Yesterday, the Action Sports Tour (AST) was a big deal, with the five-stop summer Dew Tour and the three-stop Winter Dew Tour getting ready to launch.  Today, it’s world got a whole lot bigger as it has partnered with the Maloof Money Cup, King of Wake series and the AMA Motocross Championship to have a monster offering of seven action sports tours comprising more than 25 individual pro events and more than 75 total events (including the amateur Free Flow tour).  It’s name?  ALLI: The Alliance of Action Sports.  It’s co-owned by NBC Sports and MTV, and shows that Viacom/MTV is serious about this action sports thing.

Watch out ESPN, there’s a new big dog in town.

Read on for all the details.

NBC SPORTS AND MTV ANNOUNCE THE CREATION OF ALLI, THE ALLIANCE OF ACTION SPORTS

Alli to include seven national & international action sports properties, adding new partnerships with Maloof Money Cup, AMA Motocross Championship & King of Wake series to popular Dew Tour franchise

NEW YORK – December 1, 2008 – NBC Sports and MTV, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), announced today the creation of Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports™.  Alli is a global business that joins the former Action Sports Tour properties (AST) with Maloof Money Cup, AMA Motocross Championship and King of Wake series to create the most diverse and robust action-sports offering in the world. The new umbrella brand, which will continue to be co-owned by NBC Sports and MTV, will offer a schedule of seven national and international action sports tours and events, multimedia content and production, a digital hub and consumer-facing lifestyle brand.

Building on the successful foundation of AST, Alli will serve as the owner and operator of the Dew Tour and Winter Dew Tour, Free Flow Tour, and the China Invitational. In addition, Alli has formed partnerships with industry leaders and premier properties: Maloof Money Cup, the AMA Motocross Championships, and the King of Wake series.  Alli partners will continue to manage their respective events with the added benefit of television programming on NBC Sports and MTV, global media content distribution, sponsorship sales, and marketing and promotion across all platforms. A soon-to-be-launched digital hub will also serve as the online destination for all Alli properties and a leading source of all action sports content and news.

This announcement comes six months after the groundbreaking joint venture between NBC and MTV around the AST and its related businesses.  This wide-ranging, strategic partnership expanded the business across NBC and MTV’s multiple screens, including action sports competition and youth-focused lifestyle programming, cross-promotion, multi-platform content and distribution, consumer products licensing and an enhanced digital offering.  Moving forward under the Alli brand, the partnership will include over 80 hours of original programming offered annually across NBC, USA Network, MTV and MTV2

“Alli’s mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action sports by showcasing both the competition and lifestyle aspect of these sports.  We believe these are the sports of a new generation and Alli will bring together the best properties, athletes, and brands globally for the fans of action sports,” says Wade Martin, President of Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports.

“When NBC Sports launched the Dew Tour we knew there would be an opportunity to expand into other action sports.  We are excited to bring the best programming across the entire action sports genre on multiple media distribution platforms to our audience,” says Kevin Monaghan, Senior Vice President, Business Development, NBC Sports & Olympics.

Added Jeff Yapp, Executive Vice President of Program Enterprises for MTV Networks Music & Logo Group, “This is a major step in building the business we imagined when we first partnered with NBC Sports. Building our online platform, creating a lifestyle brand, and expanding original content will positively impact the network of partners, athletes, fans and the action sports industry as a whole, which is everything that the alliance represents”.

An overview of the Alli properties is as follows:

Maloof Money Cup

Held for the first time in 2008, the Maloof Money Cup, owned and operated by the Maloof family, has quickly become the premier skateboarding event within the community and attracts every top athlete.  Including three professional competitions – Men’s and Women’s Pro Street, and Men’s Pro Vert – and the Amateur Championships, it boasts the largest single event purse in skateboarding with over $450,000 in prize money.

AMA Motocross Championship

AMA Motocross Championship is the top outdoor series in motocross and draws elite rider talent from all around the world. The MX Sports-organized series, which began in 1972, spans 12 races across the U.S., and at the end of each year, the AMA National Motocross Championship titles are awarded based on the riders’ performances over the entire series.

King of Wake

As the elite pro wakeboarding circuit, the King of Wake series has attracted the sport’s top riders from throughout the globe. With more than $300,000 in prize money over the eight-event season, riders compete over the course of the year to be named the “King of Wake” – an award based on points accumulated at each stop of the series. Events include Wake Games, Pro Wakeboard Tour (5 events), WWA National Championships, and WWA World Championships. The King of Wake is organized by World Sports & Marketing – the leading wake event producers since 1988.

