Zachary FenellSkateboarding gets its richest prize.
May 10th 2008 05:57
The Skates of Fortune.
Skaters soaring higher towards success.
For years the cash rewards of extreme sports have seemed insignificant in comparison to corporate funded basketball, baseball and football etc. Well the gap still exists but is now due to get a little smaller.
Over on extreme365.com there is a report that the entrepreneurial Maloof Family are destined to set a new standard when later this year they sponsor a brand new skate boarding competition with $450,000 to be won by some of the world’s most skilful riders.
The Maloof's are already established in the world of sport with ownership of the Sacramento Kings and the sharing of their fortunes towards boarding seems a mutually beneficial investment.
The Maloof Dynasty
From extreme365.com
"I wanted this to be different from the X Games — skateboarding only," Joe Maloof said. "I wanted to attract the best talent with the largest purse ever.
"I checked all the major skate competitions around the world to see what the different purses were, and I said, 'Let's do this right.' This is going to be the best of the best at one place. So if we're going to attract the best, we better pay like we mean it. It's close to $450,000 total."
“The three-day, six-event Maloof Money Cup is scheduled for July 11-13 in Orange County, California” and is generating excitement in the skate community.
From extreme365.com
"We're stoked to see that kind of money coming into skateboarding," World Cup President Don Bostick said according to TransWorld Skateboarding. "We were a little leery at first, but as our discussions progressed we saw it as an opportunity for skateboarders to really have a chance to go big."
The money on offer here surpasses that of ESPN’s X Games and when quizzed, X Games general manager Chris Stiepock said; "Over the past decade, no entity has paid more money to athletes in the form of prize purses than ESPN. It's great that the Maloofs have decided to devote resources to action sports. A rising tide lifts all boats, and the more exposure given to action sports, the more we all benefit."
Sounds like big airs are set to send the boarding stars of the day into a financial orbit, the future seems secure.
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