By Ella Policastri

Taking his first step on the field as a true freshman at the University of Colorado, Jeremy Bloom made his debut at the 2002 Rocky Mountain Showdown.

“I remember thinking to myself, ‘holy shit, just catch the ball,’” he said. 

Bloom’s first impression on the football team ended up being his 75-yard touchdown. The play reflected the drive Bloom brought to Boulder. He had already won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle skiing and a World Championship title. He later had more success as a 3x World Champion, 2x Olympian, and 11x World Cup Gold Medalist in freestyle skiing. He is the first athlete in history to compete in the Winter Olympics while also being drafted into the NFL. And after all of that, he become the CEO of X-Games.  

Growing up in Loveland, Colorado, Bloom was constantly in competition with his two older siblings. 

“I’d have to show up before them and work harder than they did,” he said. “I’ve really taken that same sort of work ethic and framework into everything I’ve ever done.”   

Bloom’s grandfather, his first ski instructor, and grandmother are the reasons he started his non-profit, dedicated to fulfilling lifelong dreams for seniors.  

“We reconnect a lot of people in their lives, whether it be family members, friends, or servicemen or women,” Bloom said. 

Bloom traveled to Normandy with a D-Day survivor.  

“We’ve had big wishes, small wishes and everything in between,” Bloom said. “No disrespect to the sports stuff, but there’s just a different feeling and impact when you can change someone’s life like that.”   

Bloom made history when he became the youngest Olympian on the United States ski team at 15 years old. 

“It was a blessing, and I feel like I learned so much about myself and so much about the world at such a young age,” he said.  

Bloom joked that he matured faster because he was around older people on the team. 

Following his first Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, Bloom brought attention to dual sport athletes when he attempted to sue the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), because the association required him to drop his skiing endorsements if he wanted to play college football. Although he was unsuccessful in court, he won public favor and ultimately decided to play for the Buffs.  

After two years at CU, Bloom retired from the football team and headed back to the slopes. He needed his endorsements if he wanted to make it to his second Olympics in Torino, Italy in 2006.  

That same year, Bloom was drafted to the Philadelphia Eagles while he earned his MBA in business at the University of Pennsylvania.  

“It was the biggest childhood dream come true you can ever imagine, because football was my first love,” he said. “It was so surreal to get that phone call from Andy Reid, of all people, one of the most legendary coaches.”  

After two years in the NFL, Bloom moved onto the corporate chapter of his life. He started Wish of a Lifetime, and then in 2010 he co-founded Integrate, a marketing company designed to reinvent lead management and data governance.  

After selling Integrate to private equity in 2021, Bloom was on the lookout for other roles. He had several offers but eventually ended up taking the CEO position of X-Games in December 2024.  

Bloom’s administrative assistant, Megan Leeds, has worked with him through Wish of a Lifetime, to Integrate and now at X-Games. 

“He is funny and lighthearted while having big expectations of his team,” Leeds said.

Bloom has undertaken the new X-Games league that is set to start in this summer, with the draft coming up on March 12. There will be teams based in Los Angeles, New York, San Paolo and Tokyo.  

“We’re selling these teams to individual owners,” Bloom  said. “So just like pro football teams. they have their individual owners.” 

In January, the X-Games held in Aspen generated 102% more interactions compared to last year, according to Bloom. This year, 15.2 million people watched on television.  

Molly Webb, a CU sophomore, attended the X-Games this year and last. 

“The biggest difference was how many more people there were this year,” said Webb. “The music was also a lot better this year.”  

From the Olympics to the NFL and now the CEO of X-Games, Bloom continues his career back in his Alma Mater, helping to pioneer the sport that started it all. 

 Edited by Avery Kinnison