X Games launch rebrand to reach a new generation of action sport fans

The GIST: The X Games — ESPN’s iconic action sports competition that made sports like snowboarding and BMX mainstream and drove their Olympic inclusion — is ready for its glow-up. After its private equity acquisition in 2022, the X Games unveiled new branding and shared details about its forthcoming X Games League this week.

• Let’s review what the new-look X Games are capitalizing on and why these strategies work to reach the modern sports fan. Nothing’s too extreme.

❎ X Games League: In 2026, the competition — led by former WNBA executive Annie Lokesh — will move from an individual-based tournament format to a year-round team-based league, making it the first action sports league with this format. Over 150 athletes have declared for next summer’s inaugural draft, even though there are only 40 roster spots.

• The league hopes to offer more than its current $2.4M in prizes, new pathways for athlete compensation, and improved athlete storytelling, resembling the trajectories for emerging niche sports leagues like AUSL and Athlos.

🌎 Around the world: In the past, the X Games successfully reached international markets across Europe, Asia, Brazil, and Australia, which spurred action sports participation and events in these locales. However, the X Games League wants to take it a step further with more international locations that offer local-language broadcasts.

• The X Games were also famous for blending music and sport, but tomorrow’s X Games League wants to also infuse culture, tech, and community. While the X Games League is revamping its tried-and-true formula for a global Gen Z audience, we’ve seen the “sportsfest” atmosphere thrive at events like TST, Athlos, and the US Open.

📱 A new era: Speaking of tech, the X Games are ready to embrace recent advancements, like AI–powered judging, which is being used for Olympic athletes but remains cutting-edge for sports tournaments. The organization also plans to lean into sports betting and fantasy sports.

• And how is the core Y2K brand going over with today’s generation of fans? The X Games have doubled YouTube subscribers to 2M since hitting 1M in 2020 and grew total reach to over 16M across its channels. X marks the spot.