The X Games Are About To Do Something They've Never Tried Before: A Team Draft
It’s not the NBA, NFL, or NHL.
Instead, we’re talking about the high-flying X Games—the action sports circuit known for spotlighting wild skiing and snowboarding tricks—which plans to head in a new direction that’s conventional and unconventional at the same time.
And by that, we mean yes, the X Games will soon hold a draft, just like mainstream team sports. The inaugural draft, set for September 16, will be held at Cosm, a venue in Los Angeles, California.
The event will stream on ESPN+/ ESPN App, Roku Sports Channel, and the X Games channel on YouTube.
During the show, four clubs will draw from a pool of more than 180 eligible skiers and snowboarders, with 40 earning a roster spot. Each club roster will include five men and five women, and must have both skiers and snowboarders.
It’s all part of the X Games League, a bold reimagination of freestyle skiing and snowboarding’s historic structure, where athletes largely competed as individuals rather than for a team’s overall score. The league’s first outing this coming winter has three stops and covers four disciplines: superpipe, big air, slopestyle, and knuckle huck.
“A team-based model across a set season gives the world’s best skiers and snowboarders a bigger, more consistent stage,” said Annie Lokesh, SVP, X Games League, in a news release. “Having your name called at Cosm Los Angeles will be a historic moment for every athlete who is able to be in that room and tuning in from around the world.”
The release also highlighted some skiers to keep an eye on during draft day.
Eileen Gu, the dominant slopestyle, big air, and halfpipe competitor, is on the list, as is Alex Hall, who just took home the silver medal in the latest Winter Olympic slopestyle competition. Other big names in the draft include Kelly Sildaru, Jesper Tjader, and Nick Goepper.
So far, only one of the four clubs, X Games Club New York (or XC NY), has been confirmed. The other three are set to be announced later, alongside the winter schedule for X Games League.
The circuit’s summer arm is already underway, with the first stop in Sacramento, California, starting on June 26. Los Angeles, São Paulo, Tokyo, and New York all have summer clubs.
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