Crypto payments provider MoonPay has inked a three-year, eight-figure title sponsorship agreement with the X Games, rebranding the long-running action sports event as the MoonPay X Games League and marking a major push to link Web3 finance with mainstream sports culture. The deal — announced as the X Games transitions into a league-based competitive format — will support a new structure where around 150 athletes will be drafted into regionally represented clubs at a Los Angeles kickoff event this March.
Under the partnership, MoonPay will have exclusive branding rights in financial and banking categories and will help elevate the role of decentralized finance (DeFi) projects across X Games programming, including efforts to broaden financial support for athletes. The league’s shift to team formats aims to provide salaries, benefits and health-related stipends — a departure from traditional prize-only compensation — addressing longstanding concerns about economic support for competitors in skateboarding, BMX, snowboarding and freeskiing.
“Under the new structure, hopefully the athletes will start to become more supported,” said MoonPay President Keith Grossman, emphasizing that the sponsorship will also create distribution channels for DeFi initiatives and help the company deepen its presence in youth-centric and sport-driven communities.
The MoonPay X Games League is set to debut its league model in March 2026, blending action sports culture with fintech branding and giving athletes and fans fresh ways to engage with the intersection of competitive sports and Web3 financial infrastructure.
