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Skateboarding => USELESS WOODEN TOY BANTER => Topic started by: Aatila on June 17, 2013, 11:02:36 PM
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I had some crazy debate with friends and even wrote this response in a thread, but do you feel some brands set riders up to potentially fail. I always hear of riders getting the boot from companies due to budget cuts, not selling enough product, etc. and while the company knows it seems like the rider is left in the dark. Could it be the riders fault if they have no control of board sizes or graphic or fit of product which are the main points in business?
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Professional skateboarding, its like being a whore but with corporate pimps?
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sk8ers are kool
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It's just like any other sport/activity that involves sponsorships.
Companies sponsor athletes/whatever for publicity and sales, thats the whole point. So if it doesn't end up being worth it for the company, then they may end up getting the boot. Seems cruel, especially when talking about a pro that you may really admire, but thats the business.
Sponsors aren't there to be your friends and hook you up, ultimately they want the money and only you if you're worth it to them.
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If it doesn't make dollars it doesn't make sense.
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It's just like any other sport/activity that involves sponsorships.
Companies sponsor athletes/whatever for publicity and sales, thats the whole point. So if it doesn't end up being worth it for the company, then they may end up getting the boot. Seems cruel, especially when talking about a pro that you may really admire, but thats the business.
Sponsors aren't there to be your friends and hook you up, ultimately they want the money and only you if you're worth it to them.
Well...we also have companies like SkateMafia which is a company but also a homie/family thing...
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http://www.jenkemmag.com/home/2011/12/28/the-stuff-you-want-to-know-about-jeremy-wray/ (http://www.jenkemmag.com/home/2011/12/28/the-stuff-you-want-to-know-about-jeremy-wray/)
Element sort of did it to Jeremy Wray
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i can't be bothered posting in this thread
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Professional skateboarding, its like being a whore but with corporate pimps?
Yeah except for instead of drinking a strangers cum, you ride a skateboard and promote products
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Professional skateboarding, its like being a whore but with corporate pimps?
Yeah except for instead of drinking a strangers cum, you ride a skateboard and promote products
almost all prostitutes make you wear a condom for blowjobs. just saying.
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Professional skateboarding, its like being a whore but with corporate pimps?
Yeah except for instead of drinking a strangers cum, you ride a skateboard and promote products
almost all prostitutes make you wear a condom for blowjobs. just saying.
nah i think thats just for you
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Really its just insane exploitation.
Pretty pathetic pay. Worse career span than NFL players (without the pay, benefits, pension).
And most of these skateboarders, ams or even pro, are literally child workers..
Skateboarding as a profession is a childish goal really.
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Professional skateboarding, its like being a whore but with corporate pimps?
Yeah except for instead of drinking a strangers cum, you ride a skateboard and promote products
almost all prostitutes make you wear a condom for blowjobs. just saying.
Not gay prostitutes...they'd be out of a job quick. Guess that's why they're all veritable petri dishes of disease.
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Really its just insane exploitation.
Pretty pathetic pay. Worse career span than NFL players (without the pay, benefits, pension).
And most of these skateboarders, ams or even pro, are literally child workers..
Skateboarding as a profession is a childish goal really.
#realtalk
#ugogirl
#truthfromdaheart
#angelasashes
#dikesquad
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Skateboarding is like real world career HIV, with 90% of cases leading to AIDS.
Good luck out there Tom Astas.
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Some pros can be amazingly good, and kids wont care. Its been proven time and time again. Some Pros just don't appeal to kids no matter if they switch trey flipped el toro. Theres so many tricks that people never heard of being done because people didn't know the skater or didn't care enough because they favorite pro didn't do it. I remember when furby had switched flipped Hollywood 15 and nobody knew about it till like 5 years later. But if say Reynolds would have done it people would know about it the next day. Not hating on Reynolds because i love Reynolds but that's just how the industry works. Sometimes new up and coming pros cant get out of the shadows of the hottest pro in the same team. Then next thing you know they get injured and we never hear from them again and people wont even realize it. Its jacked!
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no matter how good one may be riding for Split is getting setup to fail... dude needs to at least wear some weed socks and/or get advice from Dollin on how to make the Australian accent seem cool.
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It's just like any other sport/activity that involves sponsorships.
Companies sponsor athletes/whatever for publicity and sales, thats the whole point. So if it doesn't end up being worth it for the company, then they may end up getting the boot. Seems cruel, especially when talking about a pro that you may really admire, but thats the business.
