Pop Culture dictionary
X Games
[ eks geymz ]
What are the X Games?
X Games is the name of an event involving multiple competitions in what are often called extreme sports or action sports—things like skateboarding, snowboarding, and motocross, among many others.
Much like the Olympic Games, which also feature a range of different athletic competitions, there are Summer X Games (primarily featuring sports suited for warm weather) and Winter X Games (featuring winter sports).
⚡️When are the X Games?
The X Games are typically held twice a year—once in summer (Summer X Games) and once in winter (Winter X Games).
The Winter X Games typically start during the fourth week in January and the Summer X Games are most often held sometime between late June and mid-July (though they have also been held in August). Both events typically last around four days.
The 2024 Winter X Games are scheduled from January 26–28 in Aspen, Colorado.
Where does X Games come from?
The X Games brand is part of sports media company ESPN, which often televises the events. The event that became the X Games was first held by ESPN in 1995 as the Extreme Games. Events included skateboarding, BMX biking, in-line skating, street luge, bungee jumping, and a mix of water sports. The first Winter X Games were held two years later in 1997, featuring events like snowboarding and ice climbing.
Like the Olympics, the X Games awards the top three finishers in each event a medal: gold for first place, silver for second, and bronze for third.
The Summer and Winter X Games are sometimes informally referred to as Summer X and Winter X, as in I’m always stoked to compete at Summer X.
Examples of X Games
More information and context on X Games
Did you know … ?
- Competitive events that have been featured in the X Games include off-road trucking, street luge, wakeboarding, and even video games.
- The X Games are known for having “best trick” competitions, in which athletes sometimes land tricks that have been never done before, such as Tony Hawk’s “900” on the skateboard halfpipe in 1999.
- Although the central focus of X Games is the athletic competitions, they often feature a festival that includes musical performances and other events.
What are other words used in discussion of the X Games?
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of X Games like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of X Games that will help our users expand their word mastery.