X Games
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Variation of X Games logo, used for Winter X Games The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island.
The Winter X Games are held in January or February (usually in January) and the Summer X Games are usually held in August, both in the United States. Participants compete to win bronze, silver, and gold medals, and prize money. The competition often features new tricks such as Tony Hawk's 900 in skateboarding, Anthony Napolitan with the first double front flip on a bicycle, Travis Pastrana's double backflip in Freestyle Motocross, Levi Lavallee's double backflip in Freestyle Snocross, and Torstein Horgmo's first landed triple cork in a Snowboard competition. Concurrent with competition is the "X Fest" sports and music festival, which offers live music, athlete autograph sessions and interactive elements. The location of the Winter X Games is in Aspen, Colorado through 2012, while the location for the Summer X Games is in Los Angeles. The X Games also has international competitions and demos around the world that are held at varying times throughout the year. The games are shown live on television.
The Winter X Games is, as described by ESPN (2008), a competition compiled of the greatest winter action sport athletes from around the world competing on an annual basis. The competition contains day and evening events including skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. The first Winter X Games took place at Mountain Resort in Big Bear Lake, California, in 1997. The following two years, the Games were held at Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado. The two years following that, the Games were held in Mount Snow, Vermont. And since 2002 the Winter X Games have been held at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado, and according to ESPN they will continue to be held there through 2012.
Events
Summer X Games
- Moto
- Rally
- Skateboarding
- Skateboard Vert
- Skateboard Park
- Skateboard Street
- Skateboard Big Air
- Skateboard Best Trick
- BMX
- BMX Freestyle Vert
- BMX Freestyle Park
- BMX Freestyle Street
- BMX Freestyle Big Air
Winter X Games
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Snowmobile
- Snowmobile Freestyle
- Snowmobile Speed & Style
- Snowmobile Best Trick
- SnoCross
Past Events
- Inline skating
- BMX
- BMX Freestyle Dirt
- BMX Freestyle Flatland
- BMX Downhill
- Other
- Climbing
- Street Luge
- Surfing
- Downhill Skateboarding
- Wakeboarding
- Skysurfing
- Bungee jumping
Economics
The X Games gained media exposure due to their big name sponsors, top-tier athletes and consistent fan attendance. As the Journal of Sport Management (2006) explains, Generation X and Generation Y are the two most highly valued by marketers. This creates a broad approach on marketing towards that certain demographic, which is why the X Games marketing and economic outlook is so “out of the box.” According to EXPN (2008); The Winter X Games inaugural year, 1997, was televised to 198 countries and 38,000 spectators attended the four day event. In 1998, the attendance dropped to 25,000 spectators. But just two years later, a record attendance of 83,500 people attended the Winter X Games' East Coast debut. The X Games and Winter X Games continue to grow with the popularity of action sports and the athletes who compete in them.
The Interactive X Fest Village
The Ior spectators, athlete demos, climbing walls, video game experiences, and the chance to try new and upcoming products that are presented by sponsors. This area exists at both the X Games and Winter X Games.
Snowskate Park
The Snowskate Park is an actual layout provided by the Winter X Games sponsors in order to provide real-life interaction for all spectators. The Snowskate Park posts a schedule so that fans can enter the park in order to “play” around or show off their skills. The schedule usually includes: Open Park for the Public, Invitational Practices, Special Kids Events, Experienced Snowskate Sessions, and Competitive Sledding.
Musical performances
Throughout the Winter X Games live music line-ups are prepared in order to give fans the non-stop action that they came to see. Some performing music acts are up-and-coming bands/artists that are looking for serious exposure, but well-known talents perform at the Games as well. DJs are a fixed piece of the X Games, you can find them spinning the tracks during each athlete's run.
Environmental impact
X Games Environmentality (XGE), is an environmental green program that focuses on reducing waste through recycling and compositing greenhouse gas emissions through the use of alternative fuels. Disney (2008) explains that the X Games use biodiesel fuel, biofuel-powered RFTA shuttles, and 100% post-consumer recycled paper. In 2006, nearly 70% of event waste was diverted from Aspen-area landfills to be processed at specialized facilities. Each year improvements in waste reduction and recycling are met. Educational outreach for fans, staff and vendors are also conducted that will include opportunities to contribute to XGE’s efforts.[1][2]
Get Caught Recycling
Get Caught Recycling is a program created by the XGE in order to encourage recycling. Environmentality (2008) explains that the program works as follows: Fans who get caught recycling during the Games will be rewarded with tokens that they can redeem for valuable prizes at the TRASHed Recycling Store. The program produces solid results with voluntary recycling by fans in exchange for fun, environmentally-friendly prizes.[3]
Growth
The Winter X Games are the leading winter action sports competition in the entire world and it has demonstrated extraordinary growth since it's beginning. ESPN has documented this growth since 2008 which includes ratings, attendance, and participation, since the early years.