Sponsors aren't there to be your friends and hook you up, ultimately they want the money and only you if you're worth it to them.
Well...we also have companies like SkateMafia which is a company but also a homie/family thing...
i'm not necessarily saying sk8mafia did this, but the whole 'homie/family' type thing can also be a good selling strategy.
it's all marketing.
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No matter how cool you think it would be to be a pro sk8er boi, its still a job and business. Companies need to make money to survive, so if you think you are carrying bodies that aren't pulling there weight, they be gone. Much like any other business.
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Professional skateboarding, its like being a whore but with corporate pimps?
Yeah except for instead of drinking a strangers cum,? you ride a skateboard and promote products
almost all prostitutes make you wear a condom for blowjobs. just saying.
Blasphemy!
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Really its just insane exploitation.
Pretty pathetic pay. Worse career span than NFL players (without the pay, benefits, pension).
And most of these skateboarders, ams or even pro, are literally child workers..
Skateboarding as a profession is a childish goal really.
well yeah thats because skaters go pro for board companies and not organizations as big as the NFL.
It's not like the board companies are making bank and just not giving their pros any, the whole industry isn't that big and is not a huge moneymaker. Many board companies want to pay their riders more, they just can't. The NFL can pretty much pay whatever they want.
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Skateboarding is over saturated with pros and pro products. I'm not even talking about boards. Do you really need a new graphic or series every few months? It used to be a huge deal for a pro shoe, now anyone can have one. I love the guy, but Jose Rojo didn't need a pro shoe. It's not even in the catalog anymore. I'd rather take a higher base salary than have a company spend the time and money to design a pro truck that's not going to sell. Over saturation, it's the key kids.
Edit: One thing that's bugged me for the last couple of months is over at Etnies. The Marana and the Gilman(Cairo's shoe) came out pretty much at the same time at the exact same price. With the amount of hype and advertising that went in to sheckler's shoe, which I really don't blame etnies for, Cairo never had a chance.
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Skateboarding is over saturated with pros and pro products. I'm not even talking about boards. Do you really need a new graphic or series every few months? It used to be a huge deal for a pro shoe, now anyone can have one. I love the guy, but Jose Rojo didn't need a pro shoe. It's not even in the catalog anymore. I'd rather take a higher base salary than have a company spend the time and money to design a pro truck that's not going to sell. Over saturation, it's the key kids.
Edit: One thing that's bugged me for the last couple of months is over at Etnies. The Marana and the Gilman(Cairo's shoe) came out pretty much at the same time at the exact same price. With the amount of hype and advertising that went in to sheckler's shoe, which I really don't blame etnies for, Cairo never had a chance.
i could even throw other pros in this talk. Like rowley gets a shoe every other month and other pros would make a shoe and get less promotion. Then the other pros shoe is dropped due to lack of sales which then you would get a pay drop for not having a sig shoe. But is it really the riders fault for this? or another example would be tom penny's pro shoe not getting much promotion or jeremy wray having a bunch of sick shit that element gave him the cold shoulder for only to promote bam not skating and destroying cars . How do you expect the pro to win when you purposely overshadow the dude with an obvious big name right after or even during the other pro campaign then look at the pro like hes not doing his job?
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The Parallel - Girl "Goldfish" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNVCIiq9bCA#)
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keep dreaming the dream, dont listen to the unhappy workadays. "get a real job" sounds like somebodys been listening to their parents or some other fags. not a bad goal really. look, its all about image. dont focus so much on being good or doing the gnarliest thing, no one really cares. exploit your strengths. if you have a good 180, then do with a bunch of lights flashing behind you with maybe some smoke. believe me, youll get more attention with 30 seconds of the best stuff you can do rather than 3 minutes of quality skateboarding. hosoi will do a guest cameo for a couple bills no problem. the trick is, figure out what is coming in style, then make that your thing, with some minor tweaks of course. it helps to have friends with an eye for editing and some marketing skills.
changing your name is not a bad idea either. no one cares about john smith, try this one, jon smooth. you could wear a chain and clock hoes. remember, youre selling a lifestyle. if you want to retire at 30, get started. move to LA, make the right connections but be careful. start drinking your red bull now so you can build up a tolerance to ass droppings, you dont want to pucker up in front of the ceo at the luncheon.
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Really its just insane exploitation.
