The bid “to get the ESPN X games in Detroit for a three-year span keeps gaining steam” as organizers now are “hard at work for the next phase: sell downtown Detroit this spring as an X Games destination when ESPN officials likely visit this area in May or June to evaluate what the Motor City has to offer,” according to Eric Lacy of MLIVE.com. Detroit if awarded the bid would “host the games from 2014-16.” ESPN is “expected to announce the host city on Aug. 1.” Ford and Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert, who runs Detroit-based Quicken Loans, are “two major supporters who are eager to see parts of the city like Ford Field, Hart Plaza, Belle Isle, Campus Martius Park and other spots used for the X Games.” X Games Detroit Founder & Dir Kevin Krease said that Gilbert has “expressed interest in being a X Games Detroit Host Committee chair.” Krease said, “He doesn’t really lose, that’s how billionaires operate.” Krease said that the group “isn’t relying on the cash-strapped city of Detroit for financial support.” Krease: “The city needs to do what the city does: they need to give us permits (for the effort). But we’re responsible for building out plans, and so far, the city has been cooperative. The city doesn't have to invest any money, and we wouldn't expect it to" (MLIVE.com, 4/24).
