The
X Games is an annual sports event, controlled and arranged by American sports broadcaster
ESPN (with coverage also shown on its sister network
ABC), which focuses on
extreme sports. The inaugural X Games were held in the summer of 1995 in
Newport, Rhode Island. Participants compete to win bronze, silver, and gold medals, as well as
prize money.
The competition often features new tricks such as
Tony Hawk's
900 in
skateboarding,
Travis Pastrana's double backflip in
freestyle motocross, Heath Frisby's first ever snowmobile front flip in Snowmobile Best Trick, and
Torstein Horgmo's first landed triple flip 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 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 demographics 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 ESPN (2008), the
Winter X Games inaugural year, 1997, 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.
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