Copyright Forbes
The about-to-launch X Games League has signed a multi-year deal with energy-drink maker Monster Energy as a founding partner, slotting in a big backer to help finance bigger prize purses, more shoulder content and a bigger ongoing media presence. “This partnership ensures that our athletes who define our culture have more opportunity, more security, and more spotlight," said X Games Chief Revenue Officer Cherie Cohen in a statement. "Monster Energy has stood beside these athletes for years, and now, as we launch the X Games League, they’re helping us build a platform that gives them year-round careers and global recognition.” The tie-up is indeed a natural one; energy drinks have been sponsoring action-sports competitions and individual athletes since pretty much the dawn of both. Among the “founding athletes” for the new team-based action sports league are skateboarder Nyjah Huston and BMX freestyler Ryan Williams, both already with Monster sponsorships. “For more than a decade, Monster Energy has backed the athletes who define X Games and push progression in action sports,” said Monster Energy Global CMO Dan McHugh. “This new partnership builds on that legacy, giving athletes bigger stages, stronger support, and the recognition they deserve. The X Games League is the future of action sports, and athletes are the ones leading it.” The league adds another layer to what has always been a pair of one-off events held in winter and summer for different action sports including high-flying variants of snowboarding, skateboarding, and BMX. “They’ve been behind the athletes pushing progression, and now with the X Games League, we finally have a platform built around us," said Williams, the BMX freestyler who’s also a prolific YouTube and TikTok influencer with Nitro Circus. "It’s huge for BMX, huge for action sports, and I’m proud to be part of it from day one.” The companies said the partnership will allow the X Games to “double down on athlete storytelling,” increasingly important for sports of all kinds as they try to carve out a larger share of audience attention beyond actual live competitions. The extended nature of the league competitions also provides more opportunities not just for engagement but also brand activations by Monster and other sponsors. The league holds its first events in next summer, in string of competitions between four summer franchises and 40 athletes. The athletes also will compete during the summer X Games as individuals. A winter version of the league will debut in 2027, with four more franchises and winter athletes. X Games started three decades ago as an offshoot of ESPN, providing new programming trying to capture the youth-skewing action sports then bubbling up in broader culture. In 2022, the sports-focused private equity MSP Sports Capital bought a majority stake in games, and later installed former World Cup skier/football player and digital marketing entrepreneur Jeremy Bloom (no relation) as CEO. The competitions continue to be televised by ESPN.
