I do like Pappalardo's writing usually but without a doubt Gifted Hater is making more incisive, more salient, more well constructed points about skateboarding than almost anyone else right now. i don't care what format it's in, written, video whatever I am 1.5 million times more interested in what GH has to say
it's cool to occasionally see these skate twitter approved thinkpieces just absolutely shit the bed in the face of a Vlogger in a gaming chair who inserts the "bruh" sound effect every two minutes
(or maybe felt there was a strong chance he could monetize his opinion)
And what in the actual fuck was this little side swipe here??? isn't the point of a substack for people to hit the subscribe button? Pappalardew is trying to monetize his opinions too -- i have no idea how he thinks he has any high horse here
EDIT:
and lastly I think I do agree with the general thrust of Tuff Tony's post here: That Tyshawn deserved it, and that it is fundamentally a subjective award that is not strictly merit based (and never has been). For thrasher to give it to the influencer who sells gaming PC's on his instagram and skates in LA Gym bro fits is just unthinkable. But Substack man's positioning against all the blowback and general distaste for any other opinion of who should have won is just really confusing