While some people may think that the idea of riding on a dirt bike or motorcycling is trash, that is not the case. As a matter of fact, it is important to know that all of these alternative sports are now more popular than ever before. But to understand this, there is a lot of information that you must come by. Here are the facts on dirt bikes, snowmobile equipment, the X-Games, and everything in between.
The X-Games Have Helped Make Dirt Bikes Popular
One of the events that have helped bring about the popularity of dirt bikes and motorcycling is none other than the X-Games. The X-Games was first held in the year of 1995 and has helped bring about the popularity of skateboarding, motorcycle dealers, and dirt bikes. This is a big event that allows for the best athletes in these alternative sports to come and show off and compete.
The very first attendance numbers for the very first X-Games managed to reach a total of 198,000. While this does not seem a lot, it is important to keep in mind this is the first X-Games ever. Plus, this is an event celebrating alternative sports which have grown in popularity over the years but did not start out hot!
In 2017, total X Games attendance was 215,000. The highest attendance record for any X Games came in 1999 when almost 270,000 people attended the event. So while the attendance has dipped a little bit it does not take away from the popularity of dirt bikes.
Other Alternative Sports Are Popular
If you want to understand how dirt bikes became so popular just take a look at the other alternative sports in North America. For instance, snowmobiling has grown in terms of popularity and is a smash hit in areas with lots of snow. Over 100,000 full-time jobs are generated by the snowmobile industry in North America.
Last year, there were 118,657 snowmobiles sold worldwide. Nearly 50,659 were sold in the United States and 44,161 were sold in Canada. Currently, there are over 1.2 million registered snowmobiles in the US and over 600,000 registered snowmobiles in Canada. Snowmobiling’s impact on the economy in the United States is $26 billion annually. In Canada, it is $8 billion annually. Then in Europe and Russia, the impact equals nearly $5 billion annually.
The money Around The Sport Is Growing
One thing that will always be true is that people are always following the money. This has been true since the dawn of money and society and will continue to be true until the very end. Just under 41,000 all-terrain vehicles were sold to customers in the United States between January and March 2017. These numbers are so high because the money that surrounds dirt bikes is higher than ever before.
Global motorsports sponsorship spending totaled $4.97 billion in 2012. In 2012, the global motorsports sponsorship managed to reach nearly $5.12 billion. Then in the year of 2014, the global motorsports sponsorship spending has managed to total nearly $5.26 billion.
Global spending on motorsports sanctioning bodies, teams and tracks was projected to total $5.58 billion in 2016, a 2.8 percent increase from 2015. This growth is going to attract families to get their children on dirt bikes at a younger age. This is why Football and Basketball are so popular because the athletes get paid a lot of money!
In Conclusion
Across the globe, dirt bikes are becoming more and more popular as the years go by. Based on the current numbers, this trend is likely not going to go away. Instead, it will continue to grow and become even more popular. So if you are interested in getting on a dirt bike then the time is now!