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).
