is a serious post. or else whoever said that is a HUGE tool ahah. but, however i can see vert skateboarding being bumped out of the xgames due to low ratings. which is very unfortunate, not to worry though. lately alot of well known street skateboarders have been making more video appearances learning how to skate bowls, still a style of skating that goes down on vertramps. so it may make a comeback soon. its pretty sick watchin people like jake ducombe bust out long ass backsmith in a concrete bowls. i would deffinately say that xgames vert skating has influenced many people into the passion of skateboarding. but i doubt many actually took on that type of skateboarding. i would also agree with whoever else said there isnt a whole lot of progression in vert-- unless your watching danny way. so yeah, it does feel like "the 900 was soo 2001". all in all, badddd move on espn's part!
 
unfortantely i must add, that i too would much rather watch street skateboarding anyday over vert and stuff..
 
While I disagree with the decision, their reasoning makes sense. Its kinda boring seeing the same 5 or 6 guys every year, although Shaun White is a relatively new comer.
 
The part where he talks about how there arent any vert ramps around, i thought was funny because i always say the same thing about nordic jumping,, seroiusly do you have to be swedish to be a nordic jumper..

 
they x-gayymes have always sucked and dont represent any sport that goes on it good at all. obviously its not the death of vert skating, you think guys that skate vert are going to stop skating vert because the xgayymes doesnt want it? there still gunna skate vert for the love of it, and there is plenty of other vert comps. like on the Dew Tour (another shitty representation of skateboarding)
 
Basically ESPN wants to turn the summer x games into the summer motor races event. fuck them, no one gives a titty fuck about mx bikes, and snowmachines for that matter.
 
Shovel racing and street luge were the best!!!!! Fuck the summer x games!!! Moto X is so dumb i think and gets so reptitive
 
i gottathink us a pretty lucky generation. we got to grow up with a lot of individualism especially in the extreme sports we got to watch. ya it was on corp ESPN but that stuff was original. we are lucky to have found ourselves before myspace hit and moto x!
 
I don't know its all about progression and its just not there in the vert ramp any more. It seams like the decision is based on keeping the X games up to date and not financial reasons.

So ya as for rally racing after the first lap the progression is done and look at moto X or snowmobile big air. There is nothing there. They have done everything. So pretty hypocritical.
 
Maybe if athletes like Shaun White and Tanner start boycotting X Games events they will start listening more to athletes and focusing less on what their dumbass suit/tie corporate fools have to say.
 
You're not thinking about this rationally. All corporate decisions are based on one thing: the best interest of the company. They could care less about action sports. Do you think they hold the X-games because they like skateboading, BMX, skiing, etc? No, they hold them because they can make money off it.

Think about it. Do you not agree that there are athletes (just for the sake of example) in skiing, that could perform extremely well at the X-games? Just look at some amateur films on this site. There are unknown guys out there throwing down hard, on a wimpy free-pair of skis and a t-shirt sponsorship and pros that don't do many comps too. Local guys throwing Kangaroos, switch 12's, switch double backs, switch double fronts, rodeos onto rails. Trust me, they can easily find decent replacements for any of these guys. Think about it, aren't the X-Games just about a feel-good markable story anyways? I can see it now:

"16 year old newcomer ___________ ___________ takes silver at Winter-X. Mother has cancer. Alcoholic father left family when _____________ ___________ was 5 years old. __________ _________ worked at local mountain, just to get time on the snow to ski."

The X-games made tanner hall. Not to take anything away from him, cause he's sick. But trust me, tanner's career wouldn't be nearly the same today without they X-games. The X-Games made him the figurehead of our sport. Just like they made Shaun White with snowboarding, and Tony Hawk with skateboarding. I'm not saying that these guys didn't earn to be there, but it's all about the publicity. ESPN made these guys into what they are... and they can easily take them away.
 
Well, I wasn't too far off....

ClickabilityRefresh=10m

- SAFE:SafeMode -

By Don Norcross

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

2:12 p.m. April 9, 2008

BODYTEXT

Six days after announcing that skateboarding and BMX vert would no

longer be part of the X Games, ESPN announced Wednesday that it has

changed its mind. The popular disciplines will be part of X Games 14

this summer in Los Angeles.

After ESPN announced its decision last week, skateboarders

threatened to boycott the Big Air discipline. Big Air features riders

swooping down a 60-foot ramp at speeds approaching 40 mph, clearing a

55-foot gap, then skating up another 27-foot ramp.

-------- BEGIN BIGBOXAD --------

t.gif


Advertisement

BEGIN AD TAGS

END AD TAGS

-------- END BIGBOXAD --------Asked if he thought the skaters'

threatened boycott impacted ESPN's decision, longtime pro vert

skateboarder Andy Macdonald of Pacific Beach said, “I think it was the factor that got 'em to take a look at it.”

The X Games' Web site expn.com asked people to vote if they thought it was a good or bad idea to drop vert.

As of Wednesday afternoon there were 5,235 votes, 80 percent stating it was a bad idea.

“The X Games has always had a commitment to the athletes and our

consistent communication with them has allowed us to collectively grow

this event to where it is today,” Chris Stiepock, X Games general

manager said in a prepared statement.

“In this particular case the communication took many turns but

a consensus by the athletes has emerged that has led us to reinstate

vert as an X Games discipline this year. We will continue to work with

the athletes to make the X Games relevant and successful.”

Stiepock said skateboard and BMX vert originally were dropped

because more people skate at skateparks than vert ramps. ESPN will

continue with its plans to add a new skateboarding and BMX discipline

called SuperPark.

The X Games are scheduled for July 31 to Aug. 3.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20080409-1412-bn09xgames.html

 
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