I think it's rad that we have people in skateboarding that can polarize people this much, seriously. Whether you like the guy or not, the fact that we're having this discussion is what separates skateboarding from being sports. Skateboarding is less what you do and more how you do it, including personality. Eli Reed ("poor man's Alex Olson") has a whole clothing line being sold at Opening Ceremony, but no one gives a shit about that, so I guess he's doing the fashion thing appropriately?
In another post I mentioned how skate culture is way sicker than surfing culture; where people give a shit about contest rankings, support giant companies that sell at Wal-Mart, and the most hyped dudes are vapid fitness balls. Love it or hate it, AO is keeping skateboarding interesting.