X Games headed for Minneapolis as no California cities make bid

The X Games will stop in Minneapolis for the next two years.

It is the first time the 23rd annual event, the Super Bowl of action sports, will be held in the Midwest. ESPN, which owns the games, made the announcement Wednesday.

“We are thrilled to bring the X Games to Minneapolis next July,” ESPN X Games vice president Tim Reed said. “We believe that teaming up with the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota Sports Facility Authority, SMG and Meet Minneapolis and the truly impressive new, state-of-the-art U.S. Bank Stadium will provide an extraordinary opportunity to grow the X Games in a new region of the country and in a city that’s quickly becoming recognized as a premier sports and entertainment destination. 

“It was a very competitive bid process and we feel privileged to have had such great interest and thank the multiple cities that participated in the process. Ultimately, the combination of resources, support, fit and passion from the Minneapolis team brought us here and we couldn’t be happier.” 

No Califoia city bid for the games. They had been held just outside of Austin, Texas, the past three years, at the Circuit of Americas.

They were last held in Southe Califoia in 2012. It was a 10-year run with most events held at either Staples Center, Home Depot Center — now called StubHub Centrer — or the Coliseum.

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