Consolidated has a good point....

[MexicanSpaniard]

[sweatloaf]

I went to a PHX Suns scrimage the other night and the Suns "Sol Patrol" is officially called the Adio Sol Patrol. As in Adio shoes. They're a bunch of homos who slam dunk using trampolines during half time...

That sounds as gross as the meat spin

[Zurg]

i might actually prefer that they just play meatspin on the jumbotron at half

[parkingblockdog]

I don't think people who are against big business will get their way in any market that is based on a capitalistic system.  Basically, one of the best ways to make money in business is to diversify, by offering your product to a new base of customers.  Most businesses practice this and the skateboarding industry is no different.  Companies like Adio, Globe, DVS, Osris, etc have cultivated markets in other extreme sports such as BMX, Surfing, Motorcross, and Ultimate fighting and as skateboarding continues to grow they will try to diversify their market base more because they will make money.  Essentially, all skateboard shoes, with the exception of maybe a few, are tied in with some other, more lame business because their main goal in the end is to make money.  I used to hate Nike, but now I realize that the skateboard business is shaped around diversification, either a company like Nike is trying to diversify by getting into skateboarding, or a company like Adio is trying to diversify their customer base beyond skateboarding (but Adio is doing so in an exceptionally lame way IMO).  Also, skateboarding has become so popular that big corporations will buy skate companies because they are a good investment (Element).  I really can't see any way that the skateboard industry can be controlled by pure skate companies, Nike is just part of the cycle. 

[leon]

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You make a good point that I'd like to take a step further for anyone into the discussion...

What if there was another death in skateboarding, where it became unpopular enough that Transworld was as small as a 'zine. What shoe company wouldn't attempt to change its business model so that it could continue to exist as a company? I think in most cases, companies would try a reverse-Nike approach. Whereas Nike started off making sports shoes and eventually got into skateboarding, I think most skate shoe companies would probably start trying to create shit for sports to sustain. My question would have to be, what shoe company right now would, in the face of a new death in skateboarding, stick to skateboarding 100% and not sell out to the sports market? What shoe company is that core?

[close]

VOX

i am not going to buy a shoe that i know skates like shit because its core

[littleragamuffin]

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so they were saying, in line roller blading was marketing on building the greatest athelete that wins all the contests, while skateboarding focuses more on the average joes than the pros?

[close]

I think you've missed the point entirely.

Nike went into hockey while it was popular, talking about how they loved it, it impacted Western culture, etc.

When the market shrank, they left.

Nike came into skateboarding when it was popular, with the same bullshit. They loved it, etc.

So what's going to happen when the market shrinks?

a=a

http://www.mathwords.com/r/reflexive_property.htm

I don't think Nike Hockey and Nike Skateboarding are a good comparsion.
Nike Hockey was selling exclusively to Hockey players. You can't walk the streets in Hockey skates. Nike SB is pure soft goods. They aren't making boards, wheels etc.. People who don't skate still buy SB's. just like people who don't play basketball buy Air Jordans.

[A-Bo]

to the guy who said Nike is whack because BA doesnt have a pro shoe: he can leave anytime he wants.

[gub]

here’s my whole deal. So what if Nike decides in 5 years that the market has shrunk, and they pull the vaunted SB line? I mean is the world gonna end? You can’t say nike hasn’t given back to skating since the current incarnation of their skate program came along… some shops would not have been in the black from month to month without the sneaker-head demographic, pros like Todd Jordan and Daniel Shimizu and everybody’s favorite Italian are getting paid good money to skate and tour in high comfort, and nike deserves at least some of the credit for turning the tide away from the early 00’s moonboot shoe phase. So it’s not like nike’s some vampire sucking the life out of skateboarding as we know it.

I’d be more worried about nike 6.0 picking up ryan sheckler and shaun white and trying to reframe skateboarding for the masses in some Olympics/prime-time friendly way, with the help of paul “air tony jordan hawk” rodriguez. I’m sure there’s tons of money waiting to be made in skate coaching, talent management, trick lists and training programs.

which is why we all need to get out there right now and support drunken assholes like danny renaud and bo turner. Yes, we need bo turner back right fucking now. And andy roy. If reebok or adidas had any balls whatsoever they would hire the likes of these guys and take on nike head-to-head in a straight up fight. No skateboards, unless maybe skateboards were allowed as weapons. or something

[isaac]

thank god for Gub.

[theironmonkey]

basically the whole idea of skate shoes is a regular marketing scheme and has been since airwalk stopped making shoes with lacesavers, they're not skate shoes they're just shoes.

same thing applies to pro boards and charging for videos, anyone that supports (aka buys) any of this bullshit (aka all of you) is a fucking cretin.

[H8R vol.2]

everyone knows making money isn't cool in the slightest. 
you gotta stay broke and bitch about those with money, that what makes you cool.

[tango $$ tha pussy viol8r]

why the hell are my postz getting deleted when there's fucking SKATEBOARDING SUCKS AND YOUNG JEEZY ROAMING ABOUT???

[Young Jeezy]

why the hell are my postz getting deleted when there's fucking SKATEBOARDING SUCKS AND YOUNG JEEZY ROAMING ABOUT???

hahaha stupid bitch! HAHA! THAAAATS RIIIGHHHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[art hellman]

here’s my whole deal. So what if Nike decides in 5 years that the market has shrunk, and they pull the vaunted SB line? I mean is the world gonna end? You can’t say nike hasn’t given back to skating since the current incarnation of their skate program came along… some shops would not have been in the black from month to month without the sneaker-head demographic, pros like Todd Jordan and Daniel Shimizu and everybody’s favorite Italian are getting paid good money to skate and tour in high comfort, and nike deserves at least some of the credit for turning the tide away from the early 00’s moonboot shoe phase. So it’s not like nike’s some vampire sucking the life out of skateboarding as we know it.

