All In A Name: SuperMotocross' Sophisticated Step 5

The motivation behind the SuperMotocross World Championship's birth was never in doubt: a joint venture for Feld Entertainment and MX Sports, a way to satisfy NBC Sports' appetite for more off-road competition and a chance to reward those who demonstrate consistency across an entire season. The benefit of SMX extends far beyond that to the subtleties of the name itself.

A desire to push the sport forward has existed within the walls of Feld Entertainment since the acquisition of the Monster Energy Supercross series in 2008, but the elusive nature of the word 'motocross' felt like an ever-present hurdle. Dave Prater, Vice President of Supercross, reminisced on that challenge in Feld's sprawling headquarters in Palmetto, Florida, on the eve of SMX's third season. Prater had recently been promoted to a new office inside of Florida's second-largest building, second only to NASA.

"The general population recognizes the word 'motocross' much more than 'supercross' and even 'SuperMotocross' makes sense to most people," Prater affirmed. "I believe that simple, little change has lifted awareness. We need to continue down that path. Walk down the street before this happened and talk to people about supercross. They would ask, 'What is it, a large religious convention? What is it?'" Supercross yields just shy of ten million results on Google, motocross eclipses it with more than five times as many.

"I can tell you that we had conversations with MX Sports about wanting to use 'motocross' as a tagline – it was not well received. I have talked about it with Carrie and Davey [Coombs]. We would have loved to have it as a tagline to supercross at least, purely for awareness." Prater's words are a pleasant reminder of how the sport has evolved; the two organizations are working in unison once again as the first postseason event at Charlotte Motor Speedway looms.

Despite an affinity for the name, SuperMotocross wasn't an automatic pick. Countless ideas bounced around the offices but 'supermoto' led polls until a reminder of a sport that blends asphalt with dirt rendered it useless. The loss of that option prompted a perfect blend of supercross and motocross; a name that resonates with fans familiar with both disciplines. "SuperMotocross was one of the first names that we came up with and then we tried to get real fancy. There were a lot of ideas that no one would have understood," Prater laughed in reflection.

Simplicity, not complexity, is SuperMotocross' hidden strength – a sophistication in clarity that Dave Muye, the Vice President of Global Partnerships at Feld Entertainment, deems invaluable. "You do not have to necessarily explain the NFL if you say football," Muye explained in the wake of a landmark contract extension with Monster Energy. Motocross isn't as familiar as football – let's not overestimate where the sport sits – but most can link it to motorcycles and some can point to a dirtbike. "They at least understand," he noted.

"The fact of how people come and enjoy motocross has helped open doors for us that have, traditionally, been a little trickier for us to open with RV sponsors, Camping World, Bass Pro Shops and other outdoor entities. With motocross, you can actually travel there and see it. Supercross? I just have to show you our data that says these people are going out on their boats, snowmobiles or whatever else on weekends. Having the two disciplines to lean on strengthens every powersports conversation that we are in."

SuperMotocross has found its footing in both name and purpose. The concept has delivered millions of additional dollars to riders, anchored a landmark partnership with Monster Energy and brought the sport's most prominent figures under one banner. Its next chapter starts this Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.