Kader on Nike

[heckler]

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the amount of racism and classism in here is getting a little out of hand
dude can go where he wants. even leaving baker and the boss would be ok for me.
dont see anything bad with it since hes the whole face of new baker

[close]

come the fuck on. why are you defending such a wack decision so fucking hard? he jumped ship, again, but this time to the evil empire of nike. criticizing that decision is not fucking racist.

[close]

how much people despise this child on this website is absolutely rooted in racism

[close]

By some maybe, but you are acting like Ishod isn't one of the most beloved skaters on this site.

Anyone who blatantly sponsor hops this much and is overhyped is going to get shit talked, that's just slap. Sheckler got it way worse than Kader, and at a younger age.

You think the reality show might have had something to do with that?

[headtowall]

The funny thing about contracts is that they end, and sometimes people don't want to play ball. you keep it moving.

[Murge]

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if i had a friend that every 16 months had a new job, i'd absolutely think that's weird.

[close]

Well, it isn’t a job, it’s a sponsorship.  It’s not like he was a skateboarder for a bit, then a CPA, then teacher.  He’s just wearing a different pair of shoes.  Even so, he’s a teenager and teenagers definitely change jobs.  And I think the timeline is closer to 3 years.

So which is it?

[Atiba Applebum]

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if i had a friend that every 16 months had a new job, i'd absolutely think that's weird.

[close]

Well, it isn’t a job, it’s a sponsorship.  It’s not like he was a skateboarder for a bit, then a CPA, then teacher.  He’s just wearing a different pair of shoes.  Even so, he’s a teenager and teenagers definitely change jobs.  And I think the timeline is closer to 3 years.

[close]

So which is it?

It’s not a job, but if you choose to continue to view it through that lens then consider how other similarly aged persons behave

[DannyDee]

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the amount of racism and classism in here is getting a little out of hand
dude can go where he wants. even leaving baker and the boss would be ok for me.
dont see anything bad with it since hes the whole face of new baker

[close]

come the fuck on. why are you defending such a wack decision so fucking hard? he jumped ship, again, but this time to the evil empire of nike. criticizing that decision is not fucking racist.

[close]

how much people despise this child on this website is absolutely rooted in racism

[close]

By some maybe, but you are acting like Ishod isn't one of the most beloved skaters on this site.

Anyone who blatantly sponsor hops this much and is overhyped is going to get shit talked, that's just slap. Sheckler got it way worse than Kader, and at a younger age.

[close]

You think the reality show might have had something to do with that?

It's obviously did, but to act like this is primarily due to race is ridiculous. Tons of kid skaters and people who sponsor hop get shit talked here. People shit talked guys like Mike-Mo a ton at the same age as Kader.

Personally, I think Kader's overhyped, and changing sponsors every 12 months isn't a good look, but it's whatever at the end of the day.

[Jacob Gary]

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anyways Baker reposted it on their story so he's not getting the Darius King treatment.

[close]

And Reynolds posted it with “Favorite Skater” so I wouldn’t worry about him becoming the first Nike skater on FA yet

.....KB.....Gino....probably more

[hobochimp]

Can't wait for his FA class photo deck. It will just be a current photo of him

[fs180]

How can i defend such a thing?
I never had a thing for rvca paper thin hash bro khaki colored clothing nore do i have the need to skate in emericas or vans. If i had to choose id be stupid to not get the thick hoodie Supreme pack and some nice colored dunks every month.

Vans is good too but i can imagine him being more hyped on nikes. Id hate to be taught in contracts what to wear every day since im 15. Hell yeah i would change Sponsors. Its not like he does come of as a ungrateful bitch.

[Dante Bichette]

When it all comes down to it it's about the money. Getting cool points for staying on a company isn't gonna pay for all that weed. If one of the biggest brands is offering more money who wouldn't leave?

[MareVitals]

Don't give much of a shit either way but it's funny that the argument being made in this thread is that if you're black it's okay to sponsor hop. I know there are a lot of other factors and challenges that people face based on race but but at the end of the day Kader obviously hasn't been very professional in his dealings and its often not wise to burn bridges. That said, I don't think he has a lot of staying power since he still skates like a little kid so get it while you can I guess.