In the Games’ first year, 1995, the actual attendance of the event was strong at 38,000 people. Just three years later in 1998 attendance dropped to 25,000 people (note these values are estimations) attributed to its move to Crested Butte. Crested Butte offered a unique ski environment where new sports events were introduced such as free skiing, SnoCross, and SkiBoarding. Women’s Free Skiing was introduced a year later and attendance showed an increase at its second stay at Crested Butte.
A year later, the Games moved 2000 miles east, to Mt. Snow, Vermont gaining a record attendance of 83,500. The Games added the Snowboard SuperPipe event. Once again, held in Vermont in 2001, the Games posted another great fan turnout along with the addition of the Moto X Big Air event.
Publication
Winter X Games VIII in 2004 marked the first time that an X Games event was televised live and also featured coverage by ESPN's flagship news program, SportsCenter. Viewership across the three networks that carried coverage of the event – ABC Sports, ESPN and ESPN2 – exceeded last year's household average by 30% according to Nielsen Media Research. The event also reached record highs in several demographic categories. To accommodate the first-time live coverage, nighttime competitions were added, resulting in record attendance for the Aspen/Snowmass venue.
Winter X Games 2002
The 2002 Winter X Games were a huge year for ESPN and the X Games. It was the first year that the games were held in Aspen Colorado at Buttermilk Mountain. The Games continued to add new events including the Ski Slopestyle event and the Ski SuperPipe event. The most memorable incident of the 2002 Games was when the entire 2002 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Snowboarding Team showed up to compete in the Winter X Snowboard SuperPipe event, just weeks prior to the Salt Lake City Olympics. Also in 2002, ESPN announced the establishment of the X Games Global Championship. The Global Championship featured two distinct venues hosting competitions in summer and winter action sports simultaneously. It consisted of six teams of the World’s top athletes, grouped together by their region of origin, to compete in the four day event. The winter sports were held in Whistler Blackcomb Resort in British Columbia, and the events included snowboarding and skiing.
History
Summarized from EXPN.com [4]
Summer X Games
- 1995: Extreme Games – Newport, Rhode Island & Mount Snow, Vermont
- 1996: X Games Two – Providence & Newport, Rhode Island
- 1997: X Games Three – San Diego, California (June 20–28, 1997)
- 1998: X Games Four – San Diego, California (June 1998)
- 1999: X Games Five – Pier 30 & 32, San Francisco, California (June 25 – July 3, 1999)
- 275,000 in Attendance
- First Professional sporting event (full event) broadcast live on the internet.
- After eleven failed attempts, skateboarder Tony Hawk finally lands a 900-degree spin (the 900).
- Travis Pastrana wins the first ever MotoX Freestyle event at the X Games, after dislocating his spine last spring. He also scored the highest ever run of 99.00 points.
- 2000: X Games Six – Pier 30 & 32, San Francisco, California (August 17–22, 2000)
- Dave Mirra wins BMX Park, landing the first ever Double Backflip in competition.
- Tommy Clowers wins the first ever Moto-X Step Up event, at a record-breaking height of 35 feet.
- Bucky Lasek scores a 98.50 in Skateboard Vert, the highest in X Games history.[5]
- 2001: X Games Seven – First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (August 17–22, 2001)
- 235,000 in Attendance
- Bob Burnquist nails an almost perfect skateboard vert run with a score of 98.00.
- Taïg Khris wins the Inline Vert event, with the first double backflip in X Games history.
- Danny Harf lands a 900-degree spin in wakeboarding.
- 2002: X Games Eight – First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (August 15–19, 2002)
- Mat Hoffman lands the no handed 900-degree spin on a BMX.
- Mike Metzger landed the first back flip in Moto-X Freestyle X Games History over an 80 foot gap. He also pulled off two consecutive flips in a competition run for the Victory.
- 2003: X Games Nine – Staples Center & LA Coliseum, Los Angeles, California (August 14–17, 2003)
- Brian Deegan lands the first ever 360 in Freestyle Moto-X, earning him the bronze in FMX and gold in Big Air/Best Trick.
- Ryan Sheckler became the youngest X Games gold medalist ever at the age of 13 in Skateboard Streetpark
- 2004: X Games 10 – Staples Center, Home Depot Center, Long Beach Marine Stadium, Los Angeles, California (August 5–8, 2004)
- Nate Adams becomes the first person to defeat Travis Pastrana in the Freestyle Moto-X event at the X Games.