Dew Tour

The Dew Tour, the premier season-long series in action sports, consists of five major, multi-sport events, featuring skateboarding (park and vert), BMX (park, vert, and dirt), and FMX.  Dew Tour is the most watched and attended action sports property in the world with over 250k spectators, 41 million total viewers and reaches over 100 countries worldwide. The events extend across the country, have a cumulative points system, and a $3.5 million competitive purse. The Dew Tour has been the cornerstone property of AST over the last four years, and its success has now enabled the formation of Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports. It crowns year-end champions including past Dew Cup winners Ryan Sheckler, Shaun White, Bucky Lasek, Jamie Bestwick, and Nate Adams.

Winter Dew Tour

The Winter Dew Tour is launching in December of ’08, and will expand Alli’s footprint into the winter action sports. It consists of three major, multi-sport events spanning across the country, with a cumulative points system, and a $1.5 million competitive purse.  The tour will feature 29 hours of original television programming. Each event features men and women’s snowboard (superpipe and slopestyle), and men’s freeskiing (superpipe and slopestyle).  Top athletes, Shaun White, Hannah Teter, Travis Rice, Simon Dumont, and Danny Kass, are already planning to compete.

Free Flow Tour

The Free Flow Tour, the Dew Tour’s official amateur series, provides amateur athletes the opportunity to earn a chance to compete against the pros in the Dew Tour.  The Free Flow Tour consists of 50 events across 26 cities in the U.S., featuring skateboarding and BMX. The winners of the Free Flow Tour Finals compete against the pros at the Dew Tour’s PlayStation Pro in Orlando, Fla.  Past Free Flow Tour winners include Chaz Ortiz (2007 Dew Cup Winner, Skate Park) and Mike Spinner (2008 Dew Tour Second Place, BMX Park).

China Invitational

The China Invitational is Alli’s first international expansion initiative. The inaugural China Invitational was held in April 2008 in Beijing, China and featured the top skateboarders competing in vert and park disciplines before a capacity crowd.

For the first-ever “Queen of Wake” event, the UK’s Nicola Butler was a surprise winner following Dallas Friday’s departure from the event Saturday. Amber Wing may have been the favorite once Friday was ousted, but she ended up in fourth, following Laura Lohrmann and Barrett Perlman.

There was a lot of other action going on, but you can check out the official press release below for that!

International Showdown at Air Nautique Wake Games Finals

ORLANDO, Fla. – The world’s best wakeboarders battled it out on the waters of the Orlando Watersports Complex today in the final rounds of the 2008 Air Nautique Wake Games.

Today’s main event featured an international showdown between Rusty Malinoski (Humboldt, Sask.), Phillip Soven (Longwood, Fla.), Adam Errington (Ullapool, Sct.) and Josh Sanders (Nowra, Aus.) in the Pro Men’s Division finals. All four rippers took to the water, going huge and holding nothing back, as all four riders wanted to kick off the 2008 King of Wake season with a win. Overall it was a tight battle, but ultimately, the “Bone Crusher,” Rusty Malinoski, took home the title; Soven, Errington and Sanders respectively rounded out the finals.

Although Phillip Soven didn’t take home the win today, the current wakeboard world champion did pick-up some extra cash thanks to Rockstar Energy Drink. Soven was named the winner of the Rockstar Energy Drink Best Trick Award, a $1,000 cash bonus for landing the most impressive trick of the contest.

It’s only Nicola Butler’s second year as a pro rider, but this talented female ripper from the United Kingdom is already riding like a true veteran. Today’s win is historical, not only because it is Butler her first pro title, but it also goes down as the first win of the inaugural Queen of Wake series.

Brian Grubb, Reed Hansen, Danny Hampson and Andrew Pastura battled it out on the water today in the Pro Wakeskate finals. All four shredders were holding nothing back today, as each rider was looking to capture the win. When everything was said and done, Brian Grubb took the top spot to claim the title, his third of his career. Grubb has won the Pro Wakeskate title at the Air Nautique Wake Games every year since the contest’s inception.

Six of wakeboarding’s future stars took the water today for the Jr. Men’s finals. Although it was a close battle for most of these rippers, Jimmy LaRiche stood out from the competition, scoring nearly 20-points higher than his next closest competitor, Harley Clifford. LaRiche takes home the 2008 title.

Although Harley Clifford didn’t take home the win today in the Jr. Men’s finals, he did pick-up some extra cash at the Air Nautique Wake Games thanks Pleasurecraft Marine Engine Company (PCM). Clifford won the PCM Amateur Best Trick Award, a $500 bonus presented to an amateur rider chosen by tournament officials for landing the most impressive trick of the contest.

After leading his heat in the semifinals, Sam Thomson continued his success in the Men’s I Division by posting the high score in today’s finals, taking home the title. Tim Clinton again led the Men’s II Division and claimed the win.

Three of the most talented and youngest rippers in world battled it out on the water today in the Jr. Boys finals, but in the end, Ben Watts ended-up taking home the title. In the Boys finals, Freddie Wayne claimed the top spot.