[Pavs323]

A lot of people say Kader is 'sponsor hopping' or whatever, but I don't hear those people question why the sponsors aren't able to keep him. He's doing well with his career overall, so I assume the sponsorship changes are motivated by moving brands for a bigger cheque. If I had to guess, I would imagine that Emerica was paying him in shoes and high fives, Vans probably offered a similar arrangement (if the stories are true about their humongous pro-flow team where nobody is getting paid), and maybe Nike is actually paying him well. If that's what happened, he's doing exactly what he should be. To me, the real question is 'why didn't Vans put up the money to keep him around?' Kader is 'in his window' right now, and he should get all the money he can while he's young, healthy, and marketable. He doesn't owe anything to Vans or Indy or whoever.

Fair point, but to tack on to it, I’d actually argue that Kader is not as valuable of an asset as most of us seem to think, therefore those other companies maybe did not feel it was the end of the world to lose  him (other than Emerica). Maybe it’s just my local scene, but most of the kids seem to not actually give a shit about Kader or really care what he does, and a lot of them barely even know who the hell he is. People can call them “posers” or whatever they want, but fact remains they’re the ones buying product based on who they think is cool. I just think in the grand scheme of things, he’s not nearly as popular as a lot of us hardcore skate nerds seem to think. 

[WobbleHeadBob]

the kid is 18 let him choose what he likes

also bills filming is great

id rather watch a bill strobeck clip than any baker 4 clip

also for a kid at his age if he left baker they would feel so empty

are you fuckin serious? Fat BIll filming is easilt the worst thing to happen to skateboarding since Nike killed Savier

[Atiba Applebum]

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A lot of people say Kader is 'sponsor hopping' or whatever, but I don't hear those people question why the sponsors aren't able to keep him. He's doing well with his career overall, so I assume the sponsorship changes are motivated by moving brands for a bigger cheque. If I had to guess, I would imagine that Emerica was paying him in shoes and high fives, Vans probably offered a similar arrangement (if the stories are true about their humongous pro-flow team where nobody is getting paid), and maybe Nike is actually paying him well. If that's what happened, he's doing exactly what he should be. To me, the real question is 'why didn't Vans put up the money to keep him around?' Kader is 'in his window' right now, and he should get all the money he can while he's young, healthy, and marketable. He doesn't owe anything to Vans or Indy or whoever.

[close]

Fair point, but to tack on to it, I’d actually argue that Kader is not as valuable of an asset as most of us seem to think, therefore those other companies maybe did not feel it was the end of the world to lose  him (other than Emerica). Maybe it’s just my local scene, but most of the kids seem to not actually give a shit about Kader or really care what he does, and a lot of them barely even know who the hell he is. People can call them “posers” or whatever they want, but fact remains they’re the ones buying product based on who they think is cool. I just think in the grand scheme of things, he’s not nearly as popular as a lot of us hardcore skate nerds seem to think.

So you think someone moving on to bigger and better contracts means the previous shoe company didn’t try and strike a deal with Kader but had a less competitive offer?

[arrbee]

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A lot of people say Kader is 'sponsor hopping' or whatever, but I don't hear those people question why the sponsors aren't able to keep him. He's doing well with his career overall, so I assume the sponsorship changes are motivated by moving brands for a bigger cheque. If I had to guess, I would imagine that Emerica was paying him in shoes and high fives, Vans probably offered a similar arrangement (if the stories are true about their humongous pro-flow team where nobody is getting paid), and maybe Nike is actually paying him well. If that's what happened, he's doing exactly what he should be. To me, the real question is 'why didn't Vans put up the money to keep him around?' Kader is 'in his window' right now, and he should get all the money he can while he's young, healthy, and marketable. He doesn't owe anything to Vans or Indy or whoever.

[close]

Fair point, but to tack on to it, I’d actually argue that Kader is not as valuable of an asset as most of us seem to think, therefore those other companies maybe did not feel it was the end of the world to lose  him (other than Emerica). Maybe it’s just my local scene, but most of the kids seem to not actually give a shit about Kader or really care what he does, and a lot of them barely even know who the hell he is. People can call them “posers” or whatever they want, but fact remains they’re the ones buying product based on who they think is cool. I just think in the grand scheme of things, he’s not nearly as popular as a lot of us hardcore skate nerds seem to think.

