June 24th, 1995

On June 24th 1995 Skateboarding stepped into the mainstream for good.

ESPN launched the Extreme Games from Newport, Rhode Island USA. This event would create a tidal wave of 'X-treme' attitude and awareness in society and skateboarding has suffered and celebrated because of it.

In 1996, the event was renamed the X-Games and that title has stuck till the present day. In a bid to reach the core supporters and misled youth, ESPN and ABC threw skateboarders, sky-divers, rollerbladers, BMXers and anyone else with an independent thought process into the same circus pen and demanded entertainment. Despite dire conditions and poor pay, some wrinkles were ridden out and a televised audience of millions got to witness such historic events as Tony Hawk landing the first ever 900 on a skateboard.

Whilst the majority of skateboarders declared their discontent at such foul play, the Extreme Games have budgeoned multiple spin off events and the money that competitors can win has kept more than one professional off the streets.

Strangely enough, skateboarding hated the fact that it was pigeon-holed along with it's sworn enemy the rollerbladers who in turn thrived off such an event. As tables turned and fruitbooters could no longer elaborate of grabbing their feet, skateboarding hoarded the biggest success and inline skating was dropped from the schedule. Does that make bladers more X-treme, or more legit..?