Great Stadium, Great Music, Great Scene: Why The X Games Loves Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Next month, some of the bravest athletes in the world will arrive in Minneapolis as the X Games returns to U.S. Bank Stadium for a second year.
ESPN was so happy with the venue and city last year, it's decided to keep the games here through at least 2020.
Last year, more than 100,000 people descended upon Minneapolis as skateboarders and bikers ascended into the air.
"Your facility's great here, music scene is great here, action sports are really starting to take off out here, so we feel like it's a great spot," said ESPN's Michael Alder.
He says unlike games in other cities where weather was a factor, the indoor sky-high venue of U.S. Bank Stadium is the perfect fit,
"We are guaranteed, rain nor shine, the event will go on," he said.
ESPN hosted an event Thursday at 3rd Lair Skate Park in Golden Valley. It was pretty clear skateboarding has quite the following.
Just ask one of seven women competing in park skate at X Games.
"I think it's blowing up, especially in Minnesota," skater Nicole Hause said. "People are like, 'Oh, you can skateboard in Minnesota, it's not just like you have to snowboard, there's indoor parks like 3rd Lair and Familia that offer a place to go skate in Minnesota."
Hause is from Stillwater, and she moved to California to turn pro.
She had a huge cheering section during the last X Games, as did Minnesota's other X Games athlete, Alec Majerus, from Rochester.
"The fact two have two really good skateboarders from a state where it's colder and everything's maybe under 3 feet of snow all the time is pretty incredible," Hause said.
Another reason there's a big push to get the X Games to keep coming back is that, unlike other national events, it's affordable.
It costs $20 for a day pass, $50 for the whole weekend.
This year the X Games will also include three days of music at the Armory. Brother Ali and Ice Cube will be headlining.
You can buy tickets to the X Games are currently available online.