[close]

So you think someone moving on to bigger and better contracts means the previous shoe company didn’t try and strike a deal with Kader but had a less competitive offer?

I think they are saying if Vans wanted to keep Kader ball was in their court. There is no telling though, I honestly could have seen him getting a shoe on Vans versus Nike maybe a few colorways of something.

[hateboard]

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the amount of racism and classism in here is getting a little out of hand
dude can go where he wants. even leaving baker and the boss would be ok for me.
dont see anything bad with it since hes the whole face of new baker

[close]

come the fuck on. why are you defending such a wack decision so fucking hard? he jumped ship, again, but this time to the evil empire of nike. criticizing that decision is not fucking racist.

[close]

how much people despise this child on this website is absolutely rooted in racism

Huh? Most the time the Kader worship on this site is out of control. The dude drops one bombdrop and it excuses years of producing nothing much and a overhyped Baker 4 part that would have barely made the Baker 2 b-sides back in the day. Slap need to start overlooking his age and skin color and start ripping him a new asshole in the name of equality. Also if anyone tuned down a Nike contract they would need a brain scan for suspicious growths.

[Atiba Applebum]

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A lot of people say Kader is 'sponsor hopping' or whatever, but I don't hear those people question why the sponsors aren't able to keep him. He's doing well with his career overall, so I assume the sponsorship changes are motivated by moving brands for a bigger cheque. If I had to guess, I would imagine that Emerica was paying him in shoes and high fives, Vans probably offered a similar arrangement (if the stories are true about their humongous pro-flow team where nobody is getting paid), and maybe Nike is actually paying him well. If that's what happened, he's doing exactly what he should be. To me, the real question is 'why didn't Vans put up the money to keep him around?' Kader is 'in his window' right now, and he should get all the money he can while he's young, healthy, and marketable. He doesn't owe anything to Vans or Indy or whoever.

[close]

Fair point, but to tack on to it, I’d actually argue that Kader is not as valuable of an asset as most of us seem to think, therefore those other companies maybe did not feel it was the end of the world to lose  him (other than Emerica). Maybe it’s just my local scene, but most of the kids seem to not actually give a shit about Kader or really care what he does, and a lot of them barely even know who the hell he is. People can call them “posers” or whatever they want, but fact remains they’re the ones buying product based on who they think is cool. I just think in the grand scheme of things, he’s not nearly as popular as a lot of us hardcore skate nerds seem to think.

[close]

So you think someone moving on to bigger and better contracts means the previous shoe company didn’t try and strike a deal with Kader but had a less competitive offer?

[close]

I think they are saying if Vans wanted to keep Kader ball was in their court. There is no telling though, I honestly could have seen him getting a shoe on Vans versus Nike maybe a few colorways of something.

Depends on the contract.  If they had language to the effect that they could match any offers, then yes, but other than that, contracts up and he was free to entertain offers and the most enticing one won

[Abyss1]

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the amount of racism and classism in here is getting a little out of hand
dude can go where he wants. even leaving baker and the boss would be ok for me.
dont see anything bad with it since hes the whole face of new baker

[close]

come the fuck on. why are you defending such a wack decision so fucking hard? he jumped ship, again, but this time to the evil empire of nike. criticizing that decision is not fucking racist.

[close]

how much people despise this child on this website is absolutely rooted in racism

[close]

Huh? Most the time the Kader worship on this site is out of control. The dude drops one bombdrop and it excuses years of producing nothing much and a overhyped Baker 4 part that would have barely made the Baker 2 b-sides back in the day. Slap need to start overlooking his age and skin color and start ripping him a new asshole in the name of equality. Also if anyone tuned down a Nike contract they would need a brain scan for suspicious growths.

  that's a stretch

[Pavs323]

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A lot of people say Kader is 'sponsor hopping' or whatever, but I don't hear those people question why the sponsors aren't able to keep him. He's doing well with his career overall, so I assume the sponsorship changes are motivated by moving brands for a bigger cheque. If I had to guess, I would imagine that Emerica was paying him in shoes and high fives, Vans probably offered a similar arrangement (if the stories are true about their humongous pro-flow team where nobody is getting paid), and maybe Nike is actually paying him well. If that's what happened, he's doing exactly what he should be. To me, the real question is 'why didn't Vans put up the money to keep him around?' Kader is 'in his window' right now, and he should get all the money he can while he's young, healthy, and marketable. He doesn't owe anything to Vans or Indy or whoever.