Pretty pathetic pay. Worse career span than NFL players (without the pay, benefits, pension).
And most of these skateboarders, ams or even pro, are literally child workers..
Skateboarding as a profession is a childish goal really.
But sometimes they are actually exploiting children, Flip has a pretty solid track record for fucking kids lives up.
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Skateboarding is over saturated with pros and pro products. I'm not even talking about boards. Do you really need a new graphic or series every few months? It used to be a huge deal for a pro shoe, now anyone can have one. I love the guy, but Jose Rojo didn't need a pro shoe. It's not even in the catalog anymore. I'd rather take a higher base salary than have a company spend the time and money to design a pro truck that's not going to sell. Over saturation, it's the key kids.
Edit: One thing that's bugged me for the last couple of months is over at Etnies. The Marana and the Gilman(Cairo's shoe) came out pretty much at the same time at the exact same price. With the amount of hype and advertising that went in to sheckler's shoe, which I really don't blame etnies for, Cairo never had a chance.
i could even throw other pros in this talk. Like rowley gets a shoe every other month and other pros would make a shoe and get less promotion. Then the other pros shoe is dropped due to lack of sales which then you would get a pay drop for not having a sig shoe. But is it really the riders fault for this? or another example would be tom penny's pro shoe not getting much promotion or jeremy wray having a bunch of sick shit that element gave him the cold shoulder for only to promote bam not skating and destroying cars . How do you expect the pro to win when you purposely overshadow the dude with an obvious big name right after or even during the other pro campaign then look at the pro like hes not doing his job?
Sucks but its true. When i company has the hottest thing in skateboarding everyone else on the team is filler which can suck because when you're trying to live off of skateboarding you need evrything you are getting which sometimes isnt much because the company is too worried about pleasing their top rider. I remember as a kid opening up a CCS catalog and seeing like 10 bam boards in one month then maybe like 2 other random element boards.
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I think most people who are making a living off of skateboarding are fully aware that their "job" could end at any second, if anything they are setting themselves up for "failure". I could see how people who have been getting paid to skateboard since childhood could end up having a very skewed perception of what it means to have a job.
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The skateboarding industry exists to sell skateboards, it is not any deeper than that. That is the very definition of 'industry'.
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Yep. Lawyer up and get that bread so you can have a fallback strategy...maybe start a grip tape company
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by not entering a trade or learning skill sets required to earn a decent living, skateboarders are setting themselves up for failure.
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Well it would have to start with a union to represent the athletes because lets be honest skateboarders aren't business men, until they have to be.
Pro skateboarders are their own business, plain and simple. It is the skaters job to make them selfs relevant, the company sees that and offers money for that which makes someone marketable regardless if it's their skating or image. Now a days it is much harder to gage some of these things but the masses who buy the product dictate this and well companies/skaters are trying to appeal those people.
is that fair? as Colin Cowheard would say "Fair is a place where the judge pigs" being fair is more of an opinion at this point. Like if a pro sold 200 boards world wide in a given month do they deserve $2000 a month? depends on who you ask.
I will say that sometimes the companies dictate parts of the "marketing direction" but these a lot of dudes who people like the skater and maybe don't like the company they skate for.
It isn't perfect by any means but neither is life and pro skaters get to live a pretty fucking awesome life.
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what about when you stop liking skating??
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yeah its really the skateboarders fault for making it their career, not the companies.
I mean I love skating but unless you're tony hawk, sheckler, dyrdek, danny way, p-rod, or koston, money and financial success should be your last thought.
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yeah its really the skateboarders fault for making it their career, not the companies.
I mean I love skating but unless you're tony hawk, sheckler, dyrdek, danny way, p-rod, or koston, money and financial success should be your last thought.
pretty sure many more people than that have made a lot in skateboarding, the point is, dont put all your eggs in one basket. most of the guys who end up working in the warehouse after their "career" would have probably been working in a warehouse after highschool (that is if they even graduated). as far as whos to blame, i would argue that whoever is in control of the money is to blame. skaters get sponsored when theyre young and idealistic, not really savvy to the ways of corporate greed. At the end of the day, im sure most guys dont regret too much and theres always junior college.
