History of Extreme Sports
Extreme Sports, or at least the use of that name to describe them, are relatively new. The real History of Extreme Sports goes way back.
History of Extreme Sports
Some people will claim that the history of Extreme Sports began in 1995 when ESPN used to term to announce a new competition that was to be called The Extreme Games. These games, later called The X Games, would make the term, Extreme Sports, a part of popular culture. Does the History of Extreme Sports begin in 1995?
The desire to test yourself in a challenging physical activity dates back a long time. It is likely that cavemen engaged in some sort of activity that we might today call Extreme Sport. We know that in some cultures men were diving off of very high rocks into rather small bodies of water long ago. You could also point out the surfers of the Hawaiian Islands, who began to challenge the powerful waves of their islands on wooden boards solely for the pure joy of sport.
Well before ESPN and the X games, certain sports were being called “Outlaw Sports.” They included such things as snowboarding and skateboarding. They were actually outlawed in certain places due to the fact that they were considered too dangerous. There were also earlier references to Alternative Sports. This was due to the fact that many of the sports that make up today’s Extreme Sports lineup had their beginning in a subculture setting. These sports subcultures were generally youth orientated and were marked by alternative clothing styles, such as the baggy pants look of the early male skateboarders.
In many of these sports, individual heroes emerged. In fact, many of the sports got their start by having some very talented leaders who demonstrated skills and stunts that their followers tried to emulate. The introduction of the X games and ESPN’s use of the term did not begin Extreme Sports. If anything, it simply brought it to the attention of the public and made it a bit more commercial and controlled.
This trend toward the mainstream continues today. Snowboarding, once an Outlaw sport is now an Olympic event. Many other Extreme Sports are accepting the authority of regulating authorities. BMX racing is becoming a part of cycling and in-line skating has become part of roller skating. In the 1960’s, a youth sport subculture grew up around the surfing scene and gradually surfing was pulled more into the mainstream. If we take a good look at the history of today’s Extreme Sports, we might conclude that the Extreme Sports of the future will soon emerge among our youth as they seek still another form of self expression and challenge.