SAN DIEGO -- I am going to be honest. I was skeptical from the very start.
I had seen it on television for the past three years and had drawn my own conclusions. It was only upon arriving in San Diego, Calif. on June 17 that I began to realize and appreciate just what the X Games were all about.
Born and bred on four major food groups, I need not go further than to say that the Yankees, Lakers, Canadiens and 49ers are all I would need for sustenance. So, when I was handed a list of tricks that included "McTwist 540," "Smith Grind" and "No Footer Nose Pick" (I would hate to see one involving feet), I was quite taken aback.
I vowed to myself on the plane ride there that I would enter the venue with an open mind, willing to appreciate these athletes' abilities, as alternative as the media guide professed them to be.
The respect that I gained for these alternative sports and athletes, through my epiphany in San Diego, is noticeable. And while these sports may not ever garner the attention that the "Big Four" currently do, they need to be accepted all the same. Their athletes may not rake in millions, but they care about their respective sports all the same if not more.
Perhaps, my epiphany is due to the fact that I played traditional sports during my childhood. I can remember catching my first fly ball in center field a Saturday morning not long after I learned to catch and throw. Likewise, I have similar memories of football and basketball. But, never in my wildest dreams have I even envisioned myself flying 20 feet in the air on a bicycle while doing two-and-a-half rotations before once again returning to the ground.
Maybe it would seem less amazing if I had a prayer of accomplishing even the most routine tasks that an aggressive in-line skater or a world class street luger perform daily.
I feel confident that I can hit a baseball, although not one thrown by Kerry Wood or a professional equivalent, and knock down a jumpshot with at least a degree of regularity.
We all have sports that we played in high school or have some experience in, but for the first time in my life, I was flabbergasted at another person's sheer athletic talent.
I had nightmares in my hotel room just thinking of the number of medics on site that would have to treat me if I attempted to complete a flair on Dave Mirra's bike or a 720 on Tony Hawk's skateboard.
The X Games came alive for the night event on Sunday as a beautiful sunset painted a red backdrop for the evening's festivities.
Maybe the NBA should have sent someone there, for there were no owners, there were no players demanding exorbitant salaries and there was certainly nothing that anyone could lock out from this competition.
People flocked that evening to watch the men's aggressive in-line skating final. Ten competitors would duel for the honor to take home $10,000. That's right, not 10 million but 10 thousand. And you know what, not one athlete complained.
Though many participants were there as professionals (i.e., this was how they made their money), the camaraderie amongst the competitors seemed almost unnatural at a sporting event.
All of the athletes applauded and cheered each other's efforts and when the in-line circuit's reigning champion was barely dethroned by his best friend, the man who had captured silver was brought to tears not for his medal but for his pal's triumph.
I can positively say that this is just one of the great stories from the X Games; athletes genuinely care about their sport and having fun more than they care about the size of the check they bring home.
The competitive drive was still apparent but so was an air of class and respect -- something that the sports world needs. The athletes were there to win but were also, to quote a street luger, "just happy to be there for the ride." I am just glad I was there, too.
See ya next year, San Diego.
