X Games Athletes Get Real About Diversity in Action Sports

Diversity continues to grow in action sports.

Action! - ESPN's X Games, taking place this weekend in Los Angeles, is best characterized as the Olympics of action sports, where more than 200 of the world's best athletes risk life and limb in an array of death-defying stunts and awe-inspiring tricks. In an interview with BET.com, sports stars Nyjah Huston and Chad Kerley, both competing in the X Games this weekend, share their insights on how action sports have blurred color lines around the world. — Britt Middleton (Photo: Pete Demos/ESPN Images)
Meet Nyjah Huston - Twenty years ago, skateboarding and BMX bike racing were not disciplines with many Black faces. But today, Black action-sports stars have a presence in the scene. Nyjah Huston is one of the breakout stars. This year, he took bronze in the X Games street course and gold in the Real Street video competition on Sunday. (Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Going for Gold - The 17-year-old Nyjah Huston has been competing professionally since he was 11, and took the gold in the street competition last year (and silver in 2010 and 2009) among dozens of other national and international appearances. He has endorsement deals with Element skateboards, DC shoes and Monster energy drinks, to name a few.  (Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)Breaking Boundaries - Huston, who is of Japanese and African heritage, says he embraces how the face of skateboarding evolved since the sport became popularized in the suburbs of Southern California in the 1960s and ’70s. Now it's commonplace to see both girls and guys flipping ollies everywhere from the streets of Brazil to predominately Black neighborhoods of America.  As for feeling pressure to represent minorities in sports that traditionally had few Black superstars, he takes it all in stride. He says, "I'm definitely thankful to be part of the group [of athletes representing] people of mixed ethnicities, to bring that into the sport. I think it's cool to see all different types of skaters out there." (Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

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Action! - ESPN's X Games, taking place this weekend in Los Angeles, is best characterized as the Olympics of action sports, where more than 200 of the world's best athletes risk life and limb in an array of death-defying stunts and awe-inspiring tricks. In an interview with BET.com, sports stars Nyjah Huston and Chad Kerley, both competing in the X Games this weekend, share their insights on how action sports have blurred color lines around the world. — Britt Middleton (Photo: Pete Demos/ESPN Images)

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