Skater chick, you're equal now with biker dude

After all those ESPN "SportsCenter" stories year after year publicizing how the men and women championships weren't paid the same at Wimbledon ... And the importance of Title X. ... And showing as many women's basketball games as the men (OK, that'll never happen).

Little did we know that the men and women winners at the X Games were equally inequitably compensated. Until it was revealed today to us by ...

ESPN.

"ESPN is proud to announce that the X Games and Winter X Games will feature equal prize money for both men and women in 2009," came the announcement out of the blue by John Skipper, network exec VP in charge of content (but not payroll).

"ESPN has been a leader in promoting and programming women's athletics, and this recent action sports prize purse increase is the latest example. This past summer saw the X Games feature women's motocross for the first time, and the upcoming Winter X Games will feature a host of female Olympic medalists from several different countries. Starting with Winter X Games 13 in January, 2009, men and women athletes at all X Games events will compete for equal cash awards."

That's the second revelation included in this announcement.

We always assumed every winner was paid in cases of Mountain Dew.