BOULDER, Colo. — The expansion of action sports into a structured, year-round team format reached a significant milestone on August 13, 2026, as the MoonPay X Games League (XGL) finalized its leadership team for the upcoming winter campaign. X Games officials confirmed the establishment of X Games Club Whistler (XC Whistler) as the fourth and final founding Winter Club, alongside the appointment of four prominent action sports figures to serve as general managers.
Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley, industry veteran Dave Sypniewski, athlete marketing specialist Sharalee “Haze” Hazen, and Canadian media executive Ryan Stutt have been tapped to construct and manage the inaugural 10-athlete rosters for their respective clubs. Their leadership marks a fundamental shift for skiing and snowboarding, moving the sports from isolated, single-event competitions toward a unified, season-long league structure. The foundational phase will culminate on September 16, 2026, when the GMs assemble in Los Angeles for the first-ever XGL Winter Draft.
The Evolution of Action Sports: From Independent Competitions to Team Leagues
The creation of the XGL Winter Season follows a highly successful inaugural Summer Season that signaled strong commercial growth and audience engagement for the franchise. MSP Sports Capital, the global private equity firm that oversees X Games, positioned the league to bridge the gap between traditional action sports showcases and mainstream, franchise-based sports leagues.
During the summer debut, XGL competitions reached 18.3 million U.S. television viewers across ABC and ESPN. This figure represented a substantial 78.5 percent increase in broadcast viewership compared to the 2025 event calendar. The momentum culminated in an intense championship finale in New Orleans, where XC New York narrowly defeated XC Tokyo by a razor-thin margin of 10 points—securing the title with 2,640 points to Tokyo’s 2,630 on the final run of the season.
Building on this commercial and competitive momentum, the league is pivoting toward winter disciplines, introducing a co-ed, multi-city franchise model that marries geographic identity with elite global talent. The four founding Winter Clubs—XC Golden State, XC New York, XC Park City, and XC Whistler—will compete across a multi-event calendar scheduled to launch in January 2027 in Aspen, Colorado.
Roster Construction and the Inaugural Winter Draft
The appointment of the four general managers introduces a novel strategic element to winter action sports. Historically, freeskiers and snowboarders competed exclusively as individual entries representing themselves or commercial sponsors. Under the XGL model, athletes will be bound to team rosters, requiring GMs to balance technical versatility, camaraderie, and strategic depth.
The XGL Winter Draft, scheduled for September 16, 2026, at Cosm Los Angeles, will serve as the crucible for this new team-building philosophy. Each general manager will select 10 elite skiers and snowboarders to form their foundational squads. Limited tickets for superfans wishing to attend the immersive draft experience inside the venue have been made available via the official X Games portal.
According to X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom, the transition to a team-oriented structure places immense pressure on executive leadership. "For the first time in X Games history, someone has to build a championship roster, not just produce a championship run," Bloom stated. "That makes the GM role incredibly important. Jonny, Dave, Haze and Ryan each bring deep credibility with athletes, real roots in these sports and a different point of view on how to build a winning club. They now get to make the first roster decisions in X Games history that will impact an entire winter season."
Meet the General Managers of the Four Founding Winter Clubs
The leadership group assembled by XGL reflects decades of combined experience spanning athletic competition, media production, brand strategy, and athlete advocacy.
XC Golden State: Jonny Moseley
Representing the West Coast, Olympic champion and World Cup titlist Jonny Moseley will helm XC Golden State. Moseley’s innovative performances at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics fundamentally altered the trajectory of modern freeskiing, popularizing new progression standards that resonate today. Beyond his competitive legacy, Moseley became an enduring cultural ambassador for the sport, establishing himself as a prominent television broadcaster and media personality.
Operating out of Northern California and the Lake Tahoe basin—where his own athletic journey began—Moseley views the franchise as a homecoming. "Growing up in Northern California, I saw firsthand how the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe helped shape skiing and snowboarding," Moseley noted. "It’s where I learned to ski, where I competed, and where my passion for the sport began. To come back and lead XC Golden State is incredibly meaningful. We have an opportunity to create something that reflects the innovation, creativity and competitive spirit of this region while chasing the first X Games League Winter Championship."
