ESPN X Games 16 Invading Downtown LA This Summer

It’s almost summer time, which means one of my favorite action sports event is coming to town, the 16th annual ESPN Summer X Games. Some of action sports’ most memorable moments have occurred at the X Games, and this year will prove to be just as exciting.

While in years past the event has had locations scattered across SoCal, including Huntington Beach and Long Beach harbor, this year focuses on the main attractions and will be located solely in Downtown LA. ESPN and partner AEG have also scratched off the Home Depot Center as a venue, returning to the legendary LA Coliseum to host events like freestyle motocross, supercross, and the big air events.

To find out all the info on X Games 16, click more.

An official press release from ESPN reads:

ESPN – together with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and the Los Angeles Coliseum – will celebrate its 16^th annual action sports event, the X Games, entirely downtown between STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre, the Los Angeles Coliseum and L.A. LIVE. The 2010 event will mark the seventh consecutive year that the X Games will take place in Los Angeles.  Thirty-one hours of live X Games programming on ESPN and ESPN2 – all in high definition – will be aired July 29 through August 1, as well as on ESPN International, ESPN.com\action, ESPN Classic, ESPN3.com, and SportsCenter.

“It has been seven years since we first had X Games events at the Los Angeles Coliseum, and ESPN couldn’t be more thrilled to be returning this year with several of our sports,” said Jack Wienert, ESPN executive director, X Games Event Management. “As the X Games franchise continues to grow, we are proud and excited about our continued great relationship with AEG as we expand our presence this year downtown at STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE.”

Lee Zeidman, STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre and L.A. LIVE Sr. Vice President & General Manager, said: “STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre, L.A. LIVE and AEG are incredibly excited to expand our partnership with ESPN and the X Games in downtown Los Angeles. The ability to activate the entire L.A. LIVE campus for four days with non stop X Games events is something that everyone is really looking forward to this summer, and X Games 16 will undoubtedly be an experience fans will not want to miss.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to have the X Games back at the Coliseum,” said Pat Lynch, general manager for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum & Sports Arena.  “As the original home to the precursor of the X Games, the original motocross, we truly appreciate and love showcasing this world-class action sports event.”

The following are the various sport disciplines and locations for X Games 16:

STAPLES Center: Moto X Speed & Style, Moto X Step Up, Moto X Best Whip, Moto X Best Trick

L.A. LIVE Event Deck: BMX Park, BMX Street, SKB Park, SKB Park Legends, SKB Street (M & W)

Nokia Theatre: BMX Vert, SKB Vert (M, W, & Amateurs), SKB Vert Best Trick

LA Coliseum: Moto X Freestyle, Super X (M, W, & Adaptive), Rally Car Racing, BMX Big Air, SKB Big Air, SKB Big Air Rail Jam

ESPN AND ESPN INTERNATIONAL TO TELEVISE EVENT LIVE

Last year, X Games 15 was ESPN’s most-watched in history. ESPN increased its X Games coverage to almost ten hours, compared to six and seven in the previous two years. Overall, X Games 15 averaged a 1.0 rating on ESPN, making it the most-viewed X Games ever among viewers. This year, there will be a 14-hour increase to the broadcast, including four hours of coverage on SportsCenter.

Tickets for X Games 16 will be available for purchase June 24 at all Ticketmaster locations and the box offices at STAPLES Center and Nokia Theatre.