BOULDER, Colo. — In a definitive move to cement its transition into a year-round global sports property, the X Games organization announced the appointment of veteran sports and entertainment executive Steve Rogers as its new Chief Operating Officer. Effective immediately, Rogers steps into the leadership ranks during a period of massive structural evolution for the iconic action sports brand, bringing more than 15 years of international live events, motorsports, and action sports operational experience to the Boulder-based headquarters.
The announcement arrives as the brand scales up operations for the MoonPay X Games League (XGL), an ambitious team-based initiative that launched its inaugural Summer Season in 2026 and is slated to roll out its winter competitions in 2027. Rogers’ arrival underscores a concerted effort by X Games leadership—headed by CEO Jeremy Bloom and backed by parent portfolio company MSP Sports Capital—to assemble an elite executive roster capable of managing multi-market operations, franchise expansion, and complex global broadcasting matrices.
A Proven Track Record in Action Sports and Global Motorsports
Rogers enters his new role with a robust pedigree in managing high-velocity, high-risk sports properties. Prior to joining X Games, Rogers served as the Chief Operating Officer of World Supercross, where he successfully navigated the logistical intricacies of executing an international championship spanning multiple continents. His operational oversight ensured uniform competition standards, broadcast integration, and stakeholder alignment across various international territories.
Before his tenure with World Supercross, Rogers spent nearly a decade embedded within the action sports ecosystem as a pivotal executive for Nitro Circus. During his tenure, he scaled the company’s global live touring business, bringing large-scale action sports and motorsports stadium shows to audiences worldwide. His extensive operational footprint also includes top-tier leadership positions across major properties such as the Nitro World Games, Nitro Rallycross, Street League Skateboarding, and their parent entity, Thrill Sports.
Uniquely equipped with a formal legal background, Rogers bridges the often-disjointed worlds of corporate law, commercial development, and hands-on event execution. This multidisciplinary expertise is expected to serve as a vital asset as X Games negotiates complex multi-market sponsorships, team licensing agreements, stadium leases, and international television syndication.
The Evolution of X Games: From Standalone Competitions to a Year-Round League
The appointment of a seasoned Chief Operating Officer coincides with the most significant operational transformation in X Games history. Founded originally in 1995 as an adrenaline-fueled alternative to traditional sports, the brand spent nearly three decades operating primarily as high-profile, episodic standalone competitions—most notably the summer and winter X Games invitationals that captivated global audiences with skateboarding, BMX, skiing, snowboarding, and Moto X spectacles.
However, the sports entertainment landscape has evolved rapidly, with modern audiences and corporate sponsors increasingly demanding continuous engagement, narrative-driven competition, and loyalty to localized teams. Recognizing this shift, X Games introduced the MoonPay X Games League (XGL) in 2026, fundamentally altering the economic and competitive structure of action sports.
The XGL operates as the world’s first year-round, team-based, co-ed league in action sports. The league format comprises eight dedicated Clubs—divided evenly into four summer X Games Clubs and four winter X Games Clubs—that fuse geographic identities with elite international athletic talent. This structure shifts the paradigm from individual, one-off event appearances to a structured, season-long championship battle.
For athletes, the league model introduces unprecedented financial stability and long-term earning potential. Beyond traditional prize purses, XGL athletes benefit from the team-based framework, unlocking new revenue streams through merchandise royalties, team sponsorships, and multi-year contracts. For fans, the league format establishes continuous, serialized storylines that can be followed across a robust multi-platform distribution ecosystem, featuring broadcasts on linear networks like ABC and ESPN, streaming destinations including ESPN+ and Disney+, the Roku Sports Channel, and digital mainstays such as YouTube and Kick.
Leadership Perspectives on the Strategic Hire
The decision to bring Rogers on board was driven by the urgent need to match the company’s rapid commercial growth with institutional operational rigor.
"X Games is in a period of significant global growth," said Jeremy Bloom, CEO of X Games. "We have new ownership groups, new teams launching, new sponsors joining the platform and new global markets coming online. As the business expands, we’re also building the leadership team required to operate at that scale. Steve brings deep experience across action sports, international events and complex live operations, and he will play an important role in helping us build the next era of the MoonPay X Games League around the world."
Reflecting on his new mandate, Rogers expressed enthusiasm about returning to his roots within the action sports industry during such a pivotal juncture.
"I’ve spent much of my career building live events around the world, so the opportunity to return to action sports and join X Games at this moment is incredibly exciting," said Rogers. "X Games is one of the most iconic brands in the space, and its evolution into a global league creates enormous potential for its future. I’m looking forward to working with Jeremy and the entire team to build on that momentum, deliver incredible experiences for athletes and fans, and help shape the next chapter of X Games. I’m delighted to be here."
The Institutional Power Behind the Transformation: MSP Sports Capital
The structural pivot of X Games and the successful launch of the XGL are heavily anchored by the financial backing and strategic guidance of MSP Sports Capital. As a global private equity firm specializing in the sports ecosystem, MSP Sports Capital acquires influential positions in mature sports enterprises, deploying institutional capital and operational expertise to unlock exponential value and drive differentiated returns.
The firm was founded by distinguished investor-operators Jeff Moorad and Jahm Najafi, whose collective résumés boast leadership roles across some of the most prominent sports leagues and franchises in professional sports, including Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), Formula 1 (F1), and elite European football clubs.
The integration of MSP Sports Capital’s institutional framework has allowed X Games to attract blue-chip commercial partners like MoonPay—the league’s title sponsor—while simultaneously securing new team owners and expanding into lucrative international media markets.
Implications for the Future of Action Sports
The addition of an experienced COO of Rogers’ caliber signals to the broader sports and entertainment market that the X Games is executing a serious, long-term business strategy. Transforming an iconic event-based brand into a synchronized, multi-market league requires immense logistical coordination, regulatory compliance across international borders, and seamless coordination between broadcast partners, host cities, team executives, and athletes.
With the inaugural Summer Season of the XGL successfully concluded in 2026 and the highly anticipated winter competition expansion looming on the horizon for 2027, the operational load on the organization will only intensify. Rogers is expected to immediately audit and optimize the company’s operational infrastructure, ensuring that venue production, athlete safety protocols, logistics, and digital broadcast operations scale efficiently to meet global demand.
As action sports continue to capture the imagination of younger, digitally native demographics worldwide, the modernized X Games framework—bolstered by expert leadership, private equity backing, and a revolutionary league structure—is exceptionally well-positioned to define the next generation of global sports entertainment.