[close]

Fair point, but to tack on to it, I’d actually argue that Kader is not as valuable of an asset as most of us seem to think, therefore those other companies maybe did not feel it was the end of the world to lose  him (other than Emerica). Maybe it’s just my local scene, but most of the kids seem to not actually give a shit about Kader or really care what he does, and a lot of them barely even know who the hell he is. People can call them “posers” or whatever they want, but fact remains they’re the ones buying product based on who they think is cool. I just think in the grand scheme of things, he’s not nearly as popular as a lot of us hardcore skate nerds seem to think.

[close]

So you think someone moving on to bigger and better contracts means the previous shoe company didn’t try and strike a deal with Kader but had a less competitive offer?

Well I think you kind of just answered your question. This is Vans we’re talking about it.  If they “had a less competitive offer” it’s because they didn’t see it being worth it to pay him what he wanted, not because they couldn’t afford it or something like that.
If they truly thought he was this insanely coveted rider to have that could make them a ton of money, they would have paid the money he wanted to keep him.

[Atiba Applebum]

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A lot of people say Kader is 'sponsor hopping' or whatever, but I don't hear those people question why the sponsors aren't able to keep him. He's doing well with his career overall, so I assume the sponsorship changes are motivated by moving brands for a bigger cheque. If I had to guess, I would imagine that Emerica was paying him in shoes and high fives, Vans probably offered a similar arrangement (if the stories are true about their humongous pro-flow team where nobody is getting paid), and maybe Nike is actually paying him well. If that's what happened, he's doing exactly what he should be. To me, the real question is 'why didn't Vans put up the money to keep him around?' Kader is 'in his window' right now, and he should get all the money he can while he's young, healthy, and marketable. He doesn't owe anything to Vans or Indy or whoever.

[close]

Fair point, but to tack on to it, I’d actually argue that Kader is not as valuable of an asset as most of us seem to think, therefore those other companies maybe did not feel it was the end of the world to lose  him (other than Emerica). Maybe it’s just my local scene, but most of the kids seem to not actually give a shit about Kader or really care what he does, and a lot of them barely even know who the hell he is. People can call them “posers” or whatever they want, but fact remains they’re the ones buying product based on who they think is cool. I just think in the grand scheme of things, he’s not nearly as popular as a lot of us hardcore skate nerds seem to think.

[close]

So you think someone moving on to bigger and better contracts means the previous shoe company didn’t try and strike a deal with Kader but had a less competitive offer?

[close]

Well I think you kind of just answered your question. This is Vans we’re talking about it.  If they “had a less competitive offer” it’s because they didn’t see it being worth it to pay him what he wanted, not because they couldn’t afford it or something like that.
If they truly thought he was this insanely coveted rider to have that could make them a ton of money, they would have paid the money he wanted to keep him.

There’s no indication they were aware of Nike’s offer or that Kader is (or has reps) savvy enough to leverage competing company’s offers against each other.   There’s also no idea on whether Vans couldn’t or wouldn’t offer something better than the biggest shoe company in the world did. 

[Dorje Drolo]

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Not surprised and I'm sure at this point he has an agent and they are out to get him paid. Also feel like he's had this thing about getting out of the Reynolds shadow and shedding any sponsors that tie to that. FA is just a matter of time.

[close]

What Reynolds shadow?

I mean the fact that Reynolds brought him up from a young age and had him tied into all his same sponsors. The younger Kader was little more on the hesh side and older Kader not at all. You grow older, influences change, tastes change, etc so I meant it in that regard. Like he's come into his own and has gone a different route so different sponsors. Wasn't meant as a malicious comment just one's opinion.

[Wizard0f0dds]

Some weird ass clown once said "if you're good at something, never do it for free". Guess he's just looking to get paid, good for him. I could care less what kind of shoes he's wearing. On top of that, who cares about brand loyalty seriously? Vans, Nike, Adidas, whatever they are all big ass companies that don't give two shits about their riders, they are only looking to make money, so I'd say the individuals that young skaters look up to and buy shoes because of them should go for whoever gives the better check. Hell I'd leave my job in a heartbeat for another employer who pays more for the same job, why wouldn't they?

