First X Games death - what, if anything, should change?

Are we just calling for a cancellation of the winter x games or the summer too?

 

I'm not saying cancel them but I don't think it's unreasonable to make a rule requiring someone know how to ride a snowmobile before they enter the competition. You let shit like that go and it looks like you're selling "anything can happen ... anything" rather than "watch these amazingly talented, skilled people compete."

 

It only looks that way because that's exactly what ESPN is doing.

 

He was a four-time X-Games medalist.

 

Where were the calls to ban the Olympics in 2010?

www.nytimes.com/2010/02/13/sports/olympics/13luge.html?pagewanted=all

 

ESPN had some executive on SportsCenter to talk about the death and it just struck me as being incredibly disingenuous.

I don't think ESPN had any obligation to cover this as anything other than a news story and that guy being on there, like he's in full damage control mode, just struck me as being very strange...

 

ESPN is a programing network based on partnerships with events they broadcast. To expect them to be anything other than a stakeholder in the events is to misunderstand the nature of their business. At their most basic level, ESPN is in the infomercial business and the entertainment business. They are the QVC/HomeShoppingNetwork of sporting entertainment.

 

ESPN owns the X Games... this is problematic in a number of ways that partnerships with other events are not. Competitive balance issues, who gets invited, what events are included, safety issues, judging and on and on -- these are problems unique to an event that is owned, operated, promoted and for the enrichment of the owner create conflicts of interests unique in the sports world, to my knowledge.

 

As I said, shit happens. If they willingly enter the contests, they're assuming the risk.

 

I guess I'm not sure how that set of parameters differs materially from any other sanctioning body.

 

Yet we have people who think football should be banned.

 

"Shaaaaanna, they bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash."