ESPN History

#TBT: The Extreme Games

On April 12, 1994, ESPN announced the creation of a new sports competition known as the Extreme Games, which would premiere on ESPN2. The inaugural event took place in Newport, R.I. the week of June 24, 1995. The 1995 Extreme Games featured skateboarding, BMX, sky surfing, bungee jumping, sport climbing, and many other disciplines that were not traditionally seen on television at the time.

The Extreme Games rebranded to become the X Games prior to the 1996 event. The annual competition quickly grew to attract the world’s top action sports athletes in each event. In 1997, the first Winter X Games took place in Big Bear Lake, Calif., featuring ice climbing and snow mountain bike racing, in addition to the more popular events of today.

X Games Austin continues the legacy June 4-7 in Texas.

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