[420beers]

I suppose Reynolds is not psyched on the weed

I could have sworn it was a chief Keef song the first time I watched it this morning am I trippin

[DCLOVE]

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I suppose Reynolds is not psyched on the weed

[close]

I could have sworn it was a chief Keef song the first time I watched it this morning am I trippin

I think it’s a different song on ig . Prolly cause of rights on YouTube?

[Atiba Applebum]

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Not surprised and I'm sure at this point he has an agent and they are out to get him paid. Also feel like he's had this thing about getting out of the Reynolds shadow and shedding any sponsors that tie to that. FA is just a matter of time.

[close]

What Reynolds shadow?

[close]

I mean the fact that Reynolds brought him up from a young age and had him tied into all his same sponsors. The younger Kader was little more on the hesh side and older Kader not at all. You grow older, influences change, tastes change, etc so I meant it in that regard. Like he's come into his own and has gone a different route so different sponsors. Wasn't meant as a malicious comment just one's opinion.

Tons of Baker ams had that treatment though.  Baker boards and Emerica shoes kinda went/goes hand in hand

[Prinzy]

I am usually one to defend the whole FA/Hockey/Supreme camp... I am a fan of a lot skaters that Slap writes off as gimmicky or wack...

But this time, I gotta agree, this switch just kinda bums me out. I really like Kader but this just feels kinda lame... like respect to a kid around my age chasing the bag and succeeding, can't hate on that, but something just doesn't sit right with me.

I'm a Supreme fan, but I really hope Kader doesn't make that his primary identifier, Reynolds and the Baker gang did a lot for him and I hope he doesnt abandon that.

[professional]

These people in here mad that an 18 year old left Vans and signed a Nike contract and don't consider how fickle a career in this industry can be between trends, injuries and the economy doing poorly. Can you imagine someone shaking their head at you because you took a new job with a pay raise? I think people just generally romanticize loyalty in the skateboard industry.

[Atiba Applebum]

I am usually one to defend the whole FA/Hockey/Supreme camp... I am a fan of a lot skaters that Slap writes off as gimmicky or wack...

But this time, I gotta agree, this switch just kinda bums me out. I really like Kader but this just feels kinda lame... like respect to a kid around my age chasing the bag and succeeding, can't hate on that, but something just doesn't sit right with me.

I'm a Supreme fan, but I really hope Kader doesn't make that his primary identifier, Reynolds and the Baker gang did a lot for him and I hope he doesnt abandon that.

What did they do for him that they didn’t do for others?   

[RichardBarkley]

Sick part I enjoyed that.

Could give a shit if he moves, it's his choice.

What height is he ? Midget vibes for a fully grown man

[arrbee]

These people in here mad that an 18 year old left Vans and signed a Nike contract and don't consider how fickle a career in this industry can be between trends, injuries and the economy doing poorly. Can you imagine someone shaking their head at you because you took a new job with a pay raise? I think people just generally romanticize loyalty in the skateboard industry.

When it comes down to it the companies won't hesitate to dump you on your ass to save themselves.

I say

[Prinzy]

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I am usually one to defend the whole FA/Hockey/Supreme camp... I am a fan of a lot skaters that Slap writes off as gimmicky or wack...

But this time, I gotta agree, this switch just kinda bums me out. I really like Kader but this just feels kinda lame... like respect to a kid around my age chasing the bag and succeeding, can't hate on that, but something just doesn't sit right with me.

I'm a Supreme fan, but I really hope Kader doesn't make that his primary identifier, Reynolds and the Baker gang did a lot for him and I hope he doesnt abandon that.

[close]

What did they do for him that they didn’t do for others?

It always seemed like Reynolds really saw the potential in Kader. I remember in his Epicly Later'd, Kader and his daughter were friends and Reynolds really seemed to care about him and want the best for him.

Maybe they didnt do anything "more" for Kader or maybe its just the way Beagle & Co. edited Baker 4, but as an outside viewer, it seems the Baker lot seemed way more caring and supportive than the aura Bill curates in his videos.

Maybe I'm wrong, what do I know... just my two cents on the topic