Are you Xcited?

Are you ready for the X Games X? Well, it doesn't matter, because it's here! For the second straight year, the X Games are taking place at STAPLES Center, making LA the new Extreme Sports capital of the world.

It's hard to believe the X Games are already 10 years old, but it looks like they're here to stay. Last year's TV ratings were about 150-percent higher than the X Games four years ago, and skateboarding and BMX (which is now an Olympic Sport) have become mainstream. It appears that X Games fans and participants aren't growing out of it.

There are some people who claim the X Games are the future of sports, but we're not so sure. Xtreme Sports still lack an invested audience like fans of professional baseball or football teams. More likely, Xtreme Sports will just slowly find their way into mainstream sports, and skateboarding will have their own circuit like NASCAR and golf that people occassionally pay attention to. Maybe skateboarding will even find its way into the Olympics like snowboard halfpipe already has. Or maybe ESPN will just start a fifth network called EXPN.