• Introduction - just that
• Danger - People need danger
• Achievement - People need personal achievement

Introduction

This page is intended to give some explanations as to why extreme sports have gained popularity (reference).

Danger

The average level of danger in a child's life has declined. Therefore, when boys and girls are able to choose which sports they like, they are choosing the more dangerous sports to compensate for the lack of danger in the rest of their lives.

This is similar to the effect seen in other areas of life. Some examples of human behavior "making up the difference" include

• SUVs are safer than small cars in collisions, but SUV drivers know that and drive more aggressively/poorly (reference).
• ABS has been shown to make vehicles safer, but people know that and drive more aggressively/poorly. (reference).

The goal of reducing the danger to a child is a noble goal. There is no doubt that lives have been saved by some measures that are standard these days. Not that long ago, nobody used car seats for children. Not many people used seatbelts either, except for the driver and front passenger. No one wore bike helmets either. As the danger level was reduced in certain areas, it had to be increased in other areas to maintain the average level of thrill in life. Since no adults were doing this for the kids, the kids took it upon themselves to create their own excitement.

The literary example for this case comes from Aldus Huxley's book Brave New World, which is fascinatingly accurate in its predictions about the then-future society. Its society better mirrors today's than does 1984's society or Fahrenheit 451's society. The concept in particular is that people's lives had been made perfect, but doing so made life dull so that they did not experience the range of emotions that humans can feel. The people would have a chemical treatment called VPS. That satisfied those emotional needs and compensated for the perfectly dull lives.

"Exposing what is mortal and unsure to all that fortune, death and danger dare, even for an eggshell. Isn't there something in that?" he asked, looking up at Mustapha Mond. "Quite apart from God–though of course God would be a reason for it. Isn't there something in living dangerously?"

"There's a great deal in it," the Controller replied. "Men and women must have their adrenals stimulated from time to time."

"What?" questioned the Savage, uncomprehending.

"It's one of the conditions of perfect health. That's why we've made the V.P.S. treatments compulsory."

"V.P.S.?"

"Violent Passion Surrogate. Regularly once a month. We flood the whole system with adrenin. It's the complete physiological equivalent of fear and rage. All the tonic effects of murdering Desdemona and being murdered by Othello, without any of the inconveniences."

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In today's society, Extreme Sport is the VPS that satisfies the need for some danger, risk, and thrill in a person's life.

Achievement

Children have fewer opportunities for personal achievement and recognition these days. Therefore, when boys and girls are able to choose which sports they like, they are choosing the solo-oriented sports to gain the sense of accomplishment they lack in the rest of their lives.

Some examples of no personal achievement include

• No academic recognition: How many schools have removed the role or title of valedictorian from graduation? How many schools have removed (or expanded to the point of triviality) the honor roll or dean's list?
• No sports recognition: How many rec leagues have removed the titles of "winners" and "losers", so that kids just play?
• Group efforts: While cooperation may be an important skill, if a child's whole school career is set in groups, then he does not develop his own set of accomplishments.

There are also some children who are given everything in life. Some of them may feel deprived and want to earn something in life. Students may pass from grade to grade, and even graduate, without having earned it. After graduation, they may obtain jobs without having earned them. So they turn to sports because that is one area that in which it is hard to fake achievement. One cannot be given a completed marathon. There is no subjectivity about whether one has made it down the black diamond without falling. There can be no lingering doubt when one is standing at the top of Mt. Olympia, having used one's own limbs to get there.

In today's society, Extreme Sports are solo efforts that satisfy the need for accomplishment in a person's life.