X Games to Move to Year-Round, Team-Based League Format
13.06.2024 - 12:55
/ variety.com
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The X Games is shifting to a team-based league structure — and it wants to be in your face over the full calendar year. The action-sports competition franchise on Thursday unveiled the X Games League: a new global, team-based format to be introduced in 2026 with year-round events. The X Games League (or “XGL”) will let athletes earn compensation beyond the $2.4 million already awarded annually through existing prize purses, according to the company.
ESPN, which founded the X Games in 1994, sold a majority interest in the competition series in 2022 to private-equity firm MSP Sports Capital. ESPN retains a minority ownership stake in the X Games and remains its linear TV partner. With the new format, X Games will continue to lean into the seasonal nature of action sports, introducing both a Summer XGL and a Winter XGL, each initially composed of four global events and four teams (with plans to expand).
The competition schedules will include X Games signature events as well as strategic collaborations with existing competitions. The X Games League teams will be composed of athletes from multiple disciplines who will compete for individual and team points to earn both individual and team prize purses. MSP and X Games plan to “secure investors for these new teams,” according to their announcement.
Team investors and XGL athletes will be able to generate additional revenue streams via sponsorships and team-specific merchandise. In addition, XGL athletes will be provided with guaranteed compensation and new commercial opportunities. The X Games followed Formula One as a model for the XGL, according to Jeff Moorad, executive chairman of X Games and principal of MSP Sports Capital.
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