is nike cutting skate program soon?

[fs180]

Here's a comparison for perspective sake.

You have a small-town mom-and-pop hardware store.  They give back to your community, they live in your community, you know where they came from, they're friendly, etc.

Do they still sell pretty much the same shit as Home Depot? Yes. Same brands? Yes. Same manufacturers? Yes. 

Then Home Depot moves to town and opens up down the road. 

Are you gonna keep supporting your mom-and-pop hardware store? The one that gives you personal recommendations on purchases? Helps you out when in need? Gives back to your community? Puts dollars in the local economy?

Or are you gonna say fuck em? And justify that home depot is cheaper/better/bigger?

If your answer is Home Depot, you are the problem.  Not Home Depot, not the mom and pop, it's you as a consumer who has the fucking IQ of a toddler. 

Support within.  Community matters.  Conviction matters.  This isn't that hard.

if your mom and pop shop never had to do with anything you ever did on a skateboard because all they did was being in california shipping cheap china boards to europe for 70 dollars a board and once they do a demo in your hometown just sit around and let some AM's skate for them so they can make money from having a 2 min video part in 2004, may be than you will question it. Ill garanty you.

that goes for all the shitty brands not only crailtap. I had cheap ass 30 euro gildan shirts I REALLY WANTED BECAUSE SKATE CLOTHING IS IMPORTANT IF YOU SKATE MOM.

that's the amount of empathy I have for california skate companies in 2021 if you aren't making some cool stuff.

[RichardBarkley]

Expand Quote

Here's a comparison for perspective sake.

You have a small-town mom-and-pop hardware store.  They give back to your community, they live in your community, you know where they came from, they're friendly, etc.

Do they still sell pretty much the same shit as Home Depot? Yes. Same brands? Yes. Same manufacturers? Yes. 

Then Home Depot moves to town and opens up down the road. 

Are you gonna keep supporting your mom-and-pop hardware store? The one that gives you personal recommendations on purchases? Helps you out when in need? Gives back to your community? Puts dollars in the local economy?

Or are you gonna say fuck em? And justify that home depot is cheaper/better/bigger?

If your answer is Home Depot, you are the problem.  Not Home Depot, not the mom and pop, it's you as a consumer who has the fucking IQ of a toddler. 

Support within.  Community matters.  Conviction matters.  This isn't that hard.

[close]

if your mom and pop shop never had to do with anything you ever did on a skateboard because all they did was being in california shipping cheap china boards to europe for 70 dollars a board and once they do a demo in your hometown just sit around and let some AM's skate for them so they can make money from having a 2 min video part in 2004, may be than you will question it. Ill garanty you.

that goes for all the shitty brands not only crailtap. I had cheap ass 30 euro gildan shirts I REALLY WANTED BECAUSE SKATE CLOTHING IS IMPORTANT IF YOU SKATE MOM.

that's the amount of empathy I have for california skate companies in 2021 if you aren't making some cool stuff.

You seem quite bitter with skating.

Which is ok.

I don't how ass licking nike and big corps is helping you though.n

[Miller92]

Expand Quote

Here's a comparison for perspective sake.

You have a small-town mom-and-pop hardware store.  They give back to your community, they live in your community, you know where they came from, they're friendly, etc.

Do they still sell pretty much the same shit as Home Depot? Yes. Same brands? Yes. Same manufacturers? Yes. 

Then Home Depot moves to town and opens up down the road. 

Are you gonna keep supporting your mom-and-pop hardware store? The one that gives you personal recommendations on purchases? Helps you out when in need? Gives back to your community? Puts dollars in the local economy?

Or are you gonna say fuck em? And justify that home depot is cheaper/better/bigger?

If your answer is Home Depot, you are the problem.  Not Home Depot, not the mom and pop, it's you as a consumer who has the fucking IQ of a toddler. 

Support within.  Community matters.  Conviction matters.  This isn't that hard.

[close]

if your mom and pop shop never had to do with anything you ever did on a skateboard because all they did was being in california shipping cheap china boards to europe for 70 dollars a board and once they do a demo in your hometown just sit around and let some AM's skate for them so they can make money from having a 2 min video part in 2004, may be than you will question it. Ill garanty you.

that goes for all the shitty brands not only crailtap. I had cheap ass 30 euro gildan shirts I REALLY WANTED BECAUSE SKATE CLOTHING IS IMPORTANT IF YOU SKATE MOM.

that's the amount of empathy I have for california skate companies in 2021 if you aren't making some cool stuff.

i was honestly speaking more to the Nike vs. "skate operated" shoe situation...

in terms of hard goods, there is NO money to be made in that sector.  like...none. unless you're DLX or you have only 2 people on the payroll in the office. 

might as well support smaller deck companies or companies owned by homies or people in your region or city.

