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2009 X GAMES TO FEATURE EQUAL PRIZE MONEY FOR MEN AND WOMEN

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JDon
Posts: 282 - Karma: 15
http://http://freeskier.com/articles/article.php?article_id=2788
Pretty big step for all the pro chicks who rip. I think this will really help progress the female side of the sport. Definitely good for the sport in general as well.
That's my opinion.
What does everyone else think?
Oct 28 2008 3:08AM
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Jamie_Baril
Posts: 2196 - Karma: 2,513
it will be intresting to see, but i dont think it will make that much of a difference in the women's talent pool, it cant change that dramatically
Oct 28 2008 3:16AM
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Scott~
Posts: 2551 - Karma: 49
Obviously it wont change anything immediately, but it will get girls to put more time in refining their tricks and maybe bring in some new womens to the pro scene~
Oct 28 2008 3:19AM
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shrEddie
Posts: 5117 - Karma: 65
fucking title nine
Oct 28 2008 3:35AM
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sick-as-aids
Posts: 3453 - Karma: 1,007
its surprising,.  the men section is alot harder, and to make it to x as a male pro is very demanding. the male section of x is also the main focus of the event. so yeah, im surprised
Oct 28 2008 3:42AM
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Ryanvdonk
Posts: 12808 - Karma: 1,945
the level of competition is much less, therefore prize money should not be equal, unless women start having to go through a semifinal round, but it doesn't seem like there are enough competitors in the women's field to have legitimate semifinal round.
Oct 28 2008 3:56AM
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Age
Posts: 591 - Karma: 179
I think its a good move. Many other sports (golf, tennis, surfing) have equal prize money for both sexes even though the standard and level  of competition is different. Also its not like its mega easy for the girls to qualify or win, because in the end they are competing against other females of the same ability.  
Oct 28 2008 4:11AM
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Alex_G
Posts: 11902 - Karma: 1,018
girls need to step their game up, this might be really good, or this might be paying girls way too much money for the same bullshit runs theyve been throwing forever. I can't wait to see a girl that actually does something on the rail section besides switch up or 2 on to a box.
Oct 28 2008 4:14AM
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Literature
Posts: 13673 - Karma: 3,086
At least skiing is making a step towards womens equality.
Oct 28 2008 4:15AM
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kristie
Posts: 1667 - Karma: 214
Now all we need is a slopestyle category...
Oct 28 2008 4:46AM
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Ryanvdonk
Posts: 12808 - Karma: 1,945
seriously, it would be much more competitive, instead of race for 2nd and hope sarah falls.
Oct 28 2008 4:57AM
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Pwn.Mode
Posts: 1061 - Karma: 10
that's kinda dumb, if there was an equal amount of women competing and equal tricks then id be all for it.
Oct 28 2008 5:13AM
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chugLIFE
Posts: 4714 - Karma: 1,050
i really dont think this is going to make them ski any harder. i dated a pro female skier for like 3 years (CLAIM) she was on top of her game, and still is, top 5'd in the 5 contests she entered, 1st place in 4 of them, and she trained really hard year round. doesnt matter what the money is, the girls arent gonna start doing dub corks and shit for a long time. no offense to them, but they are quite behind the level than all of the dudes that go to x games. the girl i dated agreed with the way the money was, and i agree with her. maybe up it a litte more, but equal, not yet.
Oct 28 2008 5:58AM
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JCon
Posts: 399 - Karma: 9
male golfers make tons more than women do, i mean it's not even close.. The same should be true for male skiers, i mean the level is so much higher, just like golf is
Oct 28 2008 10:17AM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
Everyone is going to pay money to see the men on tv and in person, and the prize money should simply reflect that.  It's not a men/women thing, it's just about whether or not you payout big prizes for a smaller attraction.
Oct 28 2008 10:22AM
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skier_boy26
Posts: 11295 - Karma: 502
i honestly think that's pretty bogus.

My two main reasons (but there are certainly more):
The depth of the mens skiing field is SO much deeper, not to mention there are considerably more men skiers in each comp, making a podium spot just that more difficult to obtain.

And the talent is so much higher on the guys' side that its not even funny. I don't want to bash the women side of things, because many do rip, and do try hard, but the competition is absolutely no where near equal.

While we're at it, for the xgames, they dedicate like, what, 5 minutes to show womens pipe? Mens pipe gets primetime, and slopestyle and big air get considerable coverage as well.

