Monster Jam
Monster Jam is a television show and live event created by Live Nation (formerly Clear Channel Entertainment). It is done under the umbrella of USHRA and features live events around the United States. Although individual event formats can vary greatly based on the "intermission" entertainment, the marque entertainment is always the races and freestyle competitions by monster trucks.Live events
Although Monster Jam events are held year round, the traditional competitive season (when televised shows are taped) runs from January to March, with a few events to start off the season in November. During the winter run, it is not unusual for up to 10 events to be run in different areas on the same weekend, with one or two major stadium events with 10-16 trucks, and a group of smaller arena events with 4-8 trucks. The season culminates in the Monster Jam World Finals in Las Vegas in late March.According to the USHRA in 2004 season more than 2.5 million people attended these events.
Because of the large number of events and massive popularity of the series, the list of trucks competing in the series is the longest of any promoter. The most popular trucks, which are usually featured on the television show, come from three primary groups: Trucks (or names) which are owned by Live Nation (such as Grave Digger and Madusa), independents or "privateers" (such as Gun Slinger and Avenger), and "corporate privateers" which are independently owned but sponsored by major companies (such as Bounty Hunter, sponsored by CSK Auto, and T-Maxx, sponsored by Traxxas). As some trucks are owned by Live Nation, a constant criticism is that events have the deck stacked in favor of their trucks, if not completely rigged. There is little evidence to support the claim, however, and Live Nation maintains that events are run fairly.