Minneapolis and U.S. Bank Stadium operator SMG have submitted a bid to bring ESPN's X Games to Minnesota in 2017 and 2018.
Minneapolis bidding on X Games for 2017 and 2018
The event, featuring skateboarding, BMX and Moto X competitions targets millennials.
May 20, 2016 at 2:04AM
Scott Romane, executive director of Sports Minneapolis, an arm of the city's convention bureau, said the winning bid likely will be announced by July. This year's X Games are in Austin, Texas, the first weekend in June.
The event, featuring skateboarding, BMX and Moto X competitions targets millennials, an age group Romane said the city is "very eager to attract."
Some 200 athletes participate in the games with more expected for exhibition events that could include activities on the nearby Mississippi River, Romane said.
The event, which stretches over four days, is also a cultural, music, arts and film showcase "very focused on a young, youthful lifestyle," he said.
The events would take place inside the stadium and on the adjacent park.
The winning bid will host the event in both of the next two years. Romane said about 45,000 people attended the games each day in Austin last year. He estimated the economic impact on the region to be about $100 million each year, although that's not a guarantee.
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