[Donkey Lips]

The thing that is aggravating about Nike cutting down the skate program (if that is true) is that they are currently suppressing their own return on investment. SB Dunks are straight up on fire right now and if they mass released one black and white pair that anyone could buy at retail price it would probably pay for the skate program all by itself.

Mister big-brain-economics-101 over here is just giving away all of the secrets for free. You hear that Nike? Just make black and white dunks available and this will no longer "suppress your own return on investment".

[Theme For A Jackal]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

a skate shoe. doesn't change the fact that no skater ever developed any part of a skate shoe ever in his live.
all ideas by nike and Adidas and some surfer at vans by doing shoes over 100 years so a son of a bitch from California could make millions by just using those informations and making his own shoe out of it. just so the consumer who doesn't know shit can point a finger at nike because they are the bad company because they don't even skate in office bro. bet they don't even smoke pot in there or shot gun a beer fucking lames.

[close]

How about DESIGN, ENDORSEMENT and in some cases MONEY.

Is that enough?

[close]

Yeah, that's a bullshit claim. Do they expect a skater to go to a Chinese factory and build them themselves? Sure, not every pro is going to design their own shoe these days but to say they're not involved whatsoever is BS

[close]

no I don't I expect them to not claim to be the holy gods in shoe business because the money they make isn't going straight into skateboarders pockets.

I know you love the idea that your shoe company looks like your local skate shop and the owner is like your skate shop owner and fights to make a living so you buy some goods from him and he's so thankful and brave and talk about how the years fly by and he's still there and you sit in front of the shop and its getting melancholy.
that's just stupid.
give me an example for a shoe technology made by a skater?

Whatever point you're trying to make, you're not making it. If you're trying to say it's not worth it to have skaters endorse shoes then I highly disagree. Nike wouldn't have a hold on the skate industry like this if it were not for their original team. So and So getting a check is what bought them legitimacy.

[fs180]

i don't need shoes by skateboards for gods sake. that's my whole point. why does everything I wear while riding a skateboard has to be skate related if they don't make the best product for skating nore do they support skating where im at?

the production isn't green the money isn't going to the places where I can see a growth of culture because of them so why would I care about some random skaters paycheck I never met and who would probably refuse to shake my hand?

its nothing but reminiscing over some old videos you guys have watched connecting product with the face of some handpicked dudes that most likely aren't even friends.

[Miller92]

i don't need shoes by skateboards for gods sake. that's my whole point. why does everything I wear while riding a skateboard has to be skate related if they don't make the best product for skating nore do they support skating where im at?

the production isn't green the money isn't going to the places where I can see a growth of culture because of them so why would I care about some random skaters paycheck I never met and who would probably refuse to shake my hand?

its nothing but reminiscing over some old videos you guys have watched connecting product with the face of some handpicked dudes that most likely aren't even friends.

no one says you HAVE to buy anything...

but your logic is fucking dumb.  if you cant discern the difference between where the profits of a company like Nike go and the profits of a Lakai or Sole Tech go, you literally don't understand what the argument is.

your "well what do I get out of it? I don't see how it supports ME!" logic is so fucking small brained. 

[Jean-Ralphio Zaperstein]

Here's a comparison for perspective sake.

You have a small-town mom-and-pop hardware store.  They give back to your community, they live in your community, you know where they came from, they're friendly, etc.

Do they still sell pretty much the same shit as Home Depot? Yes. Same brands? Yes. Same manufacturers? Yes. 

Then Home Depot moves to town and opens up down the road. 

Are you gonna keep supporting your mom-and-pop hardware store? The one that gives you personal recommendations on purchases? Helps you out when in need? Gives back to your community? Puts dollars in the local economy?

Or are you gonna say fuck em? And justify that home depot is cheaper/better/bigger?

If your answer is Home Depot, you are the problem.  Not Home Depot, not the mom and pop, it's you as a consumer who has the fucking IQ of a toddler. 

