Shaun White

Sunday is the final day of Winter X Games 16 from Aspen, Colo., and the annual weekend of exciting competition is sure to go out with a bang.

Snowboarder extraordinaire Shaun White is expected to defend his Snowboard SuperPipe gold medal, only adding to the fireworks.

The last day at Winter X Games 16 features such final events as Men's and Women's Skier X, Mono Skier X, Snowboard Best Trick and of course Men's Snowboard SuperPipe (7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN) to round out the evening.

If the Pro Bowl's uninspired action is getting boring and so is NHL All-Star postgame chatter, sports fans would be wise to flip over to the "Flying Tomato" for some prime-time entertainment as he goes for a fifth-straight SuperPipe gold.

The Olympic champion has set the standard for greatness at the event over the past few years and will be the favorite to take home the top honor again this Sunday, despite having aggravated a sprained ankle earlier this week.

The injury caused White to drop out of Snowboard Slopestyle, which he has claimed gold in four times during his career.

"I'm disappointed," White said on Friday, according to ESPN.com. "My priority this year was to ride in Slopestyle, and unfortunately I hit my ankle again riding the course in today's practice. I'm going to rest up and get ready to ride Pipe on Sunday."

White will be the main attraction Sunday night. Without any meaningful NFL action because of an awkward, two-week Super Bowl layover, snowboarding may, just for one night, dominate American interest like White dominates the Pipe.

He is one of the rare household names who participates in the X Games consistently, both winter and summer, and he is a lock to deliver based on his experience, clutch effort and overall athletic advantage far above the ground.

Shaun White's absence from the Winter X Games is a shame.

He is the most polarizing athlete in the games, and he generates more interest in snowboarding than just about everyone else combined.

That isn't a knock against the other athletes or the sport. It's simply a fact.

White is one of the greatest athletes in the world, and he brings more to snowboarding than anybody brings his or her respective sport. In the Bloomberg BusinessWeek Power 100, White ranked as the eight most powerful athlete in the world.

Even though he's not as powerful as other athletes, he dwarfs any other snowboarder.

Essentially, White is one of the main reasons people tune into the X Games. Unfortunately, he was forced to pull out of the snowboarding slopestyle.

Although it's not his best event, White still had the ability to do well. With the injury, though, he was unable to even compete.

And that's where the problem lies.

When White doesn't compete, the Winter X Games lose their luster.

White is so great, and people simply want to see him on a snowboard. With him out, it just doesn't seem right. There have been some good performances, but nothing as memorable as what White can generate.

White is a legendary competitor, and when he is missing, things seem off.

With his absence, there seems to be an odd shadow over the WX this year.

Hopefully, White will return and have something special for everyone.

If you want to know how important the Winter X Games are to the athletes that participate in it, look no farther than superstar snowboarder and X Games legend Shaun White.

White is literally the biggest name in extreme sports other than Tony Hawk, being that even casual extreme sport fans know who he is.

He's a marketing genius, as he's found his way into commercials, movies and even the front of a Wheaties box.

That goes to show you how far extreme sports have come, when a snowboarder is on the iconic cereal box dedicated to the worlds greatest athletes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcpRUx7lGBo

The sport is where it's at because of guys like White, and that makes him a legend.

Unfortunately, being a sports legend doesn't come without it's fair share of bumps and bruises.

According to Colin Bane of XGames.com on ESPN, White aggravated a sprained left ankle in practice and will have to pull out of the Snowboard Slopestyle event.

One would assume that means the end of White in Winter X Games 16, but he's apparently going to suit up and ride for yet another gold on the Snowboard SuperPipe.

Considering he's hurting, this shows a ton of dedication to the sport, but it also shows how important the X Games are to these winter sport competitors. Bane quotes White in his report saying that the X Games is the place where he loves to step up:

But as much as he loves Olympic glory, White says the Winter X Games are still the ultimate proving ground for a snowboarder.

"Every year we try to outdo ourselves, and X Games is the place where we like to display what we've been working on," White said at a news conference Wednesday, the first day of Winter X Games 2012. "Especially for me, this is it. This is where I want to come and I want to do my best tricks and show the other riders what I've been working on. That's definitely why we're here, to step it up."

While they are certainly fun and intriguing, these games mean a lot.

Don't kid yourself—White can do whatever he wants as far as the sport is concerned. He's literally untouchable.

He doesn't have to ride the SuperPipe—he has absolutely nothing to prove. His ankle is hurting and riding more could potentially hurt it worse, yet he still is competing.

This is how much the Winter X Games mean to a guy like Shaun White, who doesn't even need them to get his name out there.

Consider that next time you watch him, or any of the other competitors out there. They love this, and it really means something.

That will really change your perspective of the Winter X Games.