It is lopsided in pretty much every regard, so why have it the same?
Oct 28 2008 10:42AM
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skodeo7
Posts: 14949 - Karma: 9,234
I'd love to hear what Symms has to say about this.
Oct 28 2008 10:46AM
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TotesMcgotes
Posts: 413 - Karma: 39
Yeah I agree...How is givng more prize money to the women going to make them progress harder??  Just b/c they're competing for more money, they're gonna push themselves and throw harder tricks??..No.  They're still competing against the same caliber of skiers that they did last year and every year before that, so how is this change beneficial.  If we really want women to progress as skiers we should just have them compete along side the men.  haha.  but I think we all know how that would end up. 
Oct 28 2008 10:57AM
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Rogge
Posts: 5772 - Karma: 3,867
Kenny, you're hilarious. haha


This is good news BUT now that women have got what they asked for, its time to step it up. This could potentially backfire in ESPN and woman's sports as a whole.

I mean, the WNBA doesn't pay their athletes NEARLY as much as the NBA pays theirs.

Equal pay for equal work.
Oct 28 2008 11:24AM
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lalalalaura
Posts: 6753 - Karma: 68
this is a huge step in the right direction for women's sport, but i don't think it's a move to make women more competitive... i mean, is a gold medal at the xgames less impressive because an athlete is a woman? no, it's still a huge accomplishment. more money in this sport is rarely a bad thing, especially when its money to the people who rarely see it.

maybe it's not right to see the same amount of money go to differing levels of performance, but hell it's espn's money, which means they're spending more of their budget on skiing and spot than they might be on decorating their head office or something. if they want to give our sport money, can you really be angry about that?
Oct 28 2008 11:54AM
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snowbladesforlife
Posts: 2033 - Karma: -3
No.
Oct 28 2008 12:12PM
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404404
Posts: 11358 - Karma: 21,033
Fuck that shit.
Oct 28 2008 12:21PM
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COskier
Posts: 1066 - Karma: 131
yes it is less impressive. There are far fewer competitors out there vying for the spots. Nothing against women skiers, but if there is (maybe) 1 women training hard with the goal of x games in mind for every 5 guys with that goal I'd be surprised. And, less competition=less impressive. Also, because of the lack of that competition, none of the girls push themselves as hard. Sarah Burke doesn't try as hard as Tanner Hall.
Oct 28 2008 12:27PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,682
now women just have to make the step towards skiing equality.
Oct 28 2008 12:39PM
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Mstchief
Posts: 751 - Karma: 524

Guys come on its the X games. ITs not about making women more compedative in the sport, its about making money. THe producers, im sure know that there is a large un taped audience of girl skiers out there that could help boost their ratings and they feel giving equal prize money might encourage more girls to watch. In the end its all about the dollor billz!!! 

Oct 28 2008 12:53PM
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strongmark
Posts: 3278 - Karma: 883
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Oct 28 2008 12:56PM
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AlexMartini
Posts: 2987 - Karma: 1,886
wow, what a waist of money... it would make sense if there were a ton of girls out there who need money for travelling and training and like re-hab or something.... but all the girls i know have plenty of money already and dont really do much (compaired to guys)
Oct 28 2008 1:12PM
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Capurnicus
Posts: 9947 - Karma: 1,886
yeah! no offense to the ladies, but there is a hell of a lot more competition to win men's x than women's X. I agree that they should show some women's X on tv and what not. also, if they keep the men's prize money the same and just give women money that would have gone to covering nascar or something, that's chill. but if the men's check goes down because it's going to the ladies, then i dunno about that...
Oct 28 2008 1:21PM
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Capurnicus
Posts: 9947 - Karma: 1,886
anyone heard of Title 9?
Oct 28 2008 1:22PM
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danbrown
Posts: 11932 - Karma: 21,775
Yeah shit's miserable, that's why Uconn doesn't have a mens D1 lacrosse team or a D1 ski team along with a few others. They either got cut because of title IX, or they can't go D1 because of it. They can only be club teams.
Oct 28 2008 1:27PM
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TotesMcgotes
Posts: 413 - Karma: 39
Does anybody know if the prize money for the men's category was reduced b/c  of the increase for the women's??  If so, that makes it waaaay worse.  Theres no way the ladies deserve the same prize money as guys..#1.There are way less competitors. #2. There barely even aired on T.V. #3. Men train harder and up themselves every year to win the prize money while the women have had seemingly the same runs for the last 4 years.
Oct 28 2008 1:30PM
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sconniestyle
Posts: 3945 - Karma: 26

i think it's a good move. it's not like espn doesn't make enough off of ad revenues and corporate sponsorships and x games brand bikes and snowboards sold at kmart that they cant afford to up the women's purses.

as for whether or not they deserve it, i dont really see why they shouldn't. sure, guys go bigger, but it's all relative, and you aren't paying per foot out of the pipe to the winners.

and if you guys are jealous that it's "easier" to win the womens events, just pull a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladybugs_(film) and compete. problem solved.