After everything was said and done, Shaun Murray’s crew once again won the Air Nautique Wake Games team title and cash prize. Team Murray consisted of: Shaun Murray, Dean Smith, Josh Sanders, Brian Grubb, Kate Laird, Emily Copeland Durham, Joe Phillips, Kevin Michael, Julian Cohen and Freddie Wayne.

To catch all the wakeboarding action from home, tune in to Fuel TV. For exact air dates, visit www.kingofwake.com.

Fuel TV is a 24/7 action-sports lifestyle network for wakeboarding, skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX and freestyle motocross. A unit of Fox Cable Networks, Fuel TV was launched July 1, 2003, and is seen in 24 million U.S. homes. To subscribe to Fuel TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit fuel.tv.

The Air Nautique by Correct Craft is the exclusive tow boat of the Wake Games and the WWA Nationals. Celebrating more than 80 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a family-owned manufacturer of internationally acclaimed, competition-caliber water-ski and wakeboard boats, as well as boats for recreational enjoyment. Correct Craft Inc. is known for superior-quality products, cutting-edge technology and innovative hull designs.

ROCKSTAR is the world’s most powerful energy drink – Developed to increase the recovery time of those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles, ROCKSTAR Energy Drink is available in ten amazing flavors. You can find Original, Sugar Free, Juiced, Zero Carb, Guava, Pomegranate, Punched and Roasted Mocha, Roasted Vanilla Light and Roasted Latte at convenience and grocery retail outlets across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and throughout the UK.

WakeBoarding, published by Bonnier Corp., is the official magazine of the Air Nautique Wake Games. WakeBoarding is the definitive source on all things wakeboarding, with expert coverage of professional instruction, gear, boats and the latest news.

The Air Nautique Wake Games is organized by World Sports & Marketing of Orlando, Fla. The Wake Games have the support of the following sponsors: Correct Craft, Rockstar Energy Drink, PCM, Fox, Mona Vie, the U.S. Air Force, Central Florida Toyota, Hyperlite, CWB, Gator Boards, Ronix, Oakley, Reef, Cire, wakeworld.com and theliquidcircus.com.

Sunday, April 27 Results:

Men’s Professional
Finals Heat #: 01
1 Malinoski, Rusty CAN 96.00
2 Soven, Phillip USA 95.00
3 Errington, Adam SCT 78.00
4 Sanders, Josh AUS 59.00

Women’s Professional
Finals Heat #: 01
1 Butler, Nicola UK 60.00
2 Lohrmann, Laura USA 51.11
3 Perlman, Barrett USA 48.33
4 Wing, Amber AUS 31.11

Professional Wakeskate
Finals Heat #: 01
1 Grubb, Brian USA 68.33
2 Hansen, Reed USA 61.67
3 Hampson, Danny Conch 50.00
4 Pastura, Andrew USA 35.00

Junior Men (14-18)
Finals Heat #: 01
1 LaRiche, Jimmy USA 86.67
2 Clifford, Harley AUS 68.89
3 Soven, Robert USA 68.33
4 Cohen, Julian USA 51.67
5 Lafferty, Steel USA 46.67
6 Askew, Jarrod 40.00

Men’s 2 (25-29)
Finals Heat #: 01
1 Clinton, Tim USA 60.00
2 Bagnaro, Joey USA 46.67
3 Dunbar, Jesse USA DQ
Men’s 1 (19-24)
Finals Heat #: 01
1 Thomson, Sam 75.00
2 Heinz, Tyler USA 66.67
3 Cook, Travis USA 48.33
4 Leonard, Colt USA 43.33
5 Link, Lewis USA 31.67
6 Rivait, Dylan 25.00

Boys (10-13)
Finals Heat #: 01
1 Wayne, Freddie 71.67
2 Swink, Cooper USA 65.00
3 Flegel, Noah USA 56.67
4 Evans, Kyle USA 54.17
5 Shuler, Gus USA 33.33
6 Koch, Paulie USA 23.33

Junior Boys (9 and under)
Finals Heat #: 01
1 Watts, Ben 46.67
2 Martella, Joe 43.33
3 Watts, Parker 18.33

Junior Boys (9 and under)
Finals Heat #: 01
1 Watts, Ben 46.67
2 Martella, Joe 43.33
3 Watts, Parker 18.33

Pro Men Semifinals:

Heat #1 Heat #3
1 Josh Sanders – 95 1 Rusty Malinoski – 98
2 Shaun Murray – 94 2 JD Webb – 88
3 Tino Santori – 82 3 Bryan Hutton – 84

Heat #2
1 Adam Errington – 95 Heat #4
2 Jeff Weatherall – 90.2 1 Phillip Soven – 100
3 Dean Smith – 72.5 2 Andrew Adkison – 86.5
3 Shane Bonifay – 83.5