- Danny Way wins the first ever Skateboard Big Air event.
- Jeremy McGrath debuts at the X Games, winning gold in Moto-X Step Up, and bronze in Supermoto.
- Chuck Carothers wins Moto-X Best Trick with the first Body Varial done at X Games
- 2005: X Games 11 – Staples Center, Los Angeles, California (August 4–7, 2005)
- Removal of inline skating from competition.
- Shaun White failed to land the 1080 in skate best trick after 29 attempts.
- Jamie Bestwick pulled off the first ever double tailwhip flair in the BMX Vert Best Trick event.
- Travis Pastrana wins gold in Moto-X Freestyle again and becomes the most decorated athlete in Moto-X
- ESPN has signed a contract to keep the X Games in Los Angeles through 2009.
- 2006: X Games 12 – Staples Center, Home Depot Center & Long Beach Marine Stadium, Los Angeles, California (August 3–6, 2006)
- Travis Pastrana lands the world's first Double Backflip on a dirt bike, and wins Moto X Best Trick with a score of 98.60, the highest current score in Best Trick.
- Kevin Robinson lands the double flair for the first time.
- Travis Pastrana wins the inaugural X Games Rally beating former World Rally Champion, Colin McRae by .52 seconds after the latter rolls his car with 2 corners to go at the Home Depot Center.
- Chad Kagy lands the first flatwhip double tailwhip 540.
- Skateboarder Nyjah Huston becomes the youngest athlete to compete in X Games at 11 years old.
- 2007: X Games 13 – Staples Center, Home Depot Center & Long Beach Marine Stadium, Los Angeles, California (August 2–5, 2007)
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- Jake Brown gets hurt after landing the first 720 in Big Air competition. He fell from 40'+ in the air and landed on his backside and back on the flat. The force of the fall knocked his shoes off. After 8 minutes laying motionless, he walks away with help. Suffered a fractured wrist, bruised lung and liver, whiplash, ruptured spleen, and a concussion.
- Ricky Carmichael wins the first ever MotoX Racing Circuit.
- Mat Hoffman returns to competition in BMX Big Air.
- Simon Tabron does an X Games first, doing back-to-back 900s in BMX Vert.
- 2008: X Games 14 – Los Angeles, California (July 31 – August 3, 2008 )
- Danny Way clips his shins on the lip of the quarterpipe after a 20+ foot freefall during the Big Air comp, which the commentators refer to as the "second worst fall ever at the X Games" (the first being Jake Brown's the year prior). After spending a few minutes with paramedics, Way limps back to the ramp and goes on to nail the trick he'd fallen on, coming in second place.
- Ryan Sheckler Won Gold in Street Skateboarding, making it his second Gold medal at the X games.
- Kyle Loza won his second gold medal in the Moto X Best Trick competition in two appearances by performing a never-before-seen move named "The Electric Doom."
- Skateboarder Andy Macdonald won his 15th X Games medal, surpassing Tony Hawk as the all-time leader in skateboarding medals.
- Rally racer Travis Pastrana reclaimed the gold medal by defeating Tanner Foust in the Rally X final.
- Jim DeChamp falls while attempting first ever Frontflip on Moto-X bike
- Tarah Gieger of Puerto Rico won the gold medal in the first-ever women's supercross race.
- Jeremy Lusk Wins a Gold Medal in the Freestyle MotoCross (FMX) event.
- 2009: X Games 15 – Los Angeles, California (July 30 – August 2, 2009)
- Skateboarder Jake Brown wins his first gold medal in the Big Air competition.
- Danny Way wins the inaugural Big Air Rail Jam, a contest which he created.
- Paul Rodriguez wins the skateboard street
- Anthony Napolitan lands the first ever double front flip on a bicycle.
- Kyle Loza becomes the first person to three-peat gold Moto X Best Trick in controversial fashion by using the same trick he used to win in 2008, The Electric Doom, especially after the judges stating "innovation" will win the gold this year.
- Ricky Carmichael falls and hurts himself on Moto X Step Up. Due to the circumstances, dual gold medals were awarded to Carmichael and to Ronnie Renner.
- Travis Pastrana falls whilst attempting a Rodeo 720, or as he called it "The Toilet Paper Roll" in Moto X Best Trick.
- Blake Williams becomes the first non-American rider to win FMX Gold
- Jamie Bestwick 3-peats with win in BMX Vert.
- Pierre-Luc Gagnon wins gold in Skateboard Vert for the second consecutive year.
- In his first X Games appearance, retired IndyCar champion Kenny Brack wins Rally X gold over defending gold medalist Travis Pastrana.