Oct 28 2008 1:45PM
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Ryanvdonk
Posts: 12808 - Karma: 1,945
sarah had a legit run last year, but really that's it, she's the only one who tricks on almost every wall, grabs spins (even if it's only a safety) and consistently lands 9s, she did a 10 last year, she pretty much owns pipe right now on the girls side, it seems like a competition for second and hope that Ms. Burke falls.
Oct 28 2008 2:25PM
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C.R.E.A.M
Posts: 2928 - Karma: 4,186
it should motivate the ladies to kick it into high gear, and what do we care? its not like xgames will go broke, they make SOOOO much money its an afterthought how much they give the winniners, they just toss around numbers.
Oct 28 2008 2:29PM
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chugLIFE
Posts: 4714 - Karma: 1,050
thats what im trying to say, more money isnt gonna make girls work any harder. they already work as hard as they can. i am a credible source on this.
Oct 28 2008 2:34PM
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schmuck
Posts: 1974 - Karma: 53,159
All analyzation aside...good for them! I'm stoked for the ladies :)
Oct 28 2008 2:46PM
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s.g.
Posts: 355 - Karma: 11
well,with equaling prize money nothing can get worse,only better so yea,why not.
Oct 28 2008 2:59PM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
i guess if ur a girl competing in X this is a good thing but personally i think its prett bullshit i mean i like girls and i enjoy watching a good girl skier rip but there no where near the level of guys and for a guy to win x lets say he has to work extremely hard and land a dub cork 10 (just saying) vs a girl to throw a 7 or 9 or watever doesnt make sense to me and get equal pay
Oct 28 2008 3:20PM
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BusyJohnSohn
Posts: 3483 - Karma: 29
Although all you guys raise solid points you are all looking at the immediate effects. Sure girls nowadays might be pushing their hardest but bigger prize money could mean more younger girls rippiing. More prize money might mean more TV time or exposure which could influence young girls (as well as their parents) to join freeskiing. Most young girls start in racing or moguls programs and then get into park whereas a lot of younger guys are wreckless and inspired from a young age. This boosted prize money could mean a higher level and more competitors in 5 or 10 years down the road.
Oct 28 2008 3:55PM
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A.R.
Posts: 1111 - Karma: 11
equal sport - equal prize money. i think its the right move.
Oct 28 2008 3:57PM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 149
hell yeah
Oct 28 2008 4:17PM
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Alex_G
Posts: 11902 - Karma: 1,018
i think its a bad idea to pay women the same amount because a guy who starts skiing park habitually can become as good or better than most girl pros in 2 years sometimes one.
Oct 28 2008 4:29PM
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strongmark
Posts: 3278 - Karma: 883
the word is ANALYSIS!!!

i just corrected someone with a red name! thats like winning $38 on a scratch ticket!
Oct 28 2008 5:54PM
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Moses
Posts: 1849 - Karma: 564

I remember a long time ago i saw this kids soccer movie, "Ladybugs".  Basically the movie was about a shitty girls soccer team who dressed up a boy in drag ( now that i think about it, it sounds a little twisted) and then proceed to kick all the other teams asses.  SKiers are not on a team, thay wear lots of shape covering clothes, and can rock long hair.  All that an immoral  17yr old park rat would need is a fresh razor, a little makeup, prettier clothes, and some shampoo...

Oct 28 2008 6:08PM
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WhoWantIt
Posts: 395 - Karma: 26
CLAIM
Oct 28 2008 6:57PM
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quebecfreestyler
Posts: 13040 - Karma: 1,418

If somehow they can gather the same kind of crowd that men does then I'm stokedfor them. If they dont I think they'll have evenmore trouble finding moeny in the future.

Oct 28 2008 7:00PM
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Nadia.
Posts: 1124 - Karma: 1,104
The Ski Tour/48straight/Jeep King of the Mountain gave equal money away to men and women last year. My gf walked away with 20,000$ from the last stop. Mind you, this is skiercross and men and women have to ski the same course...
Oct 28 2008 7:12PM
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kristie
Posts: 1667 - Karma: 214
If they skied naked, I bet they could get the same crowd. 
Oct 28 2008 7:13PM
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kristie
Posts: 1667 - Karma: 214

It's kind of funny that the only type of competition women skiers get equal pay in now is the type they suck at the most.  Girls can place in big pipe competitions getting like 3 feet out.  But there are some girls on the big mountain circuit that could place against the guys. 

Oct 28 2008 7:18PM
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Chronic_
Posts: 1730 - Karma: 1,601
when are the X-games? and thats cool i think the chicks who rip should get equal winnings, good step for skiing
Oct 28 2008 7:20PM
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quebecfreestyler
Posts: 13040 - Karma: 1,418
And then feminist would come out and be all angry about it.

anyway it's all about demand if there is a real demand in extreme sportsfor woman then hell yea give them themoney and teh sport will grow. If not I know a couple other place they could spend the same amount of money and get just as much if not more exposure out of it.
Oct 28 2008 7:22PM
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