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I think everything helps if you've got something to compare it to - like the skateboarder who's had to work a real job vs the one that's only ever known skateboarding as a job. If someone's lucky enough to get sponsored it's because they fit an image, were marketable, and usually pretty damn good at skateboarding. Everyone's good these days so it's almost like everything else about you matters more than being the "best" skateboarder. A skateboarder is their own business (sole contractor) just like a lot of construction workers and actors. For an actor, they get hired for one gig at a time and then it's done - maybe they have to apply for unemployment between gigs. They put these things on their reel and hopefully make enough money off of certain gigs to live comfortably for a while. If they really hustle then maybe they can make their way into being a steadily working character actor, become a season regular, or just that guy who's always in commercials. So these actors are able to live but how many really make it to Brad Pitt status? Not too many but it's like that in most industries. Skateboarders usually get contracts for a certain amount of time and I'd say they need to make the most of themselves when given this opportunity. Getting coverage or lack thereof might not even be solely their fault in most cases but it's their place to go out of their way as a they're their own business.
Even if you're living on your homies couch and kicking them $300 a month that you made through skating, you're fucking going on trips and living off of just skating. I'd be pretty goddamn stoked on that either way. At a certain point though I think anyone has to look at where they are and set a deadline for them self. If you're still living on your homies couch at 25 you might just need to get a 9-5er.
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Well it would have to start with a union to represent the athletes because lets be honest skateboarders aren't business men, until they have to be.
Pro skateboarders are their own business, plain and simple. It is the skaters job to make them selfs relevant, the company sees that and offers money for that which makes someone marketable regardless if it's their skating or image. Now a days it is much harder to gage some of these things but the masses who buy the product dictate this and well companies/skaters are trying to appeal those people.
is that fair? as Colin Cowheard would say "Fair is a place where the judge pigs" being fair is more of an opinion at this point. Like if a pro sold 200 boards world wide in a given month do they deserve $2000 a month? depends on who you ask.
I will say that sometimes the companies dictate parts of the "marketing direction" but these a lot of dudes who people like the skater and maybe don't like the company they skate for.
It isn't perfect by any means but neither is life and pro skaters get to live a pretty fucking awesome life.
Granted, you know way more than I ever will about the skate industry, but don't pros also bring stuff to the table that can't be quantified as easily as board sales? There are a bunch of pros who may not sell the most decks, but are always grinding it out at demos, being cool to kids, repping the brand on a local level, just generally promoting the company. For example it would seem like Jeron probably doesn't sell a lot of decks compared to other guys on girl, but he's always out there at demos/signings/etc. promoting and putting out parts. Also, indirectly say a kid gets hyped on Jeron but goes to his shop and the only girl board is a Mike Mo, so he buys that.
Also- How does "team" or company merch work with pros? Like say a kid is stoked on a rider, so he goes and buys the company's wheels, a logo deck, or a shirt. Do pros see any of that $?
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I think everything helps if you've got something to compare it to - like the skateboarder who's had to work a real job vs the one that's only ever known skateboarding as a job. If someone's lucky enough to get sponsored it's because they fit an image, were marketable, and usually pretty damn good at skateboarding. Everyone's good these days so it's almost like everything else about you matters more than being the "best" skateboarder. A skateboarder is their own business (sole contractor) just like a lot of construction workers and actors. For an actor, they get hired for one gig at a time and then it's done - maybe they have to apply for unemployment between gigs. They put these things on their reel and hopefully make enough money off of certain gigs to live comfortably for a while. If they really hustle then maybe they can make their way into being a steadily working character actor, become a season regular, or just that guy who's always in commercials. So these actors are able to live but how many really make it to Brad Pitt status? Not too many but it's like that in most industries. Skateboarders usually get contracts for a certain amount of time and I'd say they need to make the most of themselves when given this opportunity. Getting coverage or lack thereof might not even be solely their fault in most cases but it's their place to go out of their way as a they're their own business.
Even if you're living on your homies couch and kicking them $300 a month that you made through skating, you're fucking going on trips and living off of just skating. I'd be pretty goddamn stoked on that either way. At a certain point though I think anyone has to look at where they are and set a deadline for them self. If you're still living on your homies couch at 25 you might just need to get a 9-5er.
I think this is a pretty fair analogy.
Also- How does "team" or company merch work with pros? Like say a kid is stoked on a rider, so he goes and buys the company's wheels, a logo deck, or a shirt. Do pros see any of that $?
I highly doubt it that's gravy.
