As the Winter X-Games coverage kicks off this evening the ink has yet to dry on an agreement to keep the event in Aspen for three more years. Announced yesterday, the contract cements an eleven-year stay for the ESPN property in the home of the Freak Power movement. The length of this partnership signifies that ESPN is incredibly comfortable with what Aspen has to offer. After attending the 2005 event I can vouch for the resort’s strengths. A single dedicated venue for all events, a large hotel capacity, vibrant nightlife, and a local airport are all valuable assets.
In spite of its past success, the stability that ESPN has found in Aspen is actually diluting the X-Games brand. Part of the appeal of premier events such as the Olympics and the Super Bowl is that the host city offers a little local flavor to the event. Staying in Aspen for the past eight years has made winter sports taste a little vanilla. The world of winter sports has so much more to offer. Whistler, Mammoth, Park City, and Tremblant would all be excellent host resorts. ESPN is losing potential to build the X-Games brand for the sake of the Aspen’s convenience.
ESPN reports that attendance has doubled since first coming to Aspen 2002 and that last year’s viewership grew 17% from 2007. What was Aspen’s role in this growth? Would the X-Games have struggled at another resort? Can the success be attributed to the growing viability of action sports as a whole? As encouraging as the numbers are I am positive that there is at least one viewer who is becoming disillusioned with the brand. While I’m at it, the Summer X-Games need to get out of L.A. for a bit. Philly was a great host city. How about Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, or Toronto?
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