Sometimes written as the X-Games (though this nodetitle is correct), the X Games are the flashiest, craziest, funnest (I know that's not a word) sports in the world. Tapping on the "underground" world of a group of dedicated "alternative" sports athletes, the first X Games were held in Newport and Providence, Rhode Island and Mt. Snow, Virginia from June 24 - July 1, 1995, the brainchild of Ron Semiao.
The games, as it turns out, came at just the right time. With the sagging popularity of most professional sports in America, especially baseball, the X Games provided an action-filled, crazy, crazy world of halfpipes. Currently, the events for the Summer X Games are: skateboarding, BMX, Moto X, inline, wakeboarding, street luge, and speed climbing. Winter X Games feature various subcategories of: snowboarding, free skiing, ice climbing, snow mountain biking, skiboarding, and snocross.
The first X Games exceeded everyone's expectations. In 1996, the name "X Games" was first applied to the event. In 1997, the games moved to a primarily California location for both winter and summer. American youth, weary of other, more mundane sports, developed a cult-like following for the alternative showcase. ESPN, noticing the popularity, picked up the games. With a national cable audience, the games exploded. Tony Hawk and Dave Mirra became household names. In just a few years, dozens of new variants of the events have come forth - and literally hundreds of new tricks have evolved. Considering that 10 years ago, the athletes didn't even know where to practice their tricks shows just how far the sport has come.
Oh, yeah: Skateboarding is not a crime.