X Games 17: BMX Community Rallies Behind Legend Dennis McCoy

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Followup on Dennis McCoy Article, Addressing Twitter Banter

Earlier today, I wrote an article suggesting that 44-year-old Dennis McCoy is too old to compete. While he is clearly still talented enough to compete, I believe that McCoy should retire before he rides into his 50s.

I was subsequently barraged by a slew of hateful tweets from the BMX community. It comes as no surprise that the article was received negatively by McCoy's fans and fellow riders.

The BMX community loves McCoy. He's one of the godfathers of the X Games and has participated in every single X Games. Undoubtedly, he's a legend.

He's also a very likeable guy. While it's hard not to be a fan of McCoy, it's important to keep things in perspective.

As the angry Tweeters so readily pointed out, he's "The Babe Ruth of BMX". I couldn't agree more, which is why although I'm not going to dish out the apology everyone is clamoring for on Twitter, I most certainly will give credit where credit is due.

McCoy isn't the same rider he was when he was dominating in the late 1990s. Even so, there is no denying his talent and unparallelled longevity. He's able to take part in a physically challenging sport at his age, which is a feat within itself.

He's also played a crucial role in the development of the sport. Him being a good guy and his old age being celebrated set the stage for huge backlash from an article that suggested that he was too old to participate in the sport.

I completely understand that many X Games fans will never get tired of seeing McCoy partake in the competition. He's one of the best ever, and while I'm still not keen on the idea of watching riders compete into their mid 40s, I'm certainly willing to acknowledge what he has done for the sport.

For more coverage of X Games 17 keep it locked to Bleacher Report's Action Sports Page for up-to-date news and analysis.

--Kyle Vassalo

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