It seems to me that in 2009 we are seeing an increase in the number of big events, including some new late summer stadium events that are yet another great indication of the continued growth and expansion of the sport worldwide.

Monster Jam’s major season, especially for the huge stadium and freestyle events, continues to run from December through March, however this year with some added first time events the schedule has given us even more action after Tom Meents in Maximum Destruction and Damon Bradshaw in the Air Force Afterburner claimed the ’09 World Championships last March at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. With several long time, tradition rich outdoor summer events now complemented by more summertime opportunities Monster Jam fans get even more chances to cheer for their favorite superstars year round these days.
Following the trek to Las Vegas at the end of March many Monster Jam teams barely had time to catch their breath before heading to Central America as that part of the World Tour went into Costa Rica and Panama. Then the summer kicked off in May and June with the return to Europe on the Monster Jam World Tour, and clearly those May and June events have been a big part of the added stadium dates on the annual schedule. Those battles in Poland, Wales, and Sweden were amazing, in part because the huge soccer floors in each of the venues in those countries allowed Monster Jam officials to build big time courses and the drivers got the chance to really show their speed and creativity and of course to really air their trucks out.

While the European stops that took us into summer created more mega-show opportunities right off the bat this summer has seen the continuation of some Monster Jams in places like West Lebanon, N Y, as well, some of those being sites where the sport has been returning for two decades on an annual basis, But this summer has also seen a couple of new additions worth noting as we keep seeing Monster Jam grow larger and greater. The new Freestyle Mania’s debut in Mobile, AL, last month and the debut of a summer stadium Monster Jam on the North American continent to start this month in Glendale, AZ, are a couple of exciting developments that have the potential to make future summers even busier nd more exciting for the sport’s teams and fans.

I’m not privy to any “inside” information as to how the planners who arrange the competition dates are looking into the future, so anything I write here is just one person’s thoughts and speculation. That said, it’s pretty exciting to look ahead and see where the potential is for added high profile events in the coming years. When you look at the declines in other sports’ attendance and television ratings it’s clearly a tough market out there these days with lots of competition for the sports and entertainment fans. Even NASCAR, with its amazing numbers over the last quarter century, has seen a dip in ratings and paying customers this year. Yet Monster Jam continued to sell out domes, stadiums, and arenas throughout the year.

Looking at ideas for growth, the bigger and better concept, is where I think Monster Jam has some huge advantages. Other sports maybe can make a rule adjustment here or there, build a new stadium, add a new track, but that’s pretty much it. Not only do we see Monster Jam machines flying higher and farther but because of the creative nature that is a part of the sport Monster Jam construction teams and officials continue to build new race courses and obstacles each year that keep that part of the competitions fresh.

So looking down the road here is another chance to thrill even more fans in new ways, starting with Freestyle Mania, a format that, if it does expand into other markets as we go forward is sure to create even more of that fresh excitement that fans love. Clearly that concept has the potential to be a big hit anywhere including in some places where the sport has played successfully for years and years. And maybe we’ll see in the future some more of the big stadium Monster Jams in the summer months, like the debut at University of Phoenix Stadium, also the home of this year’s Super Bowl, that expand the Monster Jam stadium experience into even more new homes. While the sport pretty much has he available buildings covered in the first quarter of the year, there are some big stadiums in colder weather cities not logical for first quarter events because of the weather that might just be ripe for future Monster Jam summertime growth. I don’t know if we’ll see that in the future, I just know that where many sport’s have reached their limits in some ways, there are so many possible new Monster Jam events, both style wise and in terms of location, that it continues to be so much fun to be a part of a sport that just keeps going higher and reaching farther and thrilling more and more fans every year.  
For some of us the summer excitement continues this weekend as we head to Sunrise, FL. With so many of Monster Jam’s greatest fans in the Sunshine State it’s going to be great to be back in south Florida this weekend and be a part of watching the sport’s superstars rocked the house all weekend long in front of those fervent Florida fans. If you’re in south FLA this make sure you come catch all the excitement live this Friday and Saturday.