Extreme Sports Vs. Traditional Sports

Tradition vs. Extreme

Everyone loves sports. People get so into football games as if they were actually playing as an athlete. It’s become a conversation piece for many. Many Americans are big baseball or football fans. If someone walks across the streets of Auburn on a game day, they might be greeted with a “war eagle!” If someone walks across the streets of Tuscaloosa they might hear a “roll tide!” It is a tradition in these areas to celebrate their teams. All everyone hears about are how the Braves beat the Yankees, but what about the “extreme sports?” No one ever talks about how Tony Hawk, a well known skateboarder, did the 900 during the Vans Triple Crown Competition. There are traditional and extreme sports, and they are very alike and different.

A very different group of sports has evolved over the years. Although the definition of extreme sports has varied over the years, the term has been defined recently as a sport involving such attributes as danger, stunt performances, speed, and even adrenaline rushes (). Skateboarding is definitely an extreme sport. Every year, ESPN hosts the X-Games, which is a massive competition shown on national television. As the majority of the viewers are younger, they watch as Bob Burnquist flies into the air on a skateboard in hopes of one day being such an athlete as him.

Skateboarding is just one of the many extreme sports that are out there. As the seasons change there seems to be different sporting events that take place. During winter the most popular action sport is snowboarding (). Other winter sports include snow skating, skiing, ice skating, and wing sailing. Summer sports tend to be more water oriented. Some summer action sports include surfing, wakeboarding, body surfing, and water skiing.

There is also another group of sports. These sports are considered the traditional sports, sports which have been around much longer and have gained more respect from an older generation than extreme sports. The traditional sports are much safer than extreme sports. These sports include such activities as football, baseball, hockey, and basketball.

One of the main differences between traditional and extreme sports is that traditional sports involve being a part of a team. A skateboarder does not have to worry about another man messing up the play or who he is going to throw the ball to. It is all about the individual when it comes to extreme sports. It does not take a group effort to jump a dirt bike off of a ramp the size of a three story building.

Another difference is the danger level. Getting hit by a man with padding on does not seem to compare with jumping the Great Wall of China, like Danny Way did with a skateboard.