XC New York: Dave Sypniewski and Barrett Christy Cummins
Tasked with defending the organizational excellence established by the New York brand during the summer season, Dave Sypniewski assumes the general manager role for XC New York. Sypniewski has spent his career cultivating the commercial infrastructure of snowboarding, forging strategic alliances between elite athletes and premier brands through his work with entities such as Thrasher, Burton, and Boost Mobile.
Sypniewski will not operate in a vacuum; he is supported by Special Advisor Barrett Christy Cummins, an 11-time X Games medalist, U.S. Olympian, and inductee into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame. Together, the leadership duo aims to apply a holistic approach to athlete development. "The X Games League creates a whole new way to think about team building in action sports," Sypniewski said. "Success won’t come from one superstar. It’ll come from putting together a club with the right mix of talent, versatility and competitive mindset."
XC Park City: Sharalee “Haze” Hazen
Sharalee “Haze” Hazen brings vital continuity to the league from her previous tenure as general manager of XC Los Angeles during the inaugural Summer Season. A recognized leader in athlete marketing and experiential sports programming, Hazen co-created The Uninvited Invitational, establishing new competitive and cultural pathways for women in snowboarding. Her expertise in athlete advocacy and brand integration will guide XC Park City as the franchise builds its localized identity in Utah’s premier winter sports hub.
"Action sports have always been about pushing boundaries, building community and creating opportunities for athletes to thrive," Hazen observed. "The X Games League takes that to another level by giving athletes, fans and clubs a shared journey throughout the season. Our goal is to create an environment where athletes feel supported, authentic stories emerge naturally and XC Park City becomes a team people connect with on and off the snow."
XC Whistler: Ryan Stutt
Rounding out the league’s foundational roster is Ryan Stutt, a Canadian media entrepreneur and documentary filmmaker who has chronicled the evolution of snowboarding and skiing for over two decades. As the founder of Forecast Ski and King Snow magazines, Stutt has played a definitive role in shaping Canadian winter sports media. His recent work includes producing and co-directing the award-winning documentary Our Kind of Chaos, which examines the legacy of the Whistler-based Whiskey snowboard film series.
As the leader of the newly confirmed XC Whistler, Stutt intends to harness the cultural gravity of British Columbia’s premier mountain resort. "Whistler represents the pinnacle of ski and snowboard culture," Stutt said. "The expectation here is excellence, and that’s exactly how we’ll approach the X Games League. We’re committed to creating a culture that attracts elite athletes, embraces progression and competes for championships while honoring the legacy that makes Whistler special."
Broader Economic and Industrial Implications of XGL
The formalization of the XGL Winter Season highlights a broader evolution within the business of action sports. Historically, athletes relied primarily on sporadic prize purses and seasonal corporate sponsorships—a model subject to high economic volatility depending on brand marketing budgets and contest placements.
By introducing a franchised team structure backed by MSP Sports Capital, the league guarantees a more predictable economic framework. The team-based model opens up secondary revenue streams, structured salaries, and enhanced collective bargaining potential for competitors, aligning action sports with the structural stability of major team leagues like the NBA, MLB, or Formula 1.
Furthermore, the integration of regional clubs—Golden State, New York, Park City, and Whistler—allows fans to engage in localized fandom, purchasing club-specific merchandise and following multi-week competitive arcs rather than tuning in for isolated weekend showcases. This continuity is expected to enhance long-term media rights valuations and drive deeper corporate partnerships.
Outlook for the 2027 Winter Season
Following the September 16 draft in Los Angeles, the four general managers will have several months to integrate their newly selected athletes into cohesive units ahead of the inaugural gate-drop in January 2027. While Aspen has been confirmed as the season opener, subsequent tour stops and exact calendar dates remain subject to future announcements by X Games leadership.
As the organization transitions from its successful summer proving ground into the demanding environment of elite skiing and snowboarding, the success of the XGL Winter Clubs will serve as a definitive test for the viability of team sports in the action sports ecosystem. With experienced leaders at the helm of Golden State, New York, Park City, and Whistler, the league enters its next chapter equipped with the operational structure required to sustain long-term growth.
