The History of X Games
The X Games are an annual extreme sports event that have taken place for the past 14 years. The Games are composed of the Winter X Games (which usually take place in January) and the Summer X Games (which typically take place in August). The Summer X Games are slated for Los Angeles through 2009, while the Winter X Games are scheduled through 2012 in Aspen, Colorado. They feature a bevy of extreme sports events, including skateboarding, snowboarding and motocross racing.
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Summer X Games History
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The X Games began in 1995 with the advent of the Summer X Games. The first event (billed as the Extreme Games) took place in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island and Vermont. It moved to San Diego two years later and stayed there for two years before relocating to San Francsico in 1999.
The event then moved to Philadelphia for the 2001 and 2002 X Games, before moving to Los Angeles in 2003, where it has resided ever since.
The Summer X Games have gained in popularity every year since their formation, and routinely draw more than 200,000 each year, in addition to millions more viewers on television.
Summer X Games Events
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The Summer X Games feature several extreme sporting events, including skateboarding, surfing, BMX, rally car racing and freestyle motocross racing.
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Winter X Games History
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Capitalizing on the success of the Summer X Games, the Winter X Games launched in 1997 in California. The event moved to Colorado for the next two years and to Vermont the following two years, before settling into its present home of Aspen in 2002. The event routinely draws approximately 100,000 people annually.
Winter X Games Events
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The Winter X Games features a veritable who's who of popular winter extreme sports events, including snowboarding, freeskiing and snowmobiling.
ESPN and the X Games
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The Summer X Games and Winter X Games both air on ABC Sports and ESPN television. The networks have been instrumental in helping each set of X Games reach a wide-ranging audience. ESPN also airs portions of the X Games on its website, which appeals to the Games' young, Web-savvy audience.
The Games are quite popular on television, and the 2008 Summer X Games were ESPN's most-viewed X Games among people aged 18 to 49. The television audience represented a 14 percent increase from the then-record-breaking Summer X Games 13.
Popular X Games Athletes
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The X Games has showcased some of the most popular extreme sports athletes in the world. Among the most notable to have participated in X Games over the years include Shaun White (Olympic gold medalist snowboarder), Tony Hawk (world-renowned skateboarder) and Danny Kass (Olympic silver medalist snowboarder). Since becoming the must-see event for extreme sports athletes, the Summer X Games and Winter X Games now serve as a showcase for top-flight stars of extreme sports, as well as a springboard of sorts for obscure or up-and-coming extreme sports athletes.
On Deck for the X Games
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The 15th Annual Summer X Games are scheduled for July 30 to August 2, 2009, in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the 14th Annual Winter X Games will be held in Aspen at a date to be determined.
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Resources
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