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I think most people who are making a living off of skateboarding are fully aware that their "job" could end at any second, if anything they are setting themselves up for "failure". I could see how people who have been getting paid to skateboard since childhood could end up having a very skewed perception of what it means to have a job.
Exactly. Dudes would have a much clearer picture of things -- and would be much less inclined to milk it and skate less -- if they'd worked real jobs before getting hooked up for skating.
Really, there need to be more Dyrdek-style people that know the laws/rules/reguations/negotiation tactics and can go to bat for skaters against the companies, at least when people are dealing with large companies like Nike, Cons, etc. Those companies aren't pulling any punches, and their riders need agents that won't pull any punches either. Dyrdek's a bit of a corny example, but someone of similar knowledge who can perform the same basic tasks.
Back in the day, it seems like established pros would often take ams under their wing, teach them how the industry works and all that. There's not really any way that could happen across the board these days, with so many companies, so many sponsored kids, etc. With smaller, independent companies that can still happen. But dudes need a legit agent to deal with the larger companies (see: Pops & Cons).
And yes, that's lame. But it's how it is.
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^^^^Exactly. Which is why I don't get why people bitch about Theotis or P-Rod trying to make all the money they can and while they can. I know skating is all about fun but sometimes reality hits harder and real life scenarios like making money become more of an issue than skating. I know this is a bad comparison but skateboarders have a limited time span in making money just like professional athletes do. There is a high point in their skills and than there will be a decline. Some people can hone that skill for a long time but look at how many people don't skate like they used to like the OG Flip riders. They used to be the fucking most insane group of skaters but most all of them don't skate like they used to.
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The Parallel - Girl "Goldfish" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNVCIiq9bCA#)
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Well it would have to start with a union to represent the athletes because lets be honest skateboarders aren't business men, until they have to be.
Pro skateboarders are their own business, plain and simple. It is the skaters job to make them selfs relevant, the company sees that and offers money for that which makes someone marketable regardless if it's their skating or image. Now a days it is much harder to gage some of these things but the masses who buy the product dictate this and well companies/skaters are trying to appeal those people.
is that fair? as Colin Cowheard would say "Fair is a place where the judge pigs" being fair is more of an opinion at this point. Like if a pro sold 200 boards world wide in a given month do they deserve $2000 a month? depends on who you ask.
I will say that sometimes the companies dictate parts of the "marketing direction" but these a lot of dudes who people like the skater and maybe don't like the company they skate for.
It isn't perfect by any means but neither is life and pro skaters get to live a pretty fucking awesome life.
Granted, you know way more than I ever will about the skate industry, but don't pros also bring stuff to the table that can't be quantified as easily as board sales? There are a bunch of pros who may not sell the most decks, but are always grinding it out at demos, being cool to kids, repping the brand on a local level, just generally promoting the company. For example it would seem like Jeron probably doesn't sell a lot of decks compared to other guys on girl, but he's always out there at demos/signings/etc. promoting and putting out parts. Also, indirectly say a kid gets hyped on Jeron but goes to his shop and the only girl board is a Mike Mo, so he buys that.
Also- How does "team" or company merch work with pros? Like say a kid is stoked on a rider, so he goes and buys the company's wheels, a logo deck, or a shirt. Do pros see any of that $?
This is a great point! And I think this is why you see guys like Daniel Costillo as a pro. If you see that guy around kids/fans he's great!
But, this is also why I don't really like "team models" I like who girl has only pro boards, it gives you a much better idea of who is selling and who isn't. Especially now when you can get any guys board in nearly any size.
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The skaters actually set themselves up for failure. There is all types of things they think are cool to do and be a part of... at the time it seems like they will get all these props or whatever.. but in the long run it can really tarnish their rep.
Could be a variety of things or situations....
Burning bridges within the industry
Drugs
Alcoholizm
cool guy status
choosing bad brands to rep
one hit wonders
who knows..... i see it all the time.
I don't think the brands set the skaters up for any type of failure though. They really open the door for you and its up to the skater to make the right decisions.
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The skaters actually set themselves up for failure. There is all types of things they think are cool to do and be a part of... at the time it seems like they will get all these props or whatever.. but in the long run it can really tarnish their rep.
Could be a variety of things or situations....
Burning bridges within the industry
Drugs
Alcoholizm
cool guy status
choosing bad brands to rep
one hit wonders
who knows..... i see it all the time.
