SUNDAY Q&A: Why the X Games decided to leave L.A.: Fresh footprints

Scott Guglielmino, the senior vice president of programming for the X Games, has no need for coffee, a shot of 5-Hour Energy or that new Carl's Jr. ice cream scoop smashed between two Pop Tarts to get him amped up.

"I'm resigned to a Diet Coke in the morning," he said Saturday as he continued cruising around the ESPN-created festival that has ramped up again through downtown L.A. and beyond.

"I just need a couple of those and my natural endorphins kick in."

It's a natural, too, that Los Angeles has been the X Games' longtime summer home, having hosted the last 11 years in and around Staples Center, the Coliseum, Irwindale and Carson.

But a few months ago, Guglielmino's team announced it decided to move everything next May to Austin, Texas, and continue to rotate cities as it did in its formative years.

What's the X-factor there?

The loyal So Cal supporters may be miffed by the move, but maybe Guglielmino can explain better what's involved in pushing the franchise to even higher heights, and how things could always circle back to L.A. somewhere down the road:

QUESTION: The vibe is that L.A. has really taken some ownership of the X Games over the last decade plus. The perfect climate, it's well attended, the extreme sports companies thrive here. I don't want to make this confrontational, but what was so wrong about having L.A. as the permanent place for the X Games, not just the past 11 years, but maybe 111 years moving forward?

ANSWER: You know what, it's definitely not confrontational. The reality of it, I'm sure you're well aware, is that Southern California is the home of the action sports culture. It's the original home of board sports, for sure. But really, there were two catalysts in moving. One of them was a footprint issue. Over time, we've grown as far as our aspirations for the event. A few years ago, we worked with the city to shut down Figueroa Blvd., when we brought Rally Cars through the streets ... that was terrific. But we wanted to expand the size of the course. And this year, we wanted to introduce Gymkhana (staged at Irwindale), so that created a need to expand the footprint. The other thing, in regards to moving to Austin, was just to keep the event fresh, switching things up a little bit, move it into more of what we're calling a festival feel, which takes another huge footprint. Austin has a great city, a good fit with action sports. So really that's what's driving us.

Q: So it didn't really outgrow L.A., the city kind of did what it could for now and maybe after some time, L.A. could be back in the picture?

A: I'd be shocked if we didn't have an X Games presence in Southern California somewhere down the road.

Q: Did you consider having maybe a couple events in L.A. while moving others to another city "" maybe keep the outdoor skating here, but go indoors with other things elsewhere, a multi-city festival?

A: We considered it, but there are a bunch of issues there. One thing intriguing to us is the on-sight experience. The X Games are always a mult-sport event and if we divide it up, there's concern it becomes 'just another event.' We like the idea of bringing together the different fans and cultures of all the sports, including the athletes. That's what makes the X Games unique.

Q: You've got a lot of use out of many L.A. facilities over the years. Was there any place in Southern California you wanted to stage something but just couldn't pull it off -- maybe build a skate board ramp over the Hollywood sign? Head to Santa Monica or Venice Beach?

A: Yeah, we actually had a couple of concepts early on, but the reality is, all the great venues here worked out really well for us. We played around with a Mega-ramp (in Santa Monica), but the major concern was the wind. And we had a project with Red Bull where we actually considered jumping the Santa Monica pier at one point, but for various reasons we couldn't go down that path. We've dreamed up some interesting things with partners.

Q: If you're looking bigger picture, the X Games this year was a far more global tour, ending in L.A.. How did get so many of the top athletes on board with this concept of all this travel?

A: A: We believe in the X Games as a concept not just inside but also outside the U.S. and the reality is these athletes are opinion leaders in a lot of cases. They make social currency by their athletic prowess and creativity, and that makes them relevant around the world in what others look, what they wear, where they go - all those things matter. We felt like it was the right time to stage some X Games outside the U.S. because we had support to do it. The athletes see it as a huge platform for doing what they love to do and make a good living at it, and that's a win-win.

Q: As a parent, you can get nervous and be on edge watching your own kids try to push the limits, no matter what's at stake. Action athletes often talk about the progression of the sport as it evolves, and one way to measure that at the X Games was through the Moto X "Best Trick" competition, where you'd see 360s and double backflips set the bar higher and higher. That event was not included this time - perhaps in light of what happened at the Winter Games in Aspen recently where an athlete died during the snowmobile competition. How do you feel like you're acting as a parent during the growth as the X Games in that you're constantly drawing a line to define what the competition is all about as opposed to opening things up to athletes who pushing the limits too far? Does eliminating "Best Trick" stifle the progression of the X Games?

A: : I don't think it will. The reality of it, in a freestyle event, there's plenty of room for progression as far as tricks. When we look at "Best Trick" competition, we're speaking to athletes all the time about all this, and our decision to go away from "Best Trick" - there were some safety issues there, and there's a delicate balance between progression and going outside the envelope. As you know, these athletes train all the time, often in foam pits and other ways to help them limit injury as much as possible. I don't see the progression being hampered by our decision not to have a "Best Trick" competition. You'll see progression outside the X Games, things that aren't necessarily competition, and that's no problem for us. But when we stage a world-class competition where we have a sizable field of professional athletes, that's where we need to make sure it's a real competition, not just someone trying to do a trick that's never been done and there's a potential for real danger existing. That's not within the confines of a competition.

Q: You don't want someone to go out there and try to be a hero.

A: : The X Games are not a 'stunt fest,' it's a legitimate competition.

Q: Surely, the athletes understand they're at risk when they're competing as well as performing at these events. Maybe this circles back to how NASCAR and the NFL does more to put in preventative measures to preserve the well-being of the athletes and the future and integrity of the sport. You must feel some responsibility as well to keep them from going over a line and establish a framework so everyone's on the same playing field.

A: : No question. Safety is at the heart of what we're trying to get done here. We want a world-class environment and safety is square one. So many times we hear it from the athletes, they're comfortable being here and they know they're going to be in good hands. We have courses built where the athletes can pre-run them and they give us feedback on how to make adjustments. At the end of the day, the relevance of the X Games and the leadership position it maintains over the course of time is based on safety and athletes feeling comfortable to come here and progress their sports. That's the secret sauce that's not really secret. It takes time and resources and that's the company's long-term view on how to do this correctly.

Q: Possibly there's a comparison here to mixed martial arts, when it first arrived and fans thought it was just crazy, but it had to fit within a competitive format and rules, otherwise there's backlash to how it's run. If you want a sport to be accepted as generational, there must be some acceptance from not just the athletes, but the parents who let their kids try this in their backyard, or at skate parks now that keep coming up.

A: : No question, safety in sport overall is leagues and governing bodies deal with. There's always a concern for safety and longevity.

Q: Do you, in turn, become your own governing body for the sport?

A: :The key constituents here for us are our group for the X Games, we also have particular sport organizers and we have the athlete input. With those three, it's all about legitimate competition as safe as possible and we've taken care of as many aspects as possible. Course designers and builders are also part of this.

Q: But when you have other competitions outside the X Games - Dew Tours, etc. - do they have a governing body to answer to for rules and regulations? Could one of these off-shoot groups try to take things too far, or there enough cohesiveness with the athletes who compete in these different events?

A: : I can't really speak too much for Dew Tour and Red Bull, but when it comes to our events here, there are organizations such as Rally Car, which is an actual circuit that we have a programming deal with outside the X Games as well. Global Rally Cross institutes the rules and run the race itself here at X Games. We agree to their rules. They're the race experts. That's how that piece works. But then there are things more organic, like Vert Skating, with a judging system and an apparatus that's been honed over time between all the key stakeholders. They're on the other end of the spectrum. We also have Street League Skateboarding, developed by Rob Dyrek, and they develop all that's involved with staging and putting that on, as well as with us as well.

Q: What X Games Summer events do you see getting enough traction to be considered for the Summer Olympics?

A: I'm not an insider on how the IOC decides things, but I have heard they're trying to get some kind of skateboarding in there, one of several disciplines. If they're trying to connect with the youth, that would seem to be smart. In London (during the 2012 Summer Olympics) they got some BMX in there. I'd be shocked if the IOC didn't find itself going further down that path.

Q: When the IOC recently decided to eliminate wrestling and baseball and softball, and then make them reapply, it seemed to have created a short list of other sports that could be included in the mix, such as wake boarding and karate and something they called vaguely "roller sports."

A: I'm not sure what that reference was, but I gotta assume they were talking about skateboarding. It could also be something to do with razor scooters, or inline skating.

Q: What about shopping carts? Like what Johnny Knoxville did during the movie "Jackass" -- throw a bunch of guys into a shopping cart and send them down a hill.

A: You never know. That's one way to get relevant. Just another form of street luge.

Q: So after all these years, what's been your favorite X Games event to watch purely as a spectator?

A: Probably the skate park. To me, it's just the fluidity of it. It reminds me of surfing. Curren Caples is someone who's just tremendous. Rune Glifberg, Pedro Barros . . . they're a lot of fun to watch.

Q: Well, if it's a lot like surfing, why isn't surfing part of X Games anymore? Is that really why you're moving to Austin, to bring back surfing?

A: (Laughing) It's such a difficult thing to set up, with a four-day window, all beholden to Mother Nature. We'd love to be able to integrate it back into X Games on a regular basis. We also can't jam it into X Games if we don't see it as a legit world class competition. We try to be cognizant of a competition. If it's a Sunday afternoon, we could be sending guys out on waves that are just awful.

Q: Maybe just have everyone compete on a video game console.

A: There you go. Maybe we get everyone on an X box.

Note: More Q&A with Guglielmino on the blog at

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