The Bay Area Gets New Sports Team. Instead of an Arena, They’ll Compete in the Mountains.
There’s a new sports team in the Bay Area, but they won’t tackle or shoot hoops. Instead, once the squad’s assembled, they’ll be flipping, spinning, and sliding rails in massive terrain parks built from snow.
This is X Games Club Golden State, a new group formed as part of the X Games’ Formula One-inspired team-based reimagination of its action sports circuit.
This winter, rather than only throwing down as individuals, X Games skiers and snowboarders will compete as members of geography-based teams. As team members, they’ll have access to salaries, expanded benefits, and—if they perform—millions of dollars in prize money (the League includes unclaimed athletes as free agents, too).
The California club, billed as being Bay Area and Lake Tahoe-based, was sold to a local investment group headed by Jonathan Turner, a partner at the venture capital firm Accel.
“We’re excited to partner with X Games; an iconic brand with unlimited global potential,” Turner said in a release.
“The Bay Area and Lake Tahoe have been central to the development of action sports and it’s essential that the communities of Northern California have their own team to support,” he continued. “We represent those pushing the boundaries and creating sports history.”
Jeremy Bloom, the X Games’ CEO, said he was thrilled to welcome Turner and the ownership group.
The roster for XC Golden State hasn’t yet been named. Following the approach used for the summer X Games League, the winter side of the program is hosting an inaugural draft in September, another trappings of mainstream sports borrowed by X Games.
One obvious selection, though, would be Eileen Gu, the San Francisco native and dominant professional freeskier who, as an individual in the World Cup and Olympics, competes for China, her mother’s home country.
The Chronicle asked Turner about her and South Lake Tahoe professional snowboarder Jamie Anderson potentially making the Golden State team.
“My understanding is they’re eligible to be drafted. There are a lot of very talented athletes from the Bay Area and Tahoe and around the world,” he told the newspaper. “I think you can expect some mix of people who have a connection to the area as well as global talent.”
Two other winter clubs have been named so far: New York City and Park City.
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