Star power

kburgie
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kburgie
I found myself down a Ricky Carmichael rabbit hole today on YouTube and was trying to figure out what made him just so awesome. He didn't have great style (like Reed or Windham), didn't scrub (like Stewart), didn't annihilate corners (like Tomac)... then my mind wandered onto another topic about those other guys.

Was 1999 to 2009 the peak decade of motocross star power or was I just the right age to think so? McGrath, Carmichael, Reed, Stewart and Pastrana were all larger than life. Behind them we had guys like Windham, Lusk, Langston, Larocco and a bunch of other premier class racers who grown men would be star-struck to stand next to. FMX exploded with X Games and the backflip thanks to guys like Hart, Deegan, Metzger, Twitch, etc. Robbie Maddison headlined New Year's Eve. Jessica Patterson and Ashley Fiolek (and her story) made the WMX interesting.

And then we get into other sports. Does skateboarding have anyone near a Tony Hawk today? Does baseball have a Ken Griffey, Jr. or anyone else who could headline a video game?

Did Instagram and proximity take away the magic, or did I get old and realize they're all just people?

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yz133rider
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yz133rider 4/3/2018 6:17pm
4/3/2018 6:17pm
kburgie wrote:
I found myself down a Ricky Carmichael rabbit hole today on YouTube and was trying to figure out what made him just so [i]awesome[/i]. He didn't...
I found myself down a Ricky Carmichael rabbit hole today on YouTube and was trying to figure out what made him just so awesome. He didn't have great style (like Reed or Windham), didn't scrub (like Stewart), didn't annihilate corners (like Tomac)... then my mind wandered onto another topic about those other guys.

Was 1999 to 2009 the peak decade of motocross star power or was I just the right age to think so? McGrath, Carmichael, Reed, Stewart and Pastrana were all larger than life. Behind them we had guys like Windham, Lusk, Langston, Larocco and a bunch of other premier class racers who grown men would be star-struck to stand next to. FMX exploded with X Games and the backflip thanks to guys like Hart, Deegan, Metzger, Twitch, etc. Robbie Maddison headlined New Year's Eve. Jessica Patterson and Ashley Fiolek (and her story) made the WMX interesting.

And then we get into other sports. Does skateboarding have anyone near a Tony Hawk today? Does baseball have a Ken Griffey, Jr. or anyone else who could headline a video game?

Did Instagram and proximity take away the magic, or did I get old and realize they're all just people?

I kind of agree with you. Everyone seems blah today compared to all of those names.
Mx286
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Mx286 4/3/2018 7:22pm
4/3/2018 7:22pm
I tend to agree. All the kids want to do today is look good on social media. Who cares about getting better as long as you look trendy or fast for a short video clip.

The majority of riders named above came from a blue collar background. Majority now are a bunch of spoiled rich kids. The blue collar kid knows what they have to do and what’s at stake and doesn’t want to waste any opportunities. The rich kids expect everything to be handed to them or mom and dad will buy the ride.
agn5009
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agn5009 4/3/2018 7:31pm
4/3/2018 7:31pm
All those guys were born in the late 70s/early to mid 80s. They had the benefit of growing up when bikes started to get really good and technology took a huge leap. They also had the benefit of not growing up in a politically correct world full of social media nonsense.

Those of us who got to witness Stewart, Carmichael, Reed, Pastrana and McGrath out there racing are very fortunate. They were good times. Times were also good when Dungey and Villopoto were around. We're going through a slump right now. Thankfully we have Herlings and Cairoli to watch across the pond.

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Rhody
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Rhody 4/3/2018 7:34pm
4/3/2018 7:34pm Edited Date/Time 4/3/2018 7:37pm
All motorsports have turned into the modern equivalent of equestrian events, watch the little rich kid on their pony. Waaaay back in the day equestrian events were badass, because the competitors were cavalry soldiers displaying skills that helped them win battles. Back in the day, racers were badasses demonstrating that they were badasses. Now that its so expensive it's all spoiled rivh kids, and who wants to watch that shit. There are exceptions, like Dungey who would be slingin concrete if not racing, but his parents may have busted ass, it was still their money and not his.

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