Action Sports -   Non-traditional sports typically associated with youth culture.  Most all action sports are unique in that the competitors compete individually, not in a team environment.  Examples include bicycle moto-cross (BMX), skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, in-line skating, frestyle motocross and wakeboarding.  Action sports are more lifestyle oriented than traditional sports such as baseball or football.  This lifestyle orientation is visible in the attitudes, clothing, hairstyles, body art/piercings and in the music particpants and fans listen to.  In a general sense the lifestyle represents a "rebellion" from the norm and "extreme" in nature.

 

Marketing in the action sports industry is different than marketing to traditional sports audiences.  The action sports lifestyle is very "in" or "out" or in other words "cool" or "not cool".  Industry marketers are faced with the task of putting out a product that will be considered "in" or "cool".  In many cases, successful product launches by established brands set the definition of "cool" and "in".  FOX and Billabong are examples of industry niche brands that have successfully gone mainstream into mass retail.  Timing is crucial to marketing in this industry. A product released too late can be considered yesterday's fad and result in an unsuccesful product launch and more importantly it can result in a bad image among the subculture. 

 

Action sports competitions can take place in a variety of venues, both indoor and outside.  Many of these events are filmed for television and television has been a key factor in the growth and popularity of action sports.  Examples are the X Games, Dew Action Tour and the Vans Triple Crown series.  Because of the national television coverage many "outside the industry" corporate sponsors have invested money in sponsoring these events.  Some of these companies include:  LG, Toyota, RightGaurd and Panasonic.

 

 

 Photo:  2007 UCI Supercross of BMX.  This dirt course was built outside the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

 

 

Website references:

 

http://expn.go.com/expn/index

 

http://www.astdewtour.com/

 

http://www.bmxmania.com/

 

http://www.vanswakeboard.com/index.jsp

 

http://www.lgactionsports.com/

 

http://www.foxracing.com/us/en/fox/

 

http://www.billabong.com/

 

 

Articles on Action Sports:

 

2007 Dew Tour

 

http://extremesports.suite101.com/article.cfm/2007_dew_action_sports_tour

 

Vision of the Mega Ramp

 

http://extremesports.suite101.com/article.cfm/bob_burnquist_s_mega_ramp

 

X Games History

 

http://extremesports.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_x_games

 

X Game Riders for 2007

 

http://extremesports.suite101.com/article.cfm/x_games_13_invited_riders

 

 

Action Sports Videos:

 

http://www.myhuck.com/?src=g2&gclid=CNf-kJaatI4CFQYjWAod4jd_wQ

 

Jake Brown's 2007 Mega Ramp X Games Fall

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh1HDyguWpU

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhiP16__kPk

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68IDXpW6TW0

 

Falls and Scars

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vf-fdhECK8

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyQYAIWwaiM

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YkRabXsVGs