The 2012 Winter X Games will host plenty of events, but it's fair to say that all eyes will be on snowboarder Shaun White. There is no question that the Flying Tomato transcends the world of extreme sports, so he'll need a big showing if the X Games are going to gain any momentum.

White will be competing in his trademark half-pipe as well as the slope-style event in preparation for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia where slope-style will make its debut. White performed quite poorly in the slope-style last year because he had taken time away from the event to perfect his half-pipe for the Olympics.

Now that both events will be present in the Olympics, however, White has refocused on slope-style and is ready to compete in the X Games. White's mere presence makes both events must-see television as nobody can do what he can on a snowboard, but he needs to turn in dominant performances to make casual watchers care.

Those who religiously watch and follow the X Games aren't all about White, but I think that there is a large group of people who watch simply because of White. Those people want to see White pull out some amazing tricks and, ultimately, they want to see him win.

Obviously the X Games aren't exactly a mainstream event, but the one athlete who can take the event to that level is White. Normally sports are best served by parity, but the X Games are in a different situation because a dominant performer is needed to draw in fans who wouldn't normally care.

White has been the preeminent half-pipe rider for quite a long time. If he can add the slope-style event to his area of expertise, though, it will make the X Games that much better. As it currently stands, most people really only care about one event, but the more events White competes in, the better.

White truly is the key to the X Games' success. There are tons of great athletes competing in the events, but White is the one that everybody wants to see. If he continues to have success and draw in viewers, though, they may stick around and appreciate the other athletes as well.

What's eating Shaun White, you ask?

A left ankle sprain, to be precise, one that's putting a damper on his showing at the 2012 Winter X Games and may yet leave him behind schedule as he looks ahead to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

White deemed himself unfit to run in the men's snowboard slopestyle after testing his bum ankle on Friday during practice runs. The injury cropped up on him on Thursday and has hardly improved in the short time since.

The five-time slopestyle gold medalist had hoped to come out on top in the event after missing out on medals the last two years. White skipped the Slopestyle in 2010 to focus on the halfpipe ahead of the Vancouver Games and finished 13th in the running last year.

White arrived in Aspen with high hopes for the slopestyle, looking to regain his mojo in the trick-based competition ahead of the Sochi Games two years from now, when and where the slopestyle will make its debut as an Olympic event.

Of course, for an extreme athlete like White, X Games glory remains the ultimate goal, thereby rendering White's inability to run in the Slopestyle a tremendous disappointment, even (and, perhaps, especially) for the man who owns the all-time record for X Games medals.

Along with two Olympic golds, for good measure.

Not all is lost, though. White still hopes to be ready in time for Sunday's superpipe, an event that he's dominated to the tune of four gold medals in his last four trips to Aspen.

As for White's Olympic aspirations, Russia will just have to wait. The only podium with which White need concern himself is the one at the X Games.

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Shaun White's injury is bad enough to keep him from participating in the Men's Snowboard Slopestyle event at the Winter X Games. For ESPN and the organizers of the event, they had better hope that he doesn't miss anything else. 

The good news is that White expects to be good to go. Colin Bane of XGames.com quoted White saying as much.

I'm disappointed. My priority this year was to ride in Slopestyle, and unfortunately I hit my ankle again riding the course in today's practice...I'm going to rest up and get ready to ride Pipe on Sunday.

White is far and away the biggest star of the X Games. It is still a niche event, at least when it comes following on television. If the X Games is ever going to grow out of that, then the crossover stars need to be there to appeal to the mainstream fans. 

People know and like White. If they didn't, he wouldn't be in commercials that have nothing to do with what makes him famous. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3OYRFk9PSs

But outside of White, what else is there for people who aren't fans of extreme sports? In a word, nothing. Sports like that only grow when different kinds of people want to watch the biggest stars. Obviously, if the biggest star isn't competing, there is no star to watch.

With White participating, the X Games not only gets its biggest star in action, but people watching that star also get to watch the best in the world. 

Even if you're not a fan of snowboarding, you know what an Olympic Gold Medal represents. So, when people tune in to watch White, they get to watch all of the other best snowboarders in the world. In turn, they may fall in love with a sport that they previously were essentially unaware of. 

It just takes a few of those people to grow the sport. But without White, that's not going to happen. So, the X Games had better be hope he meets his goal and does the Pipe on Sunday. Without White, the Games stay in place.

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Shaun White has dominated the Winter X Games for a long time now.

His best event is definitely the snowboard Superpipe though, where he has been the Winter X champion every year since 2008.

He’s primed for another gold medal run in 2012, but this year he should face some tougher competition.

Let’s take a look at three snowboarders who could potentially end White’s reign of dominance in 2012.

Danny Davis, USA 

Davis has experience beating Shaun White, something not a lot of snowboarders have. He won the 2010 Winter Dew tournament, beating White in the Superpipe event.

Unfortunately, his momentum was slowed after that. He broke his back shortly thereafter.

