MINNEAPOLIS -- The X Games are expected to draw more than 100,000 people to Minneapolis, and the event will support up to 7,000 jobs, according to Meet Minneapolis, Minneapolis Visitors and Convention Association.
The extreme sports event kicked off Thursday and runs through Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. It's the first time ever that Minnesota has played host to the event.
Meet Minneapolis officials said they can't put a dollar amount on the economic impact of the X Games for the city as a whole. They want to wait and see how the event's first year in Minnesota goes.
Meet Minneapolis officials say the city will benefit from being seen on a national and international stage.
”It’s really exciting to believe that on the various platforms on which the X Games will be broadcast, that it’s going to reach out to more than 200 countries and 504 million homes, and that’s exciting—something that we just don’t get every day,” said Melvin Tennant, President and CEO of Meet Minneapolis.
Minneapolis will also play host to the X Games in 2018.