I don't think the brands set the skaters up for any type of failure though. They really open the door for you and its up to the skater to make the right decisions.
easy to say when you have a dope tre. But what about the rest of us? actually, I have a pretty dope tre, but you know, those guys. wanting to get sponsored is for kids, growing up is for assholes, moral of the story, life sucks.
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Kalis, do you know anything about the pro models in certain board sizes conspiracy
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I'm also curious about the board size vs. pro factor. I know very little as to how accurately it works out on a wider scale, but I rarely buy boards for the pro on it, and having worked in a skateshop for four years, I rarely noticed it as the buying factor for others. For me personally, my purchase is ranked by size, brand, graphic, and pro in that order. Kids were the only ones whose decision it seemed to affect, and for that reason, I wonder why there are more than 10-15 people in the world with pro models.
Skateboarding is over saturated with pros and pro products.
Agreed. I feel like there are too many equally satisfying options to accurately rank by pro model sales. A few weeks ago I went to Deluxe in the interest of buying a ScumCo, Magenta, or Politic board. There were no ScumCo or Magenta boards in 8.125, so I opted for a Politic Danny Renaud graphic. I'm certainly hyped to ride a Danny Renaud board, but I would have been equally hyped if it were a Brian Brown or Steve Durante model, or for that matter, a Magenta Soy Panday model.
As far as pros go, I'd say they affect a buyer's decision as far as companies the buyer would like to support rather than single pros they'd like to support, if that makes sense. I bought a Politic board because I dig their team and company as a whole, and I would have been satisfied with any pro or graphic. I sold Plan B boards to kids because they like the company's reputation of having the best of the best, and they were satisfied with a P-Rod, Pudwill, or team graphic, as long as it was Plan B.
I feel like companies understand this for the most part and keep riders based on by output more than numbers, but it certainly affects their income. If any of you insider folk have info on how much the sales numbers affect the number of graphics a company will give a single pro one season, or which size they'll assign to which pro, I'd certainly be interested to know.
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When I worked at a shop, we sold the fuck out of Tony Hawk decks, mostly to parents
We sold a ton of Bam boards as well, mostly to fat kids. I lived in the midwest, so there were a lot of fat kids to sell to
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Kalis, do you know anything about the pro models in certain board sizes conspiracy
You mean pro boards in sizes that they don't actually skate?
If so... yeah that would be true. Everyone wants their name on the board size or shape that sells the best... just like every pro who has/had a shoe wants it to be the Janoski.
Or do you mean the boards sold are the cheaper versions of what the pro's actually ride? If so... i have heard that too. I havent had that problem.. Kayo/DGK boards are made by Bareback... IMO the best wood... so i ride what they sell. But i have heard of some of the companies selling China made boards while the pro's rode different wood. Its just rumor though.
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Kalis, do you know anything about the pro models in certain board sizes conspiracy
jullian davidson gets his element boards made at bareback, where as an element board sold in a shop is made at ps stix
so yeah most times the pros are riding better boards than the ones sold in stores
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no matter how good one may be riding for Split is getting setup to fail... dude needs to at least wear some weed socks and/or get advice from Dollin on how to make the Australian accent seem cool.
Dustins accent is far from Australian now. What are you saying?
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said before, a pro skater is selling themselves, selling their skills and image. Its good to pick or stay true to things that will give them longevity.
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When I worked at a shop, we sold the fuck out of Tony Hawk decks, mostly to parents
We sold a ton of Bam boards as well, mostly to fat kids. I lived in the midwest, so there were a lot of fat kids to sell to
Ditto. Our top three for board sales were easily Birdhouse, Blind, and World...all to dumb little kids. Then again, that was ten years ago...is that still a thing? Do dumb little kids still latch on to silly brands, or did that fad move on?
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Everybody loves a trainwreck - like how Antwaun got upset about his epicly laterd. I'm sure he has enablers but it all comes down to how he is marketing himself out to kids. I don't think it is the brands fault he lives a certain lifestyle - but they sure do bank on that whole party lifestyle.
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Stereo Skateboards : Where Careers Go To Die
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I've read some valid points. But I feel some of you guys aren't looking at the whole picture.
1st- A kid falls in love with the act of riding a skateboard.
2nd- The kid gets good at what he loves doing.
3rd- The kid either tries to get sponsored by a skateboard company or gets noticed by one.
Either way the kid that starts receiving free stuff in the mail will be extremely stoked. And if this same kid start receiving money,
he will feel like he's on cloud 9.