But he’s healthy once again, and could provide quite a challenge to White.

Louie Vito, USA 

Vito is a strong young American rider who is primed for a breakout season.

He’s going to need to do better than he did in Dancing with the Stars if he’s going to beat White, though (he finished fifth in 2009).

Vito has attempted a 1440 before. If he can land that in this year’s Winter X Games, he has a really good chance of winning the Superpipe event.

He finished third in the event in 2011 and could do a lot better this year if he can land that 1440.

Peetu Piiroinen, Finland 

Piiroinen has been coming after White for a while now, finishing second to him at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Piiroinen has been on a roll of late, too, winning an event in Europe last year.

If White slacks off even for a minute, "P2" has what it takes to overtake the "Flying Tomato" and win a Winter X gold.

Watching these two square off will be some must-see TV.

Shaun White may be an 11-time Winter X Games champion, but his performance in the Slopestyle competition last year, combined with his ankle injury on Thursday, should have him worried.

When White took a year off from the Slopestyle event in 2010, he appeared to regress when he came back in 2011, finishing in 13th place and seeing rookie Sebastian Toutant take home the gold medal.

On Thursday on a practice run, White suffered a "mild sprain," per ESPN. That is just going to make his life more difficult in the Slopestyle on Friday morning.

When you take a year off, it's only natural to lose a little bit of your thunder. White won the gold medal from 2003-2006 and in 2009, but he clearly looked off in 2011.

An ankle injury, even if it's mild, is significant in a competition like Slopestyle. I don't expect a competitor like White to exactly ease up on the gas pedal, but it's certainly going to be difficult for him to be at 100 percent. He already had a lot to overcome on Friday as it was. With him not being completely healthy, I find it hard for him to win the gold.

This, of course, should open up the competition to new faces, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are plenty of snowboarders out there who have been excellent throughout the years only to be overshadowed by stars like White.

White will compete as usual and I could still see him winning a medal, but Thursday's injury, especially a day before the event, will prove to be too costly in the end.

The 2012 Winter X Games are going to be epic, so it's up to you to make sure you know exactly where you can find all of the Games' best events.

We're all busy—there's no way around that for most people—but I would consider the X Games to be must-watch, especially for fans of extreme sports.

In fact, I believe that's where the "X" comes from—extreme.

At the very least, make sure you check out these events:

Men's Snowboard SuperPipe: Shaun White

There is almost no arguing that Shaun White is one of the best, if not the best, in the business.

He's constantly changing the game and pushing the boundaries—so much so that even casual sports fans know his name, The guys a superstar in every right. He's in movies, on television and the best part is that he's not just a winter guy.

He's most known for his prowess on the snow, but White can also tear it up with a board with wheels, known as a skateboard, I believe.

While White is the main attraction, he's not the only competitor worth watching obviously. He's going to have a ton of competition, which is going to make this the must-watch event of the Winter X Games.

Snowmobile Freestyle/Best Trick

Hands-down the coolest competitions at the X Games, especially if you're a fan of fast machines and people doing crazy stunts with them.

I'm assuming you are, because honestly it's hard not to be when you put it into perspective. Snowmobiles weigh a ton, and these athletes are riding them around and doing tricks on them like they are toy bicycles.

Yes, I said athletes.

Seriously though, for my money, the snowmobile events are easily some of the most entertaining for even non-sports fans. The things that these athletes can do on them is nothing short of amazing.

If you're not doing anything and looking for an impressive and extremely entertaining watch—here's my recommendation.

It's awesome.

X Games 16 TV Schedule

Thurs., Jan. 26, 2012

Men's Ski Slopestyle Elimination at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3, ESPN3D

Women's Ski Slopestyle Final at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3D

Snowboard Street Elimination at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3, ESPN3D

Snowmobile Freestyle Final at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Men's Ski Slopestyle Final at 9:45 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Fri., Jan. 27, 2012

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Elimination at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3, ESPN3D

Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Final at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESP3, ESPN3D

Men's Ski SuperPipe Elimination at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3, ESPN3D

Snowboard Big Air Final at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Women's Snowboard SuperPipe Final at 10:45 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Sat., Jan. 28, 2012

Women's Ski SuperPipe Final at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN3, ESPN3D

Real Snow at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Men's Ski SuperPipe final at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Men's and Women's Snowboarder X final at 4 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN3D

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Elimination at 4:15 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN3D

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Final at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Ski Big Air Final at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3 ESPN3D

Sun., Jan. 29, 2012

Men's And Women's Skier X Final at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Final at 2:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Men's Snowboard SuperPipe Elimination at 2:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Mono Skier X Final at 4:45 ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Snowboard Street Final at 5:15 ET at 5:15 p.m. EST on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Snowmobile Best Trick Final at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Men's Snowboard SuperPipe Final at 9:45 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D