By Matt Vensel Star Tribune

July 13, 2017 10:16am

A number of its quirkier sports from its early days crashed and burned (we miss you, street luge) and the icons who initially captured Americas attention are growing old (Tony Hawk, a rare extreme athlete with crossover appeal, turns 50 next year).

But the X Games are still shredding and by most measures are bigger than in 1995, when ESPN debuted the extreme sports spectacle on ESPN2, the network it had launched in part to attract a younger demographic of sports fans.

This week, when the X Games make their first stop in Minneapolis and are expected to attract more than 100,000 fans over four days, the tricks will certainly be crazier (please dont try at home a double backflip on a motorcycle), the ramps will be taller (the most daunting drop-in ramp is 82 feet high) and the event will have more of a festival feel, with live music and interactive art exhibits.

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X Games' evolution from curiosity to mainstay rooted in breathtaking feats - Minneapolis Star Tribune