Last night at the opening of the X-Games, skater Danny Way put on a performance that had me wondering if this was a seminal moment in the life of extreme/action sports.
It happened in the breathtaking Big Air competition, where skaters fly amazing distances both horizontally and vertically. On the descent of Way's vertical, he flipped -- horrifically -- and lay motionless for five minutes at the base of the run with what would later be diagnosed as a broken foot. And this on top of a back injury he was already nursing.
Yet against the counsel of the medical staff and to the astonishment of the packed Staples Center crowd in Los Angeles, he not only took his next run -- he nailed it. The guy could barely stand straight and walk and, in a testament to the power of adrenaline, courage, incredible skills, and quite possibly a screw loose somewhere, Danny Way scored a silver in the competition.
It was captivating, buzz-generating television.
Wonder if it'll be a big enough buzz to generate the kind of numbers that move the event beyond the black hoodie and flat-billed cap crowd. -- SB
