Max Fredriksson Breaks Down Why Slopestyle Riders Are On Strike
Over the weekend at Crankworx Rotorua, the male slopestyle athletes made the unprecedented decision to sit out from competition over concerns that their needs were not met, a big part of which was financial.
Watch slopestyle star Max Fredrikseon explain in detail and provide behind-the-scenes footage below.
In this video, Max informs his audience about the disagreement between the riders and event organizers.
It is important to drill down on a couple of points lest the viewer get an inaccurate impression of what happened. When Max said that the strike was not just about money he was not lying. However, Crankworx proved to be flexible and moved on to two of the three of the riders' demands. They committed to working with the riders on course safety and increasing prize money. The sticking point was the appearance fee.
Related: Crankworx Responds To Men's Slopestyle Strike
It is simply inaccurate to say that there was no movement. There was also a sleight of hand to say that these issues are nothing new, but then go on to say the formal demands were laid out the week of Crankworx.
What this whole debate gets to is the sustainability of the sport of Slopestyle. This is the crux of the debate. If the organizers of the event are hoarding money that could be more equitably split with the riders, then it is unsustainable to do so.
Likewise, if the riders are asking for a large slice of a small pie then it is not sustainable to damage the biggest slopestyle series out there by asking for money that is not there, a sentiment echoed by the former owner of Crankworx.
Related: Former Crankworx Exec Calls Slopestyle Strike a "Hijack Move"
At the end of the day Collective bargaining is a negotiation, and holding the line at a demand may damage relations between the riders and the event.
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