r ABOVE MAIN:
Italo Penarrubia
drops in for Big Air,
with a great view
of the arena-filling
setup
B
e it from venue changes,
an influx of other, new
high-profile contests, or
trying to maintain maximum
exposure in an action-sports
fatigued audience, it’s widely
acknowledged that the shine of
X Games has dulled in recent years.
After 11 years of blowing minds in the sun-
drenched birthplace of action sports, Los
Angeles, ESPN decided to change things up by
moving to Austin, Texas, in 2014.
The results were mixed. Texan crowds turned
up in their droves to watch, but punters had
to travel long distances between venues. Not
to mention the oppressive Texas summer heat
wreaked havoc on the athletes.
From an FMX perspective, the ever-present
blustery wind caused constant headaches for
the Freestyle and Best Trick contests, with the
2014 event cancelled altogether due to wind
and potential storms. Considering the amount
of effort and anticipation the riders went
through for months, only to have the event
canned, the decision was gutting (although it
was the right call given the conditions).
48 | FreestyleXtreme.com
Last year ESPN announced they were getting
out of their contract with Austin one year early
and moving the entire 2017 circus almost 2,000
kilometers north to Minneapolis in Minnesota.
The entire X Games would be held under one
roof inside the enclosed US Bank Stadium.
It was a bold call on behalf of the promoters,
but it turned out to be one that paid off
massively. Having every single event held
within spitting distance of each other created
an electric atmosphere that had been sorely
missing over the past few years. No contest
was at the mercy of the elements, and all
athletes and fans had the opportunity to see
every event live, without traipsing halfway
across a city to do so.
The number of stories that erupted from
the 2017 X Games was nothing short of
phenomenal. From record-breaking runs,
the shock retirement of a legend, new moto
events, and all-new tricks, right through to the
unstoppable freight-train of FMX rider Levi
Sherwood.
While there were numerous other storylines
with multiple sub-plots, we’ve pin-pointed 10
headlines that sum up the spirit and highlights