The American Bicycle Association (ABA) was a US-based BMX racing governing body in Gilbert, Arizona.
[8] The ABA was founded as a governing body to preserve BMX racing's competitive spirit: "This need for fairness and allowing for the fortunes of luck led the way to the transfer system, in which the winner of each moto advances to the next round - be it quarter, semi or main event".
[11] Later in the year, Tulsa-based USA BMX headquarters opened to host events such as the Grand Nationals, representing 46 states and 20 countries.
An American Bicycle Association was created in January 1975 by Bob Bailey,[12] but went bankrupt by December 1975 with only 20 paid members.
Other BMX organizations included:[citation needed] Complaints about high entry fees and subpar track conditions were lodged against the ABA.
BMX Action ended its editorial boycott partially due to an agreement with the ABA to stop publishing the association's in-house magazine, Bicycles and Dirt.
The decrease meant that fewer companies (BMX and non-BMX) purchased advertising and sponsorship spots, and stopped sending their well-funded race teams to ABA events.
Most non-sponsored BMX racers stopped attending ABA events due to the lack of press coverage.
Forgoing a subscription model to attract a larger audience, the ABA first sold BAD on newsstands with Stu Thomsen on the cover.
The magazine's financial situation was poor and, to end the editorial boycott by BMX Action, the ABA ceased publication of Bicycles and Dirt with the September 1984 issue.
[16] The rising cost of insurance affected every BMX organization during the early 1980s, and the ABA was particularly vulnerable because of Bicycles and Dirt's financial difficulty.
Races were held on Friday nights, and broadcasts were limited to two hours to fit a typical television schedule and audience attention span.
The first ABA Pro Spectacular, held in Reno, Nevada, on January 4, 1985, attracted enough pros for a lively competition (thanks, in part, to the $10,000 purses offered for each race).
[18] Bicycle racing of all types was more popular in Europe and South America, where crowds filled venues and racers were regularly featured in the news.
The 1983 International Bicycle Motocross Federation-sanctioned world championship, held in Slagharen, the Netherlands, attracted 15,000 to 20,000 spectators and was broadcast live on European television.
[19] A campaign of 68 30-second TV advertisements during popular US programs such as Magnum, P.I., Dynasty and Good Morning America failed to attract comparable North American interest.
The Knott's Berry Farm race, sanctioned by the National Bicycle League, increased animosity between the NBL and the ABA.
The new owners installed Walt Ehnat, who had partnered with Gary Ellis Sr. in running four tracks in the Seattle area, as president.
[24] With reported liabilities to twenty creditors of $700,000[24] to $750,000,[23] however (most attributable to Bicycles and Dirt), they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 25, 1985.
[25] John took Hadley's joke seriously, and had ABA headquarters swept for bugs by experts in countersurveillance and corporate espionage.
Two experts found evidence of tampering in a telephone trunk line leading to John's office; the wires were stripped in a way indicating that a phone had been tapped.