In 2016 he was left off the invite list. Now, with little fanfare, Shaun White, the snowboarder and skater who helped build the winter X Games franchise with his performances at the event, is apparently back.
Last year, there was a dustup with White being uninvited and both sides had gripes as rumor and innuendo surrounded the conflict. Several outlets reported that he had been left off the 2016 invite list because of negative comments he made in a Forbes interview when he called the X Games attempt to go global, “a huge failure.” ESPN has not made a statement on the situation other than to say he didn’t meet automatic invite criteria. But it appears the two sides have found common ground.
X Games press releases sent to media outlets made no mention of White’s inclusion. But his name is included on the roster on the company’s website.
There is little doubt that White is arguably the most gifted athlete in the action sports era: he is equally talented on cement having competed–and won–X Games skate competitions. But 2016 was a rough year for White. Late this summer he was sued by former bandmate Lena Zawaideh (he played in a band called Bad Things) for sexual harassment and the lawsuit is apparently still pending. White has vowed to fight the suit.