I’d be more worried about nike 6.0 picking up ryan sheckler and shaun white and trying to reframe skateboarding for the masses in some Olympics/prime-time friendly way, with the help of paul “air tony jordan hawk” rodriguez. I’m sure there’s tons of money waiting to be made in skate coaching, talent management, trick lists and training programs.

which is why we all need to get out there right now and support drunken assholes like danny renaud and bo turner. Yes, we need bo turner back right fucking now. And andy roy. If reebok or adidas had any balls whatsoever they would hire the likes of these guys and take on nike head-to-head in a straight up fight. No skateboards, unless maybe skateboards were allowed as weapons. or something

gub,  USA owes you a debt of gratitude....

[DrNewton]

here’s my whole deal. So what if Nike decides in 5 years that the market has shrunk, and they pull the vaunted SB line? I mean is the world gonna end? You can’t say nike hasn’t given back to skating since the current incarnation of their skate program came along… some shops would not have been in the black from month to month without the sneaker-head demographic, pros like Todd Jordan and Daniel Shimizu and everybody’s favorite Italian are getting paid good money to skate and tour in high comfort, and nike deserves at least some of the credit for turning the tide away from the early 00’s moonboot shoe phase. So it’s not like nike’s some vampire sucking the life out of skateboarding as we know it.

I’d be more worried about nike 6.0 picking up ryan sheckler and shaun white and trying to reframe skateboarding for the masses in some Olympics/prime-time friendly way, with the help of paul “air tony jordan hawk” rodriguez. I’m sure there’s tons of money waiting to be made in skate coaching, talent management, trick lists and training programs.

which is why we all need to get out there right now and support drunken assholes like danny renaud and bo turner. Yes, we need bo turner back right fucking now. And andy roy. If reebok or adidas had any balls whatsoever they would hire the likes of these guys and take on nike head-to-head in a straight up fight. No skateboards, unless maybe skateboards were allowed as weapons. or something

Yeah, I'm sure Nike is making the shops that can afford $10,000 accounts rich as fuck.

Alot of you don't realize that the money "given back" to skateboarders was made by skateboarding anyway. The take a tiny sliver of the profits they make and "give" that tiny sliver back. The same sliver that, in other industries, is used to advertising. Previously, other skateboard shoe companies would've made that money and "given it back" through demos and shit like that. I'll concede that most shoe companies are terrible, but Nike is definately the worst of them all, and allowing a force like that to grow just lowers standards for other companies even more.

But fine. Support the guys kicking us out of there plazas and off of the sidewalks we pay for, and buy an overpriced Nike shoe.

[art hellman]

Previously, other skateboard shoe companies would've made that money and "given it back" through demos and shit like that. [/quote]

demos like these.....?

[Jura]

Yea, just like those.   

I like Nikes. I cant help.

They skate really well.

[89-90pistons]

I'm suprised anyone gives a shit about consolidated anymore.

[Sheep]

Who?


But yeah. I don't like Nike, but for different reasons. Bidness iz bidness, so I don't care about that anymore. I don't like Nike because I don't like "sneakerheads" and the people that actually wear those stupid "limited" edition SBs, be they skaters or otherwise. Oh man, they're the worst. They're like the male version of a female. And when they match up their shoes with graphic on their tee shirts and New Era caps...gotta keep it crispy for dem hoes, yo! Dressing like K Fed is not cool. Bunch a marks. That's why I don't wear 'em.

[j....soy.....]

if skateboarding was lord of the flies the shoe company would be piggy.....dig in....

[magnet]

The point of the article seemed to be that sports equipment will never compete with apparel as far as moving product is concerned.   

Ice/inline skates were a bad decision since aside from the skates there isn't as much related product to move whereas skateboarding has the clothing and shoes which more and more people who probably don't own and/or never have owned a skateboard end up buying for whatever reason.  Even seems like some of the time the non skaters tend to buy more skate brand clothes/shoes than people who actually skate.

As crappy and played out as some of the skate companies have gotten their clothes are easier to find than ever which cannot be said for any ice/inline skating or even snowboarding/BMX stuff.

Nike having a skate line probably made more people indirectly aware of skateboarding, helped skate shops pay rent and made sneaker collectors a lot poorer more often.  At least they have a good team and kept relatively separate from a lot of the buffoonery that other skate companies which used to be kind of decent (Element, Adio, DC, DVS, Etnies, etc.) have stooped to.

[picklesickshuv-it]

didnt nike give away $100000 at tampa this year?...jus sayin

[Mooley]

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so they were saying, in line roller blading was marketing on building the greatest athelete that wins all the contests, while skateboarding focuses more on the average joes than the pros?

[close]

I think you've missed the point entirely.

Nike went into hockey while it was popular, talking about how they loved it, it impacted Western culture, etc.

When the market shrank, they left.

Nike came into skateboarding when it was popular, with the same bullshit. They loved it, etc.

So what's going to happen when the market shrinks?

a=a

http://www.mathwords.com/r/reflexive_property.htm

[close]

I don't think Nike Hockey and Nike Skateboarding are a good comparsion.
Nike Hockey was selling exclusively to Hockey players. You can't walk the streets in Hockey skates. Nike SB is pure soft goods. They aren't making boards, wheels etc.. People who don't skate still buy SB's. just like people who don't play basketball buy Air Jordans.

He's not comparing them as businesses, he's saying that Nike SB will do what NikeBauer did if the skateboarding ship sinks like hockey did.