Reality Television Today

X Games

In today’s society “reality television” and competitions that involve high risk behavior are extremely popular. In particular, the X Games are a great example of an extreme competition that attracts viewers from every age, race, and sex. Its popularity can be directly contributed to the fact that it involves high risk behavior, and competition. Two things that no warm blooded individual can resist. As sports around the globe become increasingly intense, there is always that drive for something more extreme. Something that contains more risk, more chance of injury, and something that makes you say, “Wow I didn’t even know that was possible!” The X Games has all this and more. The X Games stands for Extreme Games and that is exactly what they are. They are held all around the globe, but originated here in America. They contain such activities as biking, skating, in-line skating, street luge, freestyle motocross, and snowboarding. It is not just the normal forms of these recreational activities that attract viewers, it is the extreme forms. They take these activities to new levels in skate parks, on street courses, and on gigantic ramps and jumps. It is a competition involving style, air, and innovation. There is no doubt why it is appealing, but what caused it to get so popular?

The Winter X Games are seen in, “…10 languages to more than 145 countries and territories, reaching more than 110 million homes around the world” (Boyd 17). The popularity of the X Games is undisputable, and it will continue to grow over time as long as there is a fan base to support it. The amount of people that watch the X Games has significantly increased in the last couple of years, as society has embraced a new style in spo...

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... of America could be spending their time, then at a skate park perfecting their skills. The causes for the X Games popularity are numerous. A change in culture, an alternative style youth, an athlete that can be related to more easily, and a need for something bigger and better are all things that fueled the popularity of the X Games.

Works Cited

- Boyd, Tom. SPECIAL TO THE NEWS, AIR AND NOW YEARS AFTER ITS FIRST AERIAL SHOW, X

STILL MARKS THE SPOT IN ASPEN. , Denver Rocky Mountain News, 01-29-2003, pp 17C.

- Gutierrez, Israel. EXTREME EXPOSURE. , The Palm Beach Post, 06-25-1999, pp 1C.

Ruibal, Sal. Still cool, X Games getting hot Athletes, sponsors buying in to

concept. ,

- USA Today, 06-18-1998, pp 03C. Tuttle, Dennis. X Marks The Sports / ESPN's Games

are a made-for-TV alternative. Newsday, 01-12-1998, pp B03.