So at what point does a company become responsible for this person
they're hooking up with free product and money?
As skateboarders we are lucky to have such things in place.
The problem is skaters put all of their eggs into one basket.
Going to school, learning a trade or starting your own skateboard related company are ways to help deal the inevitable.
What really sucks to me is that there are so many great skaters but not enough homes for them. Sometimes I feel like the skateboarding industry might self destruct because of this reason. Let's hope not.
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Braydon, Kalis and Karl Watson in the same thread! Slap is going off! Nicknames and images definitely seem to work wonders. Ever considered enhancing a persona or gimmick to help your sales ORGANIKARL?
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I'm also curious about the board size vs. pro factor. I know very little as to how accurately it works out on a wider scale, but I rarely buy boards for the pro on it, and having worked in a skateshop for four years, I rarely noticed it as the buying factor for others. For me personally, my purchase is ranked by size, brand, graphic, and pro in that order. Kids were the only ones whose decision it seemed to affect, and for that reason, I wonder why there are more than 10-15 people in the world with pro models.
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Skateboarding is over saturated with pros and pro products.
Agreed. I feel like there are too many equally satisfying options to accurately rank by pro model sales. A few weeks ago I went to Deluxe in the interest of buying a ScumCo, Magenta, or Politic board. There were no ScumCo or Magenta boards in 8.125, so I opted for a Politic Danny Renaud graphic. I'm certainly hyped to ride a Danny Renaud board, but I would have been equally hyped if it were a Brian Brown or Steve Durante model, or for that matter, a Magenta Soy Panday model.
As far as pros go, I'd say they affect a buyer's decision as far as companies the buyer would like to support rather than single pros they'd like to support, if that makes sense. I bought a Politic board because I dig their team and company as a whole, and I would have been satisfied with any pro or graphic. I sold Plan B boards to kids because they like the company's reputation of having the best of the best, and they were satisfied with a P-Rod, Pudwill, or team graphic, as long as it was Plan B.
I feel like companies understand this for the most part and keep riders based on by output more than numbers, but it certainly affects their income. If any of you insider folk have info on how much the sales numbers affect the number of graphics a company will give a single pro one season, or which size they'll assign to which pro, I'd certainly be interested to know.
Was posting a little bit about this in the other thread when the topic came up...it's interesting to me and I've always wondered how a board size in a particular series gets assigned to a pro. If they rotate, or it's arbitrarily assigned. As Kalis alluded to, pros want their names on certain sizes bc obviously they sell better. The example I gave in the other thread was Habitat...every 10 boards I buy, 6 are Habitat. I would rep Silas's board 100% of the time if it was 8.25, but rarely does he get the 8.25 in a series. It's usually Austyn. Point being, I completely agree with the post that board size is the first factor for me but there are certain pros (and companies) that I will go out of my way to back when I'm buying a board, but it's virtually impossible for me to do when their boards are 8 or under.
If Kalis is still lurking in the thread, I'd be interested to hear from him which sizes are selling the best.
And as for the global conversation in this thread about pro skateboarders putting all their eggs in one basket...it's no different than normal joes like the rest of us. Think of how many times you will change careers in your life. Even when you may have invested a large portion of time and financial resources for an education in a particular field. Nothing lasts forever.
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Sometimes you have guys like billy pepper, John ponts, Chris dobstaff...they just are over it and change paths. You know, just say fuck it and fallback to jus living and chillin
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off topic, but
(http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/08/07/choc460.jpg)
List the size (or don't, depending on how far you want to take the "surprise" factor), but graphics are hidden.
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off topic, but
(http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/08/07/choc460.jpg)
List the size (or don't, depending on how far you want to take the "surprise" factor), but graphics are hidden.
that would be really sick a suprise series or one of a kind. each graphic is different and you have to peel off a film to reveal it or something. i would buy one haha just put the size
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it's hilarious all the industry guys here defending the exploitation of their riders.
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off topic, but
(http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/08/07/choc460.jpg)
List the size (or don't, depending on how far you want to take the "surprise" factor), but graphics are hidden.
that would be really sick a suprise series or one of a kind. each graphic is different and you have to peel off a film to reveal it or something. i would buy one haha just put the size
I don't think "one of a kind" would be do-able (cost), but it'd be cheap/easy to use black/reflective shrink-wrap as a "surprise" gimmick
edit: patent pending