BMX as a sport was downsizing because of the "freestyle" craze. When mountain bikes came out it pretty much drove it into the ground. the local bike shops dropped their bmx lines in favor of mtbs and everyone I knew dumped their 20 inchers.

and tbqh, I don't care for the mtb movement because when I think of mtbs, I think of them on top of suvs, stopping at starbucks with eddie bauer bags flying out of the back. Sorry.