The X Games have long been a symbol of counterculture and crazy feats of athleticism — but they’re entering new territory this year with the formation of the X Games League, the world’s first team-based, co-ed action sports league.
The top 40 skateboarders and BMX racers in the world were drafted to one of four new teams, representing LA, New York, São Paolo and Tokyo.
“This league is introducing a brand new concept in action sports. Forever, these competitions have been about nationality,” X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom tells Page Six Hollywood. “This professional league looks much more like the NHL or the NBA.”
Bloom would know — after becoming the youngest male freestyle skier to make the U.S. Olympic team at 15 and eventually winning 11 World Cup gold medals, he traded skis for shoulder pads as a football player for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2006.
“You don’t have to play in the NFL to appreciate how special it is to be a part of a team that accomplishes your biggest goals,” he added. “I was really excited about the idea that there’s this whole set of athletes in action sports who have never had an opportunity to be on a team, be part of a league, be part of multiple stops and compete for a championship.”
As league members, athletes won’t just have the fuzzy feeling of being on a team – they’re also being paid, a major departure from the lone wolf system where they’d pay their own way into a competition and only walk away with money if they placed high enough.
“It’s the first time in history that action sports athletes are receiving a salary. And they receive a health insurance stipend — that was really important to us. You can imagine how dangerous these sports are,” Bloom says. “These athletes deserve those types of opportunities, just like any other of the world’s best athletes.”
One such athlete is 11-year-old Aussie skater Mia Kretzer, who’s dreamed of going pro since she was five. As part of the LA team, she’ll have the chance to show off her skills in front of fans and potential sponsors at all three of XGL’s summer events in Sacramento, Japan and a championship in New Orleans.
“Look at someone like Mia, whose career is just beginning, and they might not have the same level of partnership that a veteran does. This is allowing them three opportunities to be seen by individuals and partners for additional support,” says LA team GM Sharalee “Haze” Hazen of the system. “Being as inclusive as possible and providing access allows for great competition.”
There are already plans to expand further — this September, X Games League will hold a draft for its first winter season, which has already attracted massive names like Eileen Gu and Kelly Sildaru.
But first, they’ve got a summer launch. DJs Kaskade, Mustard and Subtronics are among the high-profile acts performing at the inaugural event in Sacramento from June 26-28.
Blooms tells us that, “15.3 million people watched the X Games in Aspen this year on ESPN and ABC, and over 500 million viewed our sport globally in 190 countries. So, there’s a lot of eyeballs, and I think there’ll be even more, because people have loved the X Games for 30 years, they’re all curious about what this league is about.”
For X purists, the league doesn’t mean selling out, but democratizing the sport. “This is a new twist, and a modern take on what action sports and counterculture looks like moving forward,” Bloom says. “We’re not going to become some corporate league. We’re going to keep the DNA that has always made these sports special.”