Gnarly! The 5 Things You Need To Know About The Summer X Games

These athletes are conquering feats that so many wouldn’t even dare to attempt.

Total domination,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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1. The first Extreme Games were started by ESPN in 1995 with the idea that they would be every two years. But the fans loved it and the games evolved into to an annual contest. In 1996, the X Games as we know it, became a reality with the first Winter Games taking place in 1997. This year’s Summer Games take place on August 1 - 4 in Minneapolis, MN. LET’S GET CRAZY 

2. At the heart of the X Games is the Shred Hate campaign. The campaign talks about how sports can provide a safe harbor from bullying or create it; that many of their athletes didn’t fit into traditional sports. So they created a campaign that takes a stand against bullying through partnerships with innovative bullying prevention programs in the country. TAKE A STAND

3. The popularity of the sport of skateboarding skyrocketed partly because of the X Games. Now skateboarding will make its Summer Olympics debut in Tokyo in 2020. Watch for the “Flying Tomato” himself, Shaun White, who is the first athlete to win in both the summer and winter X Games. It may be a long road as skateboarding Olympians will compete in street and park events and White’s expertise is the vert. Also look out for Brighton Zeuner. At age 13, she became the youngest athlete in the X Games’ 21-year history to take home gold and is hoping to qualify for Tokyo. GET IT GIRL

4. We all remember the man, the myth and the legend, Tony Hawk. Well, these games mark the 20th anniversary of his famed 900 (two-and-a-half rotations = 900 degrees) on a skateboard, something that had never been done before. It took him 10 years of practice, a broken rib, lost teeth and several concussions but in 1999, he landed the iconic trick. (Now the 1080 is the trick to land). PERSISTENCE IS EVERYTHING

5. Skateboarding isn’t the only soon-to-be global sport, BMX freestyle is coming to the 2020 Summer Olympics as well. BMX has grown faster than the CBD craze, with the first World Cup taking place in 2016. What is BMX freestyle? In two one-minute runs each, riders will be judged on the difficulty, originality, style, flow, risk, height and execution of their tricks and jumps. THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

Wednesday Wisdom 

Let’s talk about what’s blowing up your phone today including a big change for the two-time World Cup Champion U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, why LeBron is being dad shamed and would you get a head tattoo in exchange for game tickets? READ

5 Summer Olympic Storylines To Follow

This week marks one year until the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. They’re already off to a better start than Rio (although that’s probably no surprise to anyone) and there are new athletes and events in the spotlight.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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1. Baseball and softball are on the dance card for the first time in 12 years. A women’s softball game will be the first event of the 2020 Olympics. It’s being held two days before the Opening Ceremony and will be played in Fukushima, the site of the 2011 nuclear plant meltdowns. YOU GLOW GIRL HAS A WHOLE NEW MEANING

2. Karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will make their Olympic debuts. Hopes are that by adding these sports, more millennials fall in love with the Olympics. That being said, don't count out the “old” guys. There’s talk that 47-year-old surfing icon Kelly Slater might make a run at the inaugural event in Tokyo. NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S GAMES

3. Some of your favorite Americans are expected to return to Tokyo. The U.S. women soccer team is eyeing their first World Cup-Olympic back-to-back championships, Simone Biles will be the veteran on the gymnastics team, the “Flying Tomato” Shaun White could swap a snowboard for a skateboard and the queen of U.S. track, Allyson Felix, is on her journey back after an emergency C-section in November sidelined her.  HI OLD FRIEND

4. Sponsors are clearly excited about the games with $3 billion already spent on domestic sponsorships, a record three times more than any other Summer Olympics. Mother Earth is excited too because the medals will all be made out of recycled gadgets, i.e. that old cell phone. SPIRIT FINGERS

5. Two storylines that are sure to be part of the conversation leading up to the games include the rules put into place by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) that limits the ability of certain athletes with high levels of testosterone to compete as women. Enter South African runner Caster Semenya, who claims the IAAF used her as a guinea pig to see how regulating her testosterone levels via medication affected her performance on the track. Then there’s New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard, who could become the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics. Hubbard, who formerly competed as Gavin Hubbard, began transitioning six years ago and has been taking the weightlifting world by storm. THE CENTER OF DISCUSSION

Wednesday Wisdom

Let’s talk shop with the top three biggest stories in sports today including who is getting a little cosmetic work done, why we'll never be able to afford a sports team and proof men drive women to drink? READ

Soar Into The Weekend

Take off into your Friday. Sit back, relax and enjoy the weekend ahead.

Wheels up,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Winter Olympics

If you’ve been staying up too late to watch sports you didn’t even know you cared about. The Winter Olympics are coming to an end with the closing ceremony on Sunday. In the ceremony, a united Korea will hand the Olympic torch off to the site of the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tokyo. Also, keep an eye out for Ivanka Trump in attendance and the dynamic duo of former Olympic figure skaters Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir in the broadcast booth.

Overtime

It’s been a great week for American gold medal snowboarder Chloe Kim. She’s on the cover of Sports Illustrated alongside her dog and she photobombed tourists with Jimmy Fallon. Then she learned that her real dream had come true. Kim will be featured on the front of Kellogg's Corn Flakes boxes.

Sideline stat

Normally when a player’s jersey number is retired, it’s never to be worn again by anyone else on the team. That is until your kin comes along. Larry Nance Jr. was recently traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA – National Basketball Association) where his father’s #22 jersey is retired. After initially declining to wear the same number as his dad, he has decided that he will in fact wear the family jewel - the #22 jersey.

Coaches’ corner

In the “yes this really happened file,” we bring you American skier representing Hungary, Elizabeth Swaney. She attempted exactly zero tricks on her halfpipe run - a run that many are calling a mockery of the sport. She made the Hungary Olympic team simply because she didn't fall during her qualifier. She's known for seeking the spotlight, having run against Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor as a college student. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this video will leave you speechless.

What to watch

The men’s curling gold medal match between USA and Sweden begins at 3am Saturday morning EST and there’s still plenty of speed skating left to watch. Also, MLB (Major League Baseball) spring training games start tomorrow. Batter up!