Male Room: Women Push For Exposure, Prize Money At X Games

Skateboard Street One Of Two Events For Women At X Games 12

Only two of the 16 events in X Games 12, which begin today in L.A., are for women –- skateboard vert and skateboard street –- compared with six women’s events out of 29 during the inaugural X Games in ’95, according to Peter Yoon of the L.A. TIMES. It is a “disturbing enough trend that the Women’s Sports Foundation [WSF] ... has become involved.” Also, several female skateboarders have formed the Action Sports Alliance (ASA) “in an effort to gain more exposure for women’s action sports.” ESPN/ABC Exec VP/Content John Skipper is discussing with ASA “larger prize purses and more television exposure.” Skipper: “By no means do we have a gender-driven agenda here. I think we just hit a little bit of a blip, but it is our intention to have more events with women in the coming years.” The ASA, led by President Cara Beth Burnside, called off a boycott of last year’s vert event after ESPN execs agreed to meet with the group. Burnside: “There will be some changes for this year and some major changes for next year.” She added that exposure is “more important than the money.” Yoon writes details of TV coverage could be worked out today. WSF Exec Dir Donna Lopiano said, “I don’t think there has been any methodical act of discrimination against women by ESPN. The X Games just developed in an uncontrollable way. They assumed these third-party selection committees were knowledgeable about women’s sports, but they weren’t.” Meanwhile, Yoon notes the Dew Action Sports Tour “does not have any events for women and the LG Action Sports World Tour has women’s in-line skating only at its European stops.” World Sports & Marketing VP Terry Dorner, whose company organizes wakeboard events, said, “Action sports are a niche. And women’s sports are a niche. When you niche a niche, it becomes an even tougher sell” (L.A. TIMES, 8/3).

ANOTHER LABOR ISSUE: California-based Pro Riders Organization (PRO) has formed a “union-like association of jumpers working to establish a firm list of safety procedures and ramp dimensions that will help ensure safe tricks.” PRO President & Founder Chris Gentry said that the group “has rounded up dozens of freestyle jumpers while receiving a $3[M] private investment from a motorcycle enthusiast to start building a training compound.” Gentry: “Issues such as health insurance, training grounds, and proper ramp and course design are issues of solidarity that bring our riders together. With solidarity, we can nourish the development concerns” (L.A. TIMES, 8/2).