- Ashley Fiolek, 18, wins the women's Moto X Super X, becoming the Games' first deaf medalist.
- 2010: X Games 16 – Staples Center, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum & L.A. Live, Los Angeles, California (July 29 – August 1, 2010)
- Travis Pastrana competes in 4 events after pulling out of Best Trick at the last minute. He comes back to Freestyle after a 3 year hiatus, and takes gold, pulling yet another Double Backflip, the first one done in X Games Freestyle competition. He has troubles in Rally, costing him gold in Rally Racing and the chance to compete in Super Rally, but comes back on the bike and wins his first gold in Moto X Speed & Style, beating Nate Adams
- Ashley Fiolek wins the women's Moto X Super X for the second year in a row, becoming the only rider to do so.
- Matt Buyten wins gold in Moto X Step Up, beating former champion, Ronnie Renner.
- Jamie Bestwick becomes the first person to 4-peats with a win in BMX Vert.
- Pierre-Luc Gagnon becomes the first athlete to 3-peat in Skateboard Vert, beating silver medalist, Shaun White.
- Garrett Reynolds becomes the first athlete to 3-peat in BMX Street.
- Cam Sinclair did what some call the greatest comeback in action sports history, winning his first X Games gold medal in Best Trick by pulling a Double Backflip, the trick that bit him hard in Red Bull X Fighters only 8 months ago, leaving him in a coma for 7 days, and having him retrain his body, learning how to walk and, eventually, to ride again.
- Ryan Sheckler wins the X games gold medal in Skateboarding Street seeking redemption after his X Games XV mishap.
[6]
Winter X Games
- 1997: Winter X Games 1, Big Bear Lake, California (January 30 – February 2, 1997)
- 1998: Winter X Games 2, Crested Butte, Colorado
- 1999: Winter X Games 3, Crested Butte, Colorado
- 2000: Winter X Games 4, Mount Snow, Vermont (February 3–6, 2000)
- 2001: Winter X Games 5, Mount Snow, Vermont
- 2002: Winter X Games 6, Aspen, Colorado (February 1–5, 2002)
- 2003: Winter X Games 7, Aspen, Colorado (January 30 – February 5, 2003)
- 2004: Winter X Games 8, Aspen, Colorado (January 22–25, 2004)
- 2005: Winter X Games 9, Aspen, Colorado (January 29 – February 1, 2005)
- 2006: Winter X Games 10, Aspen, Colorado (January 28–31, 2006)
- Jeaux Hall lands the 1080 in half-pipe contest after 17 attempts
- ESPN has signed a contract with the Aspen Skiing Company to keep the Winter X Games in Colorado through 2012
- 2007: Winter X Games 11, Aspen, Colorado (January 25–28, 2007)
- Peter Olenick lands first double-flip (The Whiskey Flip) in halfpipe competition history, starting a revolution and setting a new standard in superpipe tricks.
- 2008: Winter X Games 12, Aspen, Colorado (January 24–27, 2008)'
- 2009: Winter X Games 13, Aspen, Colorado (January 22–25, 2009)
- Levi LaVallee attempts the first double backflip on a snowmobile
- Shaun White wins first back to back golds in Snowboard superpipe
- 2010: Winter X Games 14, Aspen, Colorado (January 28–31, 2010)
- Eero Ettala won the gold medal. He reached the finals with a staggering 93.33 points. Runner up Eric Willet reached only 86.33 points.
- 2011: Winter X Games 15, Aspen, Colorado (January 27 – 30, 2011)
- Kelly Clark lands first 1080 in competition, in Women's Superpipe .
- Torstein Horgmo lands first triple cork in competition, in Men's Snowboard Big Air
- Shaun White becomes first to win 4 peat in the Super Pipe in X games history
- Sebastian Toutant wins multiple gold as a rookie
- During Snowmobile Best Trick brothers, Colton and Caleb Moore, successfully landed a two-man backflip but were disqualified because judges ruled the event as an individual sport. Daniel Bodin would later go on to take gold for the event.
X Games Venues
X Games Global Championships
From May 16 up until May 18, 2003, the X Games held a special event called the Global Championships, where 5 continents (2 countries in North America) competed in 11 disciplines. The event was held in two locations, the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (where 7 of the events, including In-line skating, Skateboarding, BMX and Freestyle Motocross, were held), as well as in Whistler, British Columbia (where the Superpipe events for Snowboarding and skiing took place).
The final team results were:
- It was also here at the Global Championships where Jamie Bestwick performed the first ever Tailwhip Flair in the BMX Vert event.
See also
