The X Games get under way today at U.S. Bank Stadium, marking the first competition in a "series of mega-events" being held at the Vikings' stadium that will include Super Bowl LII and the '19 Final Four, according to Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. U.S. Bank Stadium GM Patrick Talty said that the facility will be the "first in the NFL to host an extreme sports event." Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee CEO Maureen Bausch will also be "eyeing the four-day operation." She and her team -- as well as a crew from Atlanta, which is hosting the Super Bowl in '19 -- will "see what works and, maybe, what doesn’t." Attendance for the X Games in the past three years has "ranged from 100,000 to 160,000 over the four days of competition." Olson noted security will be "similar to concerts, with an X Games twist: a skateboard check for guests." The Super Bowl is "tying its 52 weeks of grant-giving into the games with a $100,000 grant for a skate park at the White Earth reservation and a skateboard giveaway." The X Games will be "largely concentrated inside U.S. Bank Stadium, with concerts and games occurring outside on the Medtronic Plaza and Commons Park" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/12). In Minnesota, Nick Kelly noted U.S. Bank Stadium's layout "made it appealing" to host the extreme sports event. X Games Dir of Event Development Ryan McGuinness said that it "allows the X Games to put most competitions under the same roof." The plaza outside also "provides a space for X-fest and music." McGuinness also "likes its location and its proximity to the center of the city." Meanwhile, the X Games marketing team consulted with skateboarder Alec Majerus to provide "assistance to the X Games before it was officially announced it would come to Minneapolis." Majerus "helped them understand the skating scene as well as delivered them to the proper contacts." Kelly wrote the X Games "faces a challenge in bringing in fans." The event has "never stopped in the Midwest" and is also "competing for sports fans in a market where all major sports leagues have a team" (POSTBULLETIN.com, 7/11).
KID'S GOT TALENT: In Minneapolis, Chip Scoggins reported Majerus, who is competing at the X Games, has "sponsorship deals to ride Flip skateboards and wear Volcom clothes." He also has a "contract with Adidas, which makes customized shoes embroidered with Majerus’ name that are sold retail." Majerus "declined to discuss his earning power as a top-tier skateboarder." But Volcom Global Skate Dir of Marketing Jacob Smith said that there is a "wide range in money for pros based on sponsorships and competitions" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/10).
