Action sports’ iconic X Games event organizer has sold its first franchises ahead of its new X Games League (XGL) concept, with sports investment firm UNA Sports Group (USG) acquiring the New York City summer and winter teams.
X Games described the deal as “an eight-figure transaction,” with the league engaging Moelis & Co as its financial advisor to support the evaluation and execution of team sales and expansion opportunities.
The deal marks the first of four pairs of teams to be sold, with the remaining six winter and summer franchises based in Los Angeles (US), Sao Paulo (Brazil), and Tokyo (Japan). The X Games said additional franchise sales are expected in the coming months.
X Games chief executive Jeremy Bloom commented: “This is the starting line. We are launching teams and establishing a permanent presence in major markets.
“This deal puts X Games in New York across both summer and winter. UNA is the right ownership group to build it over the long term.”
Investment firm USG focuses on acquiring and partnering with global professional sports franchises and platforms and is led by chief executive and managing director Del Wright, president David Rader, and founder and partner Andrew Thau.
Thau is the former chief operating officer of United Talent Agency and will serve as governor of the New York Games franchises.
Upon announcing the agreement, X Games said it is prioritizing New York as a core host market, with plans to bring both summer and winter events to the state in the coming years, along with a slate of athlete appearances, community events, and fan engagement opportunities.
X Games Club New York will be led by team captain Nyjan Huston, the American skateboarding legend, and will also include Australian skateboarder Chloe Covell, American BMXer Hannah Robers, Australian BMX Olympic gold medalist Logan Martin, and other athletes.
In a joint statement, UNA Sports Group's leadership said: “We’re excited to partner with X Games at a pivotal moment. The shift to a team-based model creates a strong platform for growth, fan engagement, and long-term value.
“This investment aligns with our strategy to combine capital and expertise to scale premier sports properties with global reach.”
The deal comes as the X Games League prepares to stage the first stop of its summer season in Sacramento, California, from June 26 to 28, before heading to Chiba, Japan, for its second summer event from July 4 to 5.
The summer season will end with the championship at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans from July 24 to 26, with the team with the highest cumulative score across the season winning the title and being awarded a $500,000 team prize.
The X Games announced its new league concept last September, which it hopes will provide athletes with more structure, visibility, and earning opportunities. After this year’s summer season, it plans to expand to a winter competition in 2027.
In January, X Games secured cryptocurrency exchange platform MoonPay as the title sponsor for the league under a three-year deal, with the league renamed MoonPay X Games.
The three-year partnership, which comes with category exclusivity for MoonPay across cryptocurrency, banking, and finance, will include a ‘pass-through model’ that will allow MoonPay’s other partner brands the ability to capitalize on the deal with their own sponsorship inventory for the event series.
That means that Moonpay will enable its roster of partners to activate around the XGL series, with the stated aim of entrenching the cryptocurrency ecosystem in the competition.
Other X Games partners include fast-food chain Sonic, alcohol brands Beatbox Beverages, 805 Beer, and Cerveza Pacifico Clara, transport company Rivian, soft drinks brand Jarritos, toy company Tech Deck, headphone manufacturer Skullcandy, video gaming heavyweight Activision, and the US Army.
Monster Energy, a long-term supporter of the X Games, became the first founding partner of the XGL series in 2025.
Most recently, X Games confirmed betting firm Stake as the exclusive online casino and sports betting partner of the XGL, which will be exclusively livestreamed on Stake’s Kick streaming platform.
