While the X-games have only been on the scene for a short time, the daredevil tricks and revolutionary new stunts draw huge crowds of spectators that increase with each passing year. In televising extreme sports, ESPN saw a potential money-maker and a chance to grab a young demographic that was uninterested in mainstream sports such as baseball and football. The network began "The Extreme Games" in 1995 and the events included skateboarding, bungee jumping, roller blading, mountain biking, sky surfing, and street luging. Winners received medals, like athletes do in the Olympics. Many criticized the games, seeing them as insignificant. One reporter even labeled the games as "Look Ma, No Hands Olympics." Many more people found the games fascinating, including the two hundred thousand spectators that went to the first games in 1995 held in Rhode Island. ESPN decided to keep the games going, scheduling them to be held every year. In 1996, the games were renamed to be The X-games and in 1997, ESPN launched the Winter X-games. Along with skiing and snowboarding, other events included snowmobile freestyle and ice climbing.
The X-games have helped to make snowboarding and skateboarding very popular. Many of the stunts the athletes perform are incredibly dangerous but they are also revolutionary and serve to get more people interested in the sports.
Article from Time Magazine, written by Kate Pickert in January 2009.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1873166,00.html
Humble Beginnings
The X Games is the brainchild of the sports channel ESPN. Created in Newport, Rhode Island in 1995 the X Games is a competition for numerous “action sports”. An instant hit, the inaugural event attracted 200,000 sport fans. Male and female athletes from around the world compete to win prize money, Bronze, Silver and Gold medals.
On February, 1996 the Walt Disney Company officially acquired ESPN and thus the X Games.
ESPN wanting to engage not just “summer action sports” but also Winter sports such as Skiing and Snowboarding . In 1997 in Big Bear, California the Winter X Games held it’s first season with a modest 30,000 fans.
Events Include: Snowboard Slope, Snowboard Super Pipe ,Snowboarding Street, Skiing course, Snowmobile Best Trick, Snowmobile SnoCross
The X-Games have become so popular worldwide, ESPN created X-Games Asia, X-Games Europe and in 2003 an X-Games Global competition was held where athletes from five continents competed in their respective summer and winter sports. The X-Games Global were held in Texas and British Columbia.
X-Games Milestones:
1995- Inaugural Summer season
1997- Inaugural Winter season
1998- Inaugural X-Games Asia Season
2003- X-Games Global Competition
2010- Inaugural X-Games Europe (Winter)
Content Source: KIAXGAMESASIA.COM, ESPN.COM, ESPNMEDIAZONE3.COM
Humble Beginnings
Check out the end of the documentary "The Birth of Big Air" which details Matt Hoffman's career and influence on the sport of BMX. Notice the difference between the polished big air ramps at the X-Games today and the rickety ramps Hoffman was using 15 years ago. The rest of the documentary is definitely worth checking out for a great look at what extreme athletes were doing before the X-Games existed. You can start with part one here and follow the youtube suggestions for the rest of the movie.
The Birth of Big Air, Espn Films
Z-Boys and Dog Town
A really cool documentary some of you may have already seen (it was later made into a movie starring Heath Ledger) about the origins of competitive skateboarding and evolution of extreme and aerial skateboarding. Again notice how primitive and bare bones everything is about the sport. The equipment, the sponsors (at first the Z-Boys own skate shop) and the moves are all a far cry from what the sport is today. A really entertaining movie even if you are not a skateboarding fan. Feel free to check out part 2 and the rest here (Ignore the German subtitles)
What do you see personally is the biggest way that the X-Games have changed since your first memories of them?
Z-Boys and Dog Town, Agi Orsi Productions
