[2] The X Games have been held all over the world and typically include sports such as skateboarding, BMX, freestyle motocross, skiing and snowboarding.

The competition often features new tricks such as Tony Hawk's 900 in skateboarding, Shaun White's Double McTwist 1260 in snowboard, Dave Mirra's Double Backflip in BMX, Travis Pastrana's Double Backflip in freestyle motocross, Heath Frisby's first snowmobile frontflip, Chuck Carothers's first body varial in freestyle motocross, Henrik Harlaut's first nose-butter triple cork in Ski Big Air, Gus Kenworthy's first switch triple rodeo in a ski slopestyle competition and Torstein Horgmo's first landed triple cork in a snowboard competition.

The X Games gained media exposure due to their big name sponsors, top-tier athletes, and consistent fan attendance.

Viewership across the three networks that carried coverage of the event – ABC Sports, ESPN, and ESPN2 – exceeded 2001's household average by 30% according to Nielsen Media Research.

To accommodate the first-time live coverage, nighttime competitions were added, resulting in record attendance for the Aspen/Snowmass venue in Colorado.

The Global Championship featured two distinct venues hosting competitions in summer and winter action sports simultaneously.

It consisted of six teams of the world's top athletes, grouped together by their region of origin, to compete in the four-day event.

The winter sports were held in Whistler Blackcomb Resort in British Columbia, and the events included snowboarding and skiing.

In May 2011, ESPN held a bid to select three host cities in addition to Los Angeles, Aspen, and Tignes, France, to form a six-event calendar for the next three years beginning in 2013.