The Summer X Games shifted from individual to team competitions with events in Sacramento, New Orleans (July 24-26), Japan. Each team has ten athletes (5 men, 5 women) competing for points in three events. There are four teams. X Games are broadcast on ESPN networks.
The sporting event credited with popularizing action sports like skateboarding and BMX biking moved from stand-alone, individual competitions to a three-event season featuring mixed teams. Private equity firm MSP Sports Capital backed the new format after purchasing X Games from ESPN in 2022.
Several of the teams, which represent cities like New York and São Paulo, also are owned by private equity firms. Investors see parallels between the fragmented action sports market and the WNBA five years ago, which has seen a 345% surge in average franchise values since 2024, according to 1440 Daily Digest.