LOS ANGELES (Sept. 29, 2026) — In a move set to reshape the landscape of action sports, the MoonPay X Games League (XGL)—the world’s inaugural year-round, team-based, co-ed league—has officially announced a strategic media partnership with TOGETHXR, the preeminent force in women’s sports media.
This collaboration marks a pivotal moment for the industry, blending XGL’s innovative competitive structure with TOGETHXR’s proven ability to turn athletes into cultural icons. By focusing on premium storytelling, documentary-style features, and deep-dive athlete profiles, the partnership aims to elevate the visibility of female snowboarders, skiers, skateboarders, and BMX riders, transforming them from niche competitors into global household names.
The Genesis of a New Era: Main Facts of the Partnership
The X Games League represents a radical departure from the traditional, sporadic nature of action sports competitions. By introducing a structured, year-round season featuring eight distinct Clubs—split between winter and summer disciplines—XGL has created a canvas for long-form narrative arcs.
The partnership with TOGETHXR is designed to capitalize on this continuity. Rather than just broadcasting runs and tricks, the collaboration will focus on:
- Original Content Suites: High-production, documentary-style features capturing the grit, training, and personal lives of XGL athletes.
- Behind-the-Scenes Access: Unfiltered content that brings fans into the locker rooms, travel cycles, and intense rivalries of the league’s eight Clubs.
- Cross-Platform Storytelling: A robust distribution strategy across social media, digital streaming, and emerging media platforms to meet the modern fan where they live online.
For TOGETHXR, a company co-founded by legends like Alex Morgan and Chloe Kim, this is an expansion into a high-octane territory. For XGL, it is a crucial step in cementing a brand identity that prioritizes athlete equity and fan connection.
Chronology: From Concept to Cultural Powerhouse
The journey to this partnership began with the fundamental reimagining of the X Games brand.
- Early 2026: X Games announces the formation of the MoonPay X Games League (XGL). The goal: move away from the "event-only" model toward a sustainable, team-based ecosystem that mirrors the structure of major global sports leagues.
- Mid-2026: XGL officially launches its inaugural season, establishing eight Clubs that fuse geographic identity with elite, co-ed talent. This shift allows for the development of rivalries and regional pride, previously absent in the individual-focused world of action sports.
- September 2026: Recognizing the need for a storytelling partner that understands the intersection of culture, lifestyle, and elite athleticism, XGL enters negotiations with TOGETHXR.
- September 29, 2026: The official partnership is announced, signaling a commitment to long-term investment in female athlete visibility and professional growth.
The Power of the Platform: Supporting Data and Industry Context
The necessity of this partnership is underscored by the rapidly shifting demographics of sports consumption. Data consistently shows that modern fans—particularly Gen Z and Millennials—are less interested in purely competitive metrics and more interested in the "why" behind the athlete.
The TOGETHXR Edge
TOGETHXR has successfully tapped into a massive, underserved market. With a brand mission summarized by the phrase "Everyone Watches Women’s Sports," the company has generated eight-figure revenues through a combination of lifestyle branding and premium content. Their in-house production studio has successfully brought sports stories to giants like Amazon Prime and FuboTV, proving that the appetite for high-quality, female-focused sports content is not just a trend—it is a sustainable commercial engine.
The XGL Economic Model
The XGL model is designed to solve the "starving artist" problem prevalent in professional action sports. By moving to a team-based model, athletes receive benefits that extend well beyond the volatile nature of individual prize purses. This includes:
- Guaranteed Salaries: Providing financial stability that allows athletes to train full-time.
- Marketing Support: By pooling resources within the Clubs, athletes receive professional branding, media training, and marketing support that was previously only available to the top 1% of the industry.
- Season-Long Engagement: The league structure ensures that fans have reasons to tune in throughout the year, rather than just during peak event weeks.
Voices from the Field: Official Responses
The partnership has been met with enthusiasm from both the media and the league leadership, both of whom view this as an essential evolution for the sport.
Bailey Williamson, SVP of Partnerships at TOGETHXR:
"At TOGETHXR, we believe the athletes shaping the future of sports deserve storytelling that matches their impact, and XGL is creating an entirely new stage for those stories to unfold. The league’s innovative format creates the kind of athlete journeys, rivalries and defining moments that fuel lasting fandom. We’re excited to help bring those stories to life, build deeper connections between athletes and fans, and introduce new audiences to the talent redefining the future of action sports."
Annie Lokesh, EVP, League Operations and Strategy at X Games:
"TOGETHXR has built an incredible platform by putting female athletes, culture, and authentic storytelling at the center of everything they do, which makes them a natural partner for the X Games League. Women have always played a defining role in the X Games, and this partnership gives the women of the MoonPay X Games League an opportunity to elevate their stories and reach new audiences. We’re excited to work together to create content that extends well beyond competition and helps shape the next generation of women’s sports."
Implications: The Future of Action Sports
The implications of this collaboration are profound, touching on everything from athlete compensation to the definition of what constitutes an "athlete" in the modern era.
1. Elevating the "Human" Aspect
By leveraging TOGETHXR’s expertise, XGL is poised to transform its athletes into cultural ambassadors. In the past, action sports stars were often defined solely by their tricks or contest results. Under the new partnership, they will be defined by their narratives—their recovery from injury, their influence on youth culture, and their journey toward mastery.
2. Bridging the Gap to Mainstream Media
One of the historical hurdles for action sports has been the "barrier to entry" for casual fans. Understanding the nuances of scoring a halfpipe run or a slopestyle course can be difficult for the uninitiated. Through contextual storytelling, TOGETHXR will help translate the technical prowess of these athletes into a language that is accessible to a wider, mainstream audience.
3. Sustainable Professionalization
The "team-based" structure of XGL, bolstered by the media attention from this partnership, creates a flywheel effect. More engagement leads to higher ratings; higher ratings lead to more lucrative sponsorship deals for the Clubs; and more money flows down to the athletes. This provides a professional career path that is, for the first time, truly sustainable for a wide roster of athletes, rather than just a few high-profile icons.
4. A Template for Future Sports
If XGL and TOGETHXR succeed in building this model, they will likely provide a blueprint for other niche sports. The intersection of team-based competitive structures and high-end digital media production is a potent formula that can be replicated in everything from climbing and surfing to esports.
Conclusion: A New Standard
The partnership between the MoonPay X Games League and TOGETHXR is more than just a media deal; it is a declaration of intent. It asserts that the future of action sports is not just about the intensity of the competition, but about the substance of the participants. By prioritizing the voices of female athletes and utilizing a year-round, team-based structure, the X Games League is positioning itself as the premier cultural platform for the next generation of sports.
As the 2026 season progresses, the industry will be watching closely. With the combined forces of XGL’s innovative competition model and TOGETHXR’s storytelling prowess, the stage is set for a transformation that will keep action sports at the forefront of the global conversation for years to come.
For fans, it means more access, more drama, and more heroes. For the industry, it means the beginning of a truly professionalized, equitable, and sustainable era for the most exciting sports on the planet.
