FreestyleDirect will direct the site at the ?Generation Y? fans of sports such as surfing, snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding, inline skating, BMX, and motocross.
The FreestyleDirect destination will provide action sports viewers with detailed information about their favourite athletes, news information, and exclusive Broadband Sports interviews and full-motion action clips.
According to a Broadband Sports news release, a 1999 Harris Interactive Survey reported that there are approximately 57 million action sports participants in the U.S. In 1999, $13 billion of action sports equipment was purchased -- one third of overall sporting goods sales according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association.
Television executives have also felt the impact extreme sports has made, as the 1999 Summer X games drew 55 million viewers, including one out of every four American teenagers. A recent ESPN Chilton Sports Poll asking respondents to identify the Hottest New Sports in America listed snowboarding among the Top 5, joining the ranks of soccer, wrestling, NASCAR and NFL football. As the individual athletes gain exposure, the extreme sports industry continues to diffuse into the mainstream of America.
FreestyleDirect joins Broadband Sports' line of brands --AthletesDirect, SportsWritersDirect, RotoNewsDirect, and SportsAuthenticsDirect.
