""Xtrem": Youth between thrill and cult.
Extreme sports as a temporal phenomenon

Higher, harder – and riskier. More and more young people are seeking out risks and embracing the extreme. Seven percent of young people in Germany have already tried bungee jumping from a bridge or a TV tower. Three times as many (211%) want to try the plunge. Currently, skydiving is the most popular activity among young people; almost a quarter (231%) plan to take the plunge in the near future. These findings come from representative surveys of 3,000 people aged 14 and over, published in the study "Xtrem. The Calculated Madness" by the Leisure Research Institute of British American Tobacco. The study also provides the first representative analysis of why people who participate in extreme sports voluntarily take risks.

""The main motivation for young people escaping the lack of excitement in everyday life is to avoid extreme boredom," says Prof. Dr. Horst W. Opaschowski, head of the institute. "Young people are more afraid of boredom than of risk. And when they experience the ultimate thrill through physical challenges, they also have the most fun." For them, fun means enjoying calculated risk. According to the respondents, bungee jumping (75%), canyoning (71%), river rafting (70%), and free climbing (62%) are among the riskiest and most daring sports.

The fun increases with the thrill.

A special survey of 217 extreme sports enthusiasts in Germany demonstrates that their primary motivation is enjoyment and achievement rather than thrills: "Just for fun" and doing something crazy "once" in life is the main driving force behind this generation of adventurers, who live in the here and now and want to actively experience and intensely enjoy life. "They are looking for a life of fun rather than a life of danger," says Professor Opaschowski. "They seek their physical challenge not because of the risk, but despite it. Thrills are fun. And the fun increases with the thrill – but only if they also return home safely.""

The allure and desire for risk are perceived very differently by the general public and by extreme athletes. For the vast majority of the population, it's clear: extreme athletes are simply escaping the boredom of their own lives (63%) and seeking the ultimate thrill (59%). Extreme athletes, however, place a completely different emphasis: their primary goal is to have fun (66%), with all other motives being secondary. Therefore, anyone who wants to understand and explain extreme sports as a contemporary phenomenon can no longer be satisfied with simple explanations. This is due to a complex mix of motives, ranging from pleasure to boredom. If extreme athletes were truly only interested in fun, they could simply go to the cinema, a disco, or the nearest amusement park. They want more: fun plus thrills plus adventure plus shared experiences.

""Explore your limits!""
Extreme athletes as border crossers

Risk athletes operate in extreme situations, voluntarily pushing boundaries but not crossing them. They want to be boundary-pushers, not dropouts. The BAT survey of risk and extreme athletes shows that they are predominantly young, single, and highly educated. They feel free and largely independent, don't have to consider family and children, and can therefore take more risks. Consequently, for example, there are three times as many bungee jumpers among 14- to 29-year-olds as in the general population. And university and college graduates are overrepresented among free climbers.

Extreme sports aren't just for men. Women are equally interested in free climbing, deep-sea diving, and survival training. In contrast, trekking, canyoning, bungee jumping, and skydiving remain the domain of male sporting interests. And despite the global spread of extreme sports, their contribution to accidents is extremely low, according to insurance companies: Football still tops the list of sports-related accidents.

Risk sports as a tool against the "potential for violence due to boredom""

Psychology shows that boredom arises when one feels unchallenged in life. And those who possess certain skills but have no opportunity to use them (e.g., during temporary unemployment) risk falling into a state of chronic boredom. The simplest remedy against boredom and a lack of excitement in life is physical activity. This deficit must be "worked off" somehow, otherwise it threatens to erupt into aggression, violence, or vandalism. Opaschowski: "Boredom, not criminal intent, lies behind many juvenile offenses." And most acts of violence don't stem from pleasure and passion, but from frustration and boredom.

Seen in this light, participating in extreme sports can prevent worse outcomes in the areas of aggression and violence, while simultaneously helping to compensate for a lack of meaningful experiences and fulfillment in everyday life. Extreme sports become a meaningful outlet. The temporary acceptance of risks should be accepted, especially among young people, as long as it does not threaten or harm others or society – paraphrasing Boris Becker: "My only competitor? Myself.""

The new BAT study "Xtrem. The Calculated Madness. Extreme Sports as a Contemporary Phenomenon" by Prof. Dr. Horst W. Opaschowski will be available in bookstores from September 19, 2000 (Price: DM 29.92, Germa-Press Verlag Hamburg, ISBN No. 3-924865-33-7)

We can provide journalists and editorial offices with a free review copy upon request via our publishing partner Germa Press (Fax 040 – 890 26 41).

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