We sat down with Ron Semiao, the X Games originator, for a few questions.

EXPN: So just for the record, what is your title, and what do you do?

Ron Semiao: I am the Vice President of Programming and the Managing Director of the Global X Games. My responsibilities are to oversee the Global X Division of our company. So it’s really running anything that is branded with the X Games on a world-wide basis.

Ron Semiao, overseeing the indoor courses.

EXPN: What was your vision for the X Games?

RS: The idea was to create the Olympics of action sports. Bring everyone together under this large umbrella of competition to showcase their athletic skills as well as the lifestyle and culture associated with these sports. To the people who do these sports, they’re more than just an activity. There is a true passion for the sport. I know it’s a cliché now, but these sports do have their own lifestyles and culture. So much about these sports is doing something you love with your friends. So the concept was pretty simple.

EXPN: So how difficult was it? To pull something like that off within the ranks of an organization like ESPN?

RS: The top guys got it immediately. That wasn’t the case in some other departments. People were thinking in terms of: “Is this really what ESPN should be doing? Are these even legitimate sports?” As it got closer to the first Games in 1995, there were a lot of people who were sort of hiding under their desk thinking that this thing was a total disaster, and they wanted nothing to do with it.

EXPN: So at what point did you know this was going to be a success?

RS: It wasn’t until one day when I was in downtown Providence, at the first X Games. I saw people lined up 5 deep down the entire Street Luge course, just for practice, it was then I knew it would work.

DF: So the original event was called the Extreme Games, and it is obviously not the Extreme Games any longer, now it is the X Games.

RS: I don’t know how we came up with the title “Extreme Games.” It was just there and after the first year we decided to change it to the X Games.

EXPN: So now what does the X represent to you?

RS: I guess it would mean the X Games as an event, the X Games as a telecast. EXPN.com, EXPN magazine. It has become really similar to when ESPN was originally the Entertainment Sports Programming Network. Then it was dropped and became just ESPN. That is sort of where we are at right now. The interesting thing is how everyone has jumped on the bandwagon and now you have extreme shavers, deodorant, things like that. I saw something the other day about extreme Turtle Wax.

EXPN: Yeah, it gets out of hand sometimes. So what is the common thread for all of this?

RS: Athletic ability, tremendous athletic ability in sports that are very individual based.

EXPN: So when you are looking to add or subtract a certain sport, how do you decide that?

RS: Progression is the number one criteria. If you look at sports that have been there since the beginning like Skateboarding and BMX and look at the gold medal runs from 1995 and 2001, you will see nothing but progression. The other thing that we look to is innovation. A great example would be the addition of Downhill BMX. Mat Hoffman and his guys came to us in 1998 and said, “Hey, we have this idea, and we really need to reinvent the sport of BMX racing.” They went through everything, pointing out that the level of athletic ability had far exceeded the difficulty of the courses they were riding. They wanted to put BMX racing on a downhill slope on a really challenging course that was on the level of these new riders. So we worked with them, and they really developed the idea, they got the support of the riders and all of that. We started to hold some events and one of them last year was at Woodward. So when we made the decision that the Games would be in Philadelphia, it was a perfect match. We thought, let’s put Downhill BMX in the Games and let’s do it at Woodward. They have a great facility, it was just wonderful.

EXPN: So what is next? Can you give us a preview of what is in the works?

RS: Downhill BMX will be back, the reaction was tremendous. The Street Skating at City Hall was well received by everyone. We just have to work on better seating next year, so everyone can see. There were people on statues, hanging out of trees just to watch the competition. It added to the whole scene, but I think we can still keep that and also have a venue that allows more people to see it all.

EXPN: At Winter X last year Kevin Jones saw you at the bar and when you walked away he was overheard saying: “Now there goes a man that I am in awe of.” What do you think it is about you that these guys can identify with?

RS: Honestly, I don’t even think about it. I just try to let them understand that we support what they do. Because ESPN is a large corporation there will always be the shots that come with that, no matter what we do. But you have to understand that what we do, the heart and soul of it all, is for what is in the best interest of the athletes and the sports. That is why the Games are free. So families can come and experience it. I never want a situation where a family of four couldn’t attend the X Games because they can’t afford it. These sports are all about the kids. The kids of today have as much respect and admiration for these athletes as they do for any mainstream athlete.

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