LOS ANGELES — The landscape of competitive action sports underwent a fundamental structural transformation on September 16, 2026, as the inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Draft convened at the cutting-edge Cosm Los Angeles venue. Bringing together more than 500 industry leaders, athletes, commercial partners, and passionate fans beneath a massive wraparound LED dome, the event established the rosters for four elite winter clubs: XC Golden State, XC New York, XC Park City, and XC Whistler.
Over the course of a meticulously orchestrated five-round draft, 40 of the world’s premier ski and snowboard competitors—representing 14 distinct nations—were selected to form co-ed teams consisting of five men and five women each. Ranging from 14-year-old phenom Patti Zhou to 32-year-old industry veterans Mark McMorris and Scotty James, the drafted athletes now transition from traditional individual competitors into foundational pillars of a year-round, team-based league. This milestone marks the formal expansion of the XGL format following its successful summer debut, steering the iconic X Games brand away from isolated, standalone weekend showcases and into an integrated global championship model.
A Chronological Breakdown of the Draft Room Drama
The evening’s proceedings commenced with high stakes as the general managers of the newly established clubs took the stage to build their 10-athlete rosters live in front of an electrified crowd and an extensive global digital audience.
Opening the draft with the first overall selection, XC Golden State General Manager Jonny Moseley made a hometown splash by drafting global freeski superstar and four-time X Games medalist Eileen Gu. The selection immediately established Golden State as a formidable contender while fulfilling a strategic recruitment objective for the California-based franchise.
"I just wanted to say how excited and honored and grateful I am to be the first overall pick of the X Games League," Gu remarked following her selection. "Thank you so much to XC Golden State. I’m really excited to make something super magical happen this season. So see you all at the first X Games League event in Aspen. I think this league is going to be so big for our industry, for our sport, and my dream of bringing freeskiing to more people will be realized one step at a time with you guys. So I’m really excited and let’s do this thing!"
Following the opening pick, XC New York General Manager Dave Sypniewski secured Canadian snowboard icon Mark McMorris at number two, injecting veteran leadership and unmatched competitive pedigree into the Eastern franchise. Continuing the first round of selections, XC Park City General Manager Sharalee “Haze” Hazen—who also oversees the XC Los Angeles Summer club—claimed elite snowboarder Yiming Su with the third overall pick. Concluding the opening rotation, XC Whistler General Manager Ryan Stutt selected prominent skier Megan Oldham, officially making her the first-ever draft pick in the history of the Canadian franchise.
By the time the final round concluded, 40 elite competitors had found their homes within the four-club ecosystem, featuring a star-studded cohort of international talent that included Mia Brookes, Cocomo Murase, and Red Gerard.
The 2027 XGL Winter Season Calendar and Format
With the rosters officially locked, attention immediately pivots to the operational rollout of the inaugural XGL Winter Season. Moving away from the traditional single-event paradigm, the 2027 schedule introduces a rigorous multi-stop circuit designed to accumulate cumulative standings points across international venues.
The season opens January 29–31, 2027, at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colorado—a legendary proving ground that has served as the spiritual and physical home of winter X Games competition for decades. From Colorado, the league will travel north across the border for its second stop in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, scheduled for February 19–21, 2027. The inaugural winter campaign will culminate in a high-stakes championship event hosted in Ruka, Finland, from April 9–11, 2027, where the first-ever MoonPay X Games League Winter Champion will be crowned.
Throughout these three international stops, athletes will compete not only for traditional individual accolades but directly for their respective X Games Clubs, aggregating points toward the overarching season standings.
Executive Perspectives on the Evolution of Action Sports
The transition from independent competition to a structured league format represents a calculated strategic vision spearheaded by X Games leadership and supported by parent company MSP Sports Capital. Founded by veteran investor-operators Jeff Moorad and Jahm Najafi—whose extensive portfolios span major leagues including MLB, NBA, NFL, Formula 1, and European football—MSP Sports Capital acquired X Games to professionalize and commercialize the action sports ecosystem.
Jeremy Bloom, Chief Executive Officer of X Games, emphasized the profound shift during his address at Cosm Los Angeles.
"For nearly 30 years, Winter X Games has created iconic individual moments," Bloom stated. "Tonight, we added something entirely new: consequences across a season. Four teams just drafted the best ski and snowboard athletes in the world, and now every result in Aspen, Canada and Finland will matter toward one championship. We’re taking a brand people have loved for decades and giving fans something they’ve never had before, teams to follow, a season to track and a championship to fight for. Tonight was the moment the MoonPay X Games League Winter Season became real."
This sentiment is echoed across the broader sports business landscape. For decades, action sports athletes operated largely as independent contractors reliant primarily on single-event prize purses and individual corporate sponsorships. The XGL structure introduces a sustainable team-based economic model, expanding compensation opportunities, enhancing career longevity, and establishing deeper regional connections for athletes.
Global Reach, Broadcasting, and Commercial Partnerships
To maximize fan engagement from its inception, the XGL Winter Draft was designed as an immersive multimedia spectacle. In addition to the live audience at Cosm Los Angeles, fans worldwide accessed real-time draft coverage through a multi-platform distribution network. Domestic viewers tuned in via the ESPN App, while international audiences accessed broadcasts through The Roku Sports Channel, YouTube, Kick, and the X Games TV FAST Channel on Amazon.
The league’s commercial viability was further underscored by an extensive roster of corporate partners. The draft was officially presented by title partner MoonPay, with foundational support from Monster Energy. Additional league partners supporting the inaugural winter campaign include Stake, High Noon, Amazon, 805 Beer, VKTRY Protein, Kraken Rum, No Cap!, Minky Couture, Nixon, Kick, Fever, and Roku.
Broader Industry Implications and Future Outlook
The launch of the MoonPay X Games League arrives at a pivotal juncture in the commercialization of alternative and action sports. As traditional linear television viewership trends younger and more fragmented, sports properties are increasingly adopting franchise-based, league-format models that foster year-round narrative arcs.
By anchoring teams to distinct geographic markets—Golden State, New York, Park City, and Whistler—the XGL creates familiar touchpoints for mainstream sports fans while preserving the inherent creativity, progression, and counter-cultural roots that defined the X Games brand since its inception in 1995.
Industry analysts note that the success of the summer season pilot laid crucial operational groundwork for the winter rollout. By scaling the model to winter disciplines, X Games is effectively testing whether team loyalty can transcend individual athlete fandom in sports historically driven by personality cults. Early indicators, evidenced by the engagement metrics at the Cosm Los Angeles draft and broad digital streaming distribution, suggest a receptive global market.
As the calendar approaches the January 2027 opening bell in Aspen, league organizers plan to release additional operational details regarding specific competition disciplines, broadcast windows, ticketing, and localized fan experiences in the coming months. Comprehensive updates will continue to be published directly through official channels at xgames.com and xgames.com/xgl.