Support within.  Community matters.  Conviction matters.  This isn't that hard.

But the screwdrivers at home depot have a pretty sick swoosh on the side !!

[fs180]

Expand Quote

Here's a comparison for perspective sake.

You have a small-town mom-and-pop hardware store.  They give back to your community, they live in your community, you know where they came from, they're friendly, etc.

Do they still sell pretty much the same shit as Home Depot? Yes. Same brands? Yes. Same manufacturers? Yes. 

Then Home Depot moves to town and opens up down the road. 

Are you gonna keep supporting your mom-and-pop hardware store? The one that gives you personal recommendations on purchases? Helps you out when in need? Gives back to your community? Puts dollars in the local economy?

Or are you gonna say fuck em? And justify that home depot is cheaper/better/bigger?

If your answer is Home Depot, you are the problem.  Not Home Depot, not the mom and pop, it's you as a consumer who has the fucking IQ of a toddler. 

Support within.  Community matters.  Conviction matters.  This isn't that hard.

[close]

But the screwdrivers at home depot have a pretty sick swoosh on the side !!

the moms and pops one was crafted by the souls of skate masters and love of the holy grail of skate community how dare you NOT TO BUY OUR SHITTY CHINA PRODUCT SCREWDRIVER! WE GAVE IT BACK TO YOU WHEN WE MADE A VIDEO 10 YEARS AGO BE THANKFUL!!!!! HOW ARENT YOU AWARE I DID A NOLLIE KICKFLIP IN 2001 THATS WHY YOU DO IT TODAY!

[fs180]

there is the soul of Andrew Reynolds in every emerica shoe. you just have to pull on the right shoe lace and hold your ear into it. you can hear his voice saying "thank you cowboy! lets go for a ride!" just try it.

[Murge]

there is the soul of Andrew Reynolds in every emerica shoe. you just have to pull on the right shoe lace and hold your ear into it. you can hear his voice saying "thank you cowboy! lets go for a ride!" just try it.

This is the only cool thing you’ve said in this thread.

[Hefe43]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Here's a comparison for perspective sake.

You have a small-town mom-and-pop hardware store.  They give back to your community, they live in your community, you know where they came from, they're friendly, etc.

Do they still sell pretty much the same shit as Home Depot? Yes. Same brands? Yes. Same manufacturers? Yes. 

Then Home Depot moves to town and opens up down the road. 

Are you gonna keep supporting your mom-and-pop hardware store? The one that gives you personal recommendations on purchases? Helps you out when in need? Gives back to your community? Puts dollars in the local economy?

Or are you gonna say fuck em? And justify that home depot is cheaper/better/bigger?

If your answer is Home Depot, you are the problem.  Not Home Depot, not the mom and pop, it's you as a consumer who has the fucking IQ of a toddler. 

Support within.  Community matters.  Conviction matters.  This isn't that hard.

[close]

But the screwdrivers at home depot have a pretty sick swoosh on the side !!

[close]

the moms and pops one was crafted by the souls of skate masters and love of the holy grail of skate community how dare you NOT TO BUY OUR SHITTY CHINA PRODUCT SCREWDRIVER! WE GAVE IT BACK TO YOU WHEN WE MADE A VIDEO 10 YEARS AGO BE THANKFUL!!!!! HOW ARENT YOU AWARE I DID A NOLLIE KICKFLIP IN 2001 THATS WHY YOU DO IT TODAY!

baby wawa needs to get of the internet for a day or five

[Dwyck]

gqmom and pop/Home Depot metaphor is selling skater owned companies incredibly short. who cares about my personal relationship with some shoes. the common argument over the years is you support skater owned because they do more for skateboarding as a whole. Because they wont get caught out in 2021 cutting fucking Max Palmer from their skate program. Obviously a skater-owned company would not do that though they wouldn't even have the resources to put someone interesting on half the time. Because of big box shoe companies. THAT'S the argument. Not "service". The Blazer Mid still skates the same regardless of who the Nike CEO is.
Not that I agree that someone's shoe purchases make them stupid or whatever Miller (because that itself is baby-brained conscious consumer bullshit lol. Buy a Prius save the planet shit. Individual guilt abating that ultimately does nothing) Anyway I just don't think your approach is the common one. Especially considering I can go to shoes and gear and ask the NB guy about some shoes. Where's that for last resort or lakai?

[manysnakes]

Here's a comparison for perspective sake.

You have a small-town mom-and-pop hardware store.  They give back to your community, they live in your community, you know where they came from, they're friendly, etc.

Do they still sell pretty much the same shit as Home Depot? Yes. Same brands? Yes. Same manufacturers? Yes. 

Then Home Depot moves to town and opens up down the road. 

Are you gonna keep supporting your mom-and-pop hardware store? The one that gives you personal recommendations on purchases? Helps you out when in need? Gives back to your community? Puts dollars in the local economy?

Or are you gonna say fuck em? And justify that home depot is cheaper/better/bigger?

If your answer is Home Depot, you are the problem.  Not Home Depot, not the mom and pop, it's you as a consumer who has the fucking IQ of a toddler. 

Support within.  Community matters.  Conviction matters.  This isn't that hard.

The multi-national investment groups that owns all the non-Nike skate shoe companies thank you for this specious analogy.

[mushroom slice]

Michael Jordan wanted to be sponsored by adidas. They thought he was too short so he went to Nike instead. Blah blah blah everyone fucks up.

[Miller92]

Expand Quote

Here's a comparison for perspective sake.

You have a small-town mom-and-pop hardware store.  They give back to your community, they live in your community, you know where they came from, they're friendly, etc.

Do they still sell pretty much the same shit as Home Depot? Yes. Same brands? Yes. Same manufacturers? Yes. 

Then Home Depot moves to town and opens up down the road. 

Are you gonna keep supporting your mom-and-pop hardware store? The one that gives you personal recommendations on purchases? Helps you out when in need? Gives back to your community? Puts dollars in the local economy?

Or are you gonna say fuck em? And justify that home depot is cheaper/better/bigger?

If your answer is Home Depot, you are the problem.  Not Home Depot, not the mom and pop, it's you as a consumer who has the fucking IQ of a toddler. 

Support within.  Community matters.  Conviction matters.  This isn't that hard.

[close]

The multi-national investment groups that owns all the non-Nike skate shoe companies thank you for this specious analogy.

I'll still take "skater operated" over the now I guess non-existent "skater owned."

That counts for something, right?

[Paul Cicero]

Here's a comparison for perspective sake.

You have a small-town mom-and-pop hardware store.  They give back to your community, they live in your community, you know where they came from, they're friendly, etc.

Do they still sell pretty much the same shit as Home Depot? Yes. Same brands? Yes. Same manufacturers? Yes. 

Then Home Depot moves to town and opens up down the road. 

Are you gonna keep supporting your mom-and-pop hardware store? The one that gives you personal recommendations on purchases? Helps you out when in need? Gives back to your community? Puts dollars in the local economy?

Or are you gonna say fuck em? And justify that home depot is cheaper/better/bigger?

If your answer is Home Depot, you are the problem.  Not Home Depot, not the mom and pop, it's you as a consumer who has the fucking IQ of a toddler. 

Support within.  Community matters.  Conviction matters.  This isn't that hard.

Respect.

Support the brands and shops that care about our culture and not just our dollar.. it really isn’t hard.

[Jean-Ralphio Zaperstein]

Can someone explain to me why they think Nike is a good company to buy skate shoes from? Like, lay out an argument that's not based on "they're (all shoe companies) all bad (or the same)" or you're "you're clinging to the past." All I can really see is that the Nike logo holds some heavy micro-level social status flex, ie, wearing Nike is "cool" or fashionable. I'm not trying to be snarky, I just don't get it and would appreciate reading the take of y'all diehard Nike fans.

This is also my question @manysnakes you make some good points about how every shoe company sucks and we're all victim of the 'skater-owned' facade but... there's still a difference ? And also I skate reeboks so I don't know where my consumer profile fits but I like the debate

edit : I also recognize the excellent quality of nike sb shoes, mostly just tired of seeing the swoosh everywhere I look

[Paul Cicero]

Can someone explain to me why they think Nike is a good company to buy skate shoes from? Like, lay out an argument that's not based on "they're (all shoe companies) all bad (or the same)" or you're "you're clinging to the past." All I can really see is that the Nike logo holds some heavy micro-level social status flex, ie, wearing Nike is "cool" or fashionable. I'm not trying to be snarky, I just don't get it and would appreciate reading the take of y'all diehard Nike fans.

Agree 100%

Will all the people standