Clear Channel vs. AMA Pro Racing: How the FIM became our overlords

tblazier
Posts
8779
Joined
7/20/2011
Location
Leesburg, VA US
6/28/2019 7:11am
People often complain about the FIM's ongoing involvement in the AMA Supercross series. The origins of this involvement go all the way back to 2001 when Clear Channel (then the SX promotor) and AMA Pro Racing got in a power struggle for the control of Supercross. This video is a little background on how that happened and how we ended up where we are today.


6
|
kage173
Posts
2125
Joined
11/27/2015
Location
TX US
6/28/2019 8:25pm
Great job on this Blazier.
1
Motohead279
Posts
230
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Ruskin, FL US
6/29/2019 9:58am
Yes it was all a big cluster fuck and Jam Sports won that lawsuit. I believe the original FIM agreement was for 15 years and I don’t know how long the extension contract is for.

I know all of the talk about keeping the FIM involved so that it makes the Supercross series a “world championship “ Which no one even cares about. We have riders competing from all over the world so it is a world championship with or without the FIM.
1
Robgvx
Posts
3681
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
GB
6/29/2019 10:44am
Very good Tony.

One thing you perhaps don’t make clear is the relationship between AMA and FIM. It kind of implies that they’re two rival sanctioning bodies. That’s not really the case. The FIM is the world governing body. The AMA is the US affiliate of the FIM. The FIM has always been there, as the global body to which the AMA is affiliated.

When the AMA wanted to go with JAM sports, Clear Channel went above the AMA and courted the FIM. When the FIM (who were corrupt as f*** back then) struck a deal with CC to make SX a world championship (and the FIM sanction all official world championships) the AMA couldn’t run their own series because they’d be competing against the world body to which they themselves were affiliated.

So I don’t think that the FIM ‘stole’ SX. Clear Channel made that happen as a way to bypass the AMA, who weren’t playing ball.

If SX dropped the world championship title and somehow got away from the FIM they’d still be sanctioned by the AMA. The AMA, as an FIM affiliate, dances to the tune of the FIM. So if that happened I’d be surprised if the AMA could choose to go their own way regarding PEDs. Unless the AMA stopped being an affiliate of the FIM. And that’s not going to happen because some fans are pissed that riders failed drug tests.

Post a reply to: Clear Channel vs. AMA Pro Racing: How the FIM became our overlords

The Latest