Extreme sports have become quite popular amongst the youth of today. Any sport with a higher level of danger attached with it can be put in the extreme sports segment. These sports mostly involve a great degree of speed, dramatic stunts, specialized gear as well as a considerable degree of physical exertion. Though these activities are not limited to the youth, it is often noted that the people engaged in these activities do belong to younger demographics. ESPN also provides all the news and happenings around these events through their programs.
Most of the variables in extreme sports action are beyond control. This can be one of the reasons why the majority of the extreme sports athletes begin training without a coach or considerable guidance and are mostly solitary in nature. Challenges not simply extend amongst competitors but in addition to nature and environmental variables such as wind, snow, terrains and water. Some of the uncontrollable phenomenas attached with extreme sports can be seen during events such as surfing, rock and ice climbing and snowboarding. The quality of ice and rocks, the heights of the waves in the course of snowboarding or even the snow conditions during snowboarding events are beyond physical control.
One of the largest extreme sports sporting events is called the X Games. This commercial sporting event is organized and aired live by ESPN.. There are two such sporting events organized during the year, one during wintertime and the other in summer. The Winter X Games are held in the month of January and February and the Summer X Games take place mostly in the month of August. These two events are conducted in the United States.
The participants compete for the gold, silver and bronze medals in the games and also the cash prize that’s connected with it. However, judging an extreme sport event is rather distinctive from the conventional games. While distance, score and time form a major part of the judging criteria for traditional sports, extreme sports participants are judged mostly on the aesthetics that they can bring making judgment far more subjective. Due to this each sport employs its respective dynamic ideals that evolve assessment with new techniques and trends set by the participants.
There has been some controversy all around the tag of extreme sports. As a number of people contend that extreme sports is not more than a marketing strategy giving viewers the perception on the high level of danger related to it. These folks point out that a sport like rugby or Demolition derby is not considered an extreme sport although there exists a level of danger and adrenalin rush that is associated with it. It is viewed more like the youth trying to reject authority and order and establishing a place of their very own making the participating demographics of a much younger age bracket. Although at first adult sports such as sky diving, bungee jumping, mountain climbing scuba diving etc were associated with extreme sports, now this term is more relevant to youth driven sports including skateboarding, aggressive skating, BMX etc.