By now, you have noticed it, Stake is one of those companies that never sleeps. Online gambling and sports betting no longer exist on their own. This company is one of the pioneers in spreading its brand into other fields. Without a fault, Stake has entered so many sports that it's hard to count. Their sponsorship deals, tied to some of the world's most prominent sports ambassadors, sports brands, and overall approach to brand promotion is one of a kind and very successful in what it aims to achieve.
It is easy to build your brand through soccer, NFL, or basketball. Doing it through MMA, cricket, or Esports is a different beast. This is what Stake has done. Without neglecting the main sports fields, it covered some of the niches where other sports betting brands have failed to penetrate or haven't even thought of it. You will be surprised to hear that the latest deal is an X Games partnership with Stake.com, making Stake the first sports betting brand to touch skateboarding.
As we said, Stake is pushing boundaries of what was imaginable by a sports betting brand. In the past, online casinos and sports betting outlets relied on their clients to spread the word mouth to mouth, or have applied simple marketing tactics to reach new audiences and expand their user base. Stake revolutionized how a sports betting brand should look like and what needs to be done to become best in the business. The partnership with X Games is just the latest of their moves that will tie this sports betting brand to skateboarding, snowboarding, and BMX, just like it did in the past with UFC, Caribbean Premier League (cricket), Formula 1, Premier League with Everton FC, or horse racing with Frankie Dettori.
Why This Partnership Matters for Action Sports
There are many people who believe that sports betting brands shouldn't be tied to sports. Those people fail to see the broader picture. Stake's good name is always, and we're talking about 100%, tied to prosperity. So far, it has managed to elevate every one of its partners, one way or another. In the meantime, it has also grown itself through more than positive symbiotic relationships. X Games, while popular in their own right, are still seen as a niche sport. Once the Stake name gets attached to some of their main events, and top athletes, they will grow to the heights not imaginable before.
As far as sports betting and sponsorship deals go, Stake is one of the most generous companies out there, with clear goals set ahead. Just some of the names now tied to this brand include Formula 1 team Sauber, Everton FC, Sergio Aguero, Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira, UFC and Patrice Evra among many others. Once X Games found themselves in this company, the firm, the sport, athletes, and the brand will grow altogether, and that can only be good for them.
Skateboarding, Culture, and the Rise of Sports Betting
Skateboarding is a massive part of street culture in many parts of the world, and especially in the USA. At the centre of its growth were the X Games. Their influence was pivotal in skateboarding rise to the level it is today. Once, not even a sport but a niche activity, skateboarding of today is a mainstream, global sport. It has been commercialized and professionalized, and it was mostly thanks to X Games. Yet, on its own, it has reached a certain level, its ceiling, and it can't go any further without expanding into new fields.
This is where Stake enters the picture. At the moment, there aren't too many skateboarding betting markets, if any. Yet, there are people who want to start betting on skateboarding, and that number grows by the day. One thing that Stake does the best is that it creates a certain betting market, showcases it to its current user base, and advertises it to outsiders. It is often underestimated just how much a sport can be popularized through simple means of sports betting. The number of people who started following a sport or a sports team due to sports betting is bigger than the number of those who love a certain sport and then decide to wager on it.
How Fan Engagement Is Changing
It's not just skateboarding, fan engagement is changing across all sports. It has a lot to do with the way we consume content on a daily basis. There are more fans who follow sports on TV, tablets, and smartphones than there are at stadiums or arenas. Thanks to social media platforms, fans can now be in constant touch with their favorite teams, players, and events. No one longer relies on weekly highlights, when you can have content daily at the palm of your hands. With the rapid development of technology that led to creation of super portable devices such as smartphones, and global internet accessibility, sports fans could all of a sudden enjoy their favorite sports and athletes anywhere and anytime.
For all sports under the X Games umbrella this is more than good news. In addition to viewing games, highlights, and other sports content, many fans also now practice to wager on their favorite sports/teams, making every event all that more interesting. Considering that every X Games event is filled with adrenaline, even at entry stages, adding sports betting markets to the mix will only elevate fan engagement. For a sport that has long been fighting for more fan engagement, and better media coverage, a partnership with Stake, will be like a Christmas present for true fans. While for someone looking from outside, this might appear as just another sponsorship deal, the consequences will be much greater, and by all means as far as sports growth goes, positive.
Industry Reaction and Expert Commentary
Skateboarding has gotten so mainstream, that it became a sport that featured at Olympics. Yet, in years past, there were no sports betting markets attached to it. Yes, there were some possibilities to wager on it during the Olympics, but it was not an option available to a broader audience. In the not so distant future, this is about to change. With Stake wrapping up its sponsorship deal with X Games, skateboarding and other X Games sports are going to get more coverage through sports betting markets.
Skateboarding, snowboarding, freestyle motocross, and BMX have not been subjected to traditional betting in the past. Many saw it as too unconventional to be able to put odds on it. X Games have been around for 30 years under that name, and no one has thought that it's a sport you can wager on. At the same time people have been betting on horse racing, boxing, and football since the invention of those sports.
Sports betting is nowadays seen as a way to commercialize any sport further than it already is. Tony Hawk and other pioneers of different X Games disciplines have done all in their power to elevate the sport. Now, the time has come for Stake to take it up a few notches. The first move to do so was made back in 2022 when ESPN sold the X Games to MSP Sports Capital. When the trade was made, the new owner said: "Launching sports betting now allows us to continue that tradition by offering fans an entirely new way to connect with their favourite athletes and events."
As you could have guessed, those close to the sport, have been wondering why is this happening now? After all, the sport has been growing in the three decades since it went from street niche sport to a mainstream one. In all that time it had no connections to sports betting or any sports betting brand, until now. Addressing the matter, Jeremy Bloom, X Games CEO since December, said: " It’s the perfect milestone to showcase our commitment to evolving how fans engage with the X Games. Our 30th anniversary is a celebration of X Games’ legacy of innovation and redefining action sports."
Those who are at the helm of this sport know that there can't be a future of any sport if it's not tied to sports betting. It's simple, as there's just too much money left on the table if there isn't a connection. And without money and media coverage no modern sport can survive. The fans believe that the product is fine as it is, but in thirty years under the X Games, this is the first time that everything feels stalled. In a few years, skateboarding could take a step back, if it doesn't get a new kind of coverage that comes with sports betting markets.
One of the main reasons why there are so many people suggesting that there is no need for sports betting/skateboarding crossover is the fact that the sport is deeply tied to the late 90s and early 2000s Millennials and Gen Z culture. Talking about this, Bloom added: "By integrating our odds into top platforms, we’re bridging this cultural connection with the thrill of sports betting, making X Games a compelling partner for sportsbooks and brands looking to reach these influential demographics."
No matter how you look at it, this is a clear win win situation. Both the fans, the athletes, and the sport itself have plenty to gain, and nothing to lose. Bloom is sure that in no time, the fans and sports bettors will have a different outlook on X Games. While addressing his views on this subject Bloom said: " Millennials and Gen Z are drawn to personalised, immersive experiences and sports betting is a powerful tool for deepening their connection to the X Games. It transforms fans from spectators into participants, giving them an active role in the action."
At the end of the day, every fan wants to be closer to its favorite sport. Both X Games and Stake have the same idea in mind: making the sport bigger, growing the audience, and adding new demographics to the mix. The only way to see how this partnership will affect the sport is to be a little patient and see how it unfolds. If we're looking at it through what happened at Everton FC, UFC, Drake, Alex Pereira, and other people and entities associated with Stake, success is the only option.
What This Means for the Future of X Games
The Stake/X Games partnership can only mean growth for X Games. More exposure to an audience who was not previously associated with the sport through means of sports betting is a good thing. X Games will not be the first example where a sport has gained more following after its sports betting markets were created and expanded. For a sport that was not previously associated with any sports betting outlet, nor it was fairly represented with the bookies, X Games viewership is going to skyrocket. Also, a sponsorship deal of this magnitude, and the soon to be announced partnership with Stake will mean more money to both the sport and the athletes, which will result in a more quality product, which when paired with more interested audience means more revenue, and steady and continuous growth of the sport that was fighting for its place under the sun for the last 30 years.
A New Chapter for Action Sports Innovation
The future was always uncertain for action sports. While popular among certain demographics, it never really kicked off as a mainstream sport nor it has reached the lower heights of football, basketball, hockey, or even baseball. While no one can guarantee just how much it will grow now that it has attracted the attention of one of the world's premium sports betting websites, Stake, it will no longer be the same sport. As we said, Stake has done wonders to promote Caribbean cricket, MMA, Esports, and even music, so its touch on X Games and the sports it covers will be unmeasurable, for sure. X Games are entering into a new era of promotion, and we're not only talking about adding new betting markets. More is yet to come.
