Tony Hawk is hoping his Super Bowl pregame exhibition can garner the same amount of exposure for extreme athletes as last year's halftime show generated for Janet Jackson.
On Sunday, Fox will air the first stop of Hawk's 2005 Boom Boom HuckJam that was taped recently at the Glendale Arena as part of its Super Bowl pregame lineup. The tour features leading skateboarders, BMX riders and freestyle motocross riders.
"This show is huge because it puts our sports in the headlines," Hawk said. "In the past, we were looked at as sort of a sideshow."
The HuckJam will be the first nationally televised sporting event held at the arena this year due to the NHL lockout.
Hawk, 36, said the tour would showcase the different sports in a relaxed environment with choreography instead of strict competition.
"It's our sports as a Cirque du Soleil event," Hawk said.
Originally started in 2002, Hawk's event featured a handpicked selection of extreme athletes performing to punk and hip-hop music.
Kevin Robinson, a pro BMX rider, said events like the X-Games and the tour have helped broaden the sports' acceptance in the general population.
"I think when people don't know about something they are more apt to shoot it down," Robinson said. "Once they understand something and visually see it they are more willing to accept it."
While Hawk's fame spreads internationally, the televised event before the Super Bowl will help other extreme athletes secure their spots among the most popular in the sport.
However, greater acceptance may lead to new problems for the brand of sport.
Robinson said parents constantly come up to him and say their child has the potential to become a professional skater or rider, but he advises they go at their own pace.
"It's not like schools are giving scholarships for action sports," Robinson said. "I'm sure some day it's going to come to that but its just going to take some time."
Robinson said it would likely take longer for the sports featured in Hawk's tour to be recognized by colleges because they are not team structured and don't have overbearing coaching staffs.
But that might change in the future, Hawk said.
"More kids begin skateboarding each year than signup for Little League," Hawk added.
Reach the reporter at mark.saxon@asu.edu.
