Street League Skateboarding announces 2014 tour dates and TV schedule
On the heels of signing a new cable distribution partnership with FOX Sports 1, Street League Skateboarding and its owner and founder Rob Dyrdek are announcing even more additions to the 2014 Street League Skateboarding Nike SB World Tour including new arena stops in Chicago and Los Angeles, a first-ever pro open event and golden ticket offerings that could advance one dark horse pro straight to the Super Crown Finals.
Where previously SLS events were open only to the tour’s select roster of professional and wildcard competitors, SLS’ new Pro Open allows a group of 20 elite pros from outside the tour a chance to go head-to-head against SLS pros for a shot at the event’s $75,000 prize purse along with three up-for-grab golden tickets—two to compete in the 2014 tour and one that leap frogs the winner straight to the Super Crown Finals.
“We’re thrilled to open up the SLS Nike SB World Tour to the broader community of pros looking to qualify into SLS with the Pro Open event,” says SLS President Brian Atlas. “The next generation of elite SLS pros will emerge through this contest and qualify for the tour, and possibly qualify to compete against the top SLS pros for the overall SLS Super Crown World Championship title.”
Presented by Monster Energy, the Pro Open will be held at the Nike SB Sixth & Mill training facility in downtown Los Angeles on May 17 and 18 consisting of a single-elimination round with the winning eight skaters advancing to the finals where they’ll have the chance to compete against past SLS champions Chris Cole, Nyjah Huston and Sean Malto and others.
“The addition of the Pro Open and the golden tickets kick starts the tour with instant drama and high stakes,” says Michael Bloom, FOX Sports SVP, Original Programming. “It’s a great way to launch the SLS Nike SB World Tour on FOX Sports 1. A new era in professional skateboarding is beginning.”
The inaugural Monster Energy Pro Open will be webcast live on FOXSports.com and StreetLeague.com.
Dyrdek says allowing pros from outside the tour the opportunity to compete in SLS brings all new levels of excitement to fans. “There’s so much talent in pro skateboarding today and there’s plenty of guys out there who could give our tour pros a run for their money,” says Drydek.
“Opening things up to these guys in The Monster Energy Pro Open gives fans a chance to see some of these incredibly talented skateboarders and ads yet another layer of anticipation and excitement to the tour because one of these skaters could potentially win it all.”
In addition to the Pro Open, SLS will be hosting three additional arena stops including the UIC Pavilion in Chicago on June 29, the Galen Center in Los Angeles on July 27, and the Prudential Center in Newark on August 24 all broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports GO. Dyrdek says he’s listened closely to fan feedback for tour planning and is excited to expand SLS to these new cities.
SLS founder Rob Dyrdek will be bringing the 2014 tour to Los Angeles, Chicago and Newark.
“We always have our ears to the street when it comes to making things better and more exciting at Street League,” he says. “Chicago was the most requested city according to our online poll so we’re very pleased to be bringing SLS to the fans there. Los Angeles is arguably the skateboarding capital of the world and we’re confident we’ll have a terrific crowd in Southern California.”
The Street League Skateboarding Nike SB Pro Tour begins with a Tour Kickoff Special during the Pro Open broadcast exclusively on FOX Sports 1 on May 29 at 9pm EST with continuing live tour coverage on Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports GO along with official live webcasts on StreetLeague.com and FOXSports.com.
SLS EVENT DATES AND VENUES
