ESPN'S X-CELLENT ADVENTURES: "MOST SUCCESSFUL" GAMES YET

          This summer's X Games have been the "most successful of
     the four summer editions of the made-for-TV alternative
     sports festival," according to USA TODAY's Sal Ruibal.  More
     than 250,000 fans attended the event (USA TODAY, 6/29). 
     Total attendance this year was 242,850, up more than 20,000
     from last year, but in Dallas, Richard Alm writes that
     attendance is "not decisive for the business side" since
     admission is free.  Alm: "ESPN makes its money from
     sponsors.  For the most part, the X Games are a mainstream
     marketing vehicle" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/30).  In San
     Diego, Paula Bott reported that the media "jumped on the
     extreme-sports craze" for this year's games, as CNN,
     Nickelodeon, the Boston Globe and USA Today were among new
     members of the event's media credential list.  Also at this
     year's games, 25 international magazines and BBC Radio were
     represented among the more than 700 journalists and
     broadcasters" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/29).   
          EXTREME DEMANDS? San Antonio officials said they were
     interested in bidding to host the '99 and 2000 X Games, but
     that the demands from X Games officials to host the games
     "were just a bit too extreme."  Bob Gennarelli, Assistant
     Exec Dir of the San Antonio Bowl Association: "The
     commitments they wanted were really more than we could do
     right now" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 6/26).