EXTREME SPORT

An Extreme sport is a media term for certain activities perceived as having a high level of inherent danger or difficulty and often involving speed, height, a high level of physical exertion, and highly specialized gear or spectacular stunts.

Some contend that the distinction between an extreme sport and a conventional one is as much to do with marketing as it is to do with perceptions about levels of danger involved or the amount of adrenaline generated. Furthermore a sport like rugby union, though dangerous and adrenaline-inducing, would not fall into the category of extreme sports due to its traditional image, and it does not have certain things that other extreme sports do, such as very high level of speed and an intention to perform stunts.

When the term “extreme sports” first surfaced circa the late 1980s/early 1990s, it was used for adult sports such as skydiving, scuba diving, rock climbing, mountaineering, hang gliding, and bungee jumping, many of which were undergoing an unprecedented growth in popularity at the time.

The term nowadays applies more to youth sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, and BMX and is closely associated with marketing efforts aimed at youth.

A “true” extreme sport is usually defined as leisure or recreation activity where the most likely outcome of a mismanaged accident or mistake would death, disability or hospitalisation.