Jeremy Bloom reinvents X Games from Boulder
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom. Photo: Thien-An Truong/Getty Images
The X Games are getting a major makeover under former CU football star and Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom, who's reinventing the action-sports brand from Boulder.
Why it matters: Bloom is borrowing from Formula 1 and UFC to build a new kind of sports league — and putting Boulder at the center of it.
Driving the news: X Games has hired Paul Asencio as its chief revenue officer, effective Nov. 9, as the organization looks to build on the launch of its new team-based competition format.
- Asencio is a former executive at UFC and Formula 1's Williams Racing.
Zoom in: Bloom became CEO in late 2024 and moved the X Games' headquarters to downtown Boulder.
- He says the city's outdoor culture and Colorado's longtime connection to the Winter X Games in Aspen made it a natural fit.
- "These are not people inside watching TV and just playing video games. These are people outside skateboarding and BMXing in parks and being in nature," Bloom said.
- And don't rule out X Games coming to CU. Bloom says college campuses could eventually host competitions.
State of play: These aren't your dad's X Games.
- Bloom's new MoonPay X Games League trades standalone events for structured seasons featuring eight geographically branded, co-ed teams.
- Athletes still chase individual medals, but now they're competing for team titles and season-long bragging rights, too.
Case in point: The team format is creating drama in places where it never existed before.
- BMX rider Daniel Sandoval competed with a broken wrist and injured kneecap, finishing fourth — but helping decide the summer championship.
- "For 30 years, fourth place was invisible," Bloom said.
What's next: Bloom wants fans to follow X Games teams and rivalries, not just tune in for the biggest tricks.
- As part of that push, X Games launched "Dropping In," a streaming docuseries that takes viewers behind the scenes of the league.
- The inspiration: Formula 1's "Drive to Survive," which helped introduce new fans to racing.
- Yes, but: "The X Games has always been counterculture," Bloom said. "The last thing I want to do is build a soccer league."