Skateboarding legend, ESPN analyst Tony Hawk reflects on X Games’ growth and excitement for Foz

Two years ago, ESPN announced its plans to have six annual X Games events — including three in new international venues. When he first heard of the Global X concept, skateboard legend and X Games analyst Tony Hawk admitted he was taken aback.

“To do an event of that magnitude six times a year is huge,” he told Front Row at the time. “It really says a lot about how much ESPN believes in our sports, and how well respected the athletes are.”

Today, Hawk and the X Games are in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, where the franchise makes its official debut in a new locale (7 p.m. ET, ESPN, see full schedule).

For the next four days, ESPN will present the best in action sports from Foz.

Hawk is on-site to provide analysis on the X Games, but not before he demonstrated his skateboarding skills with Iguaçu Falls as a backdrop.

Before he embarked for Brazil, Hawk was in ESPN’s Bristol, Conn. headquarters this week for an ESPN “Car Wash.” In the video below, Hawk discusses what he expects from the competitions in Foz, his X Games assignments around the world and more.

The photo gallery above serves as a retrospective of Hawk’s association with ESPN through the years.

Video produced by Dave Williams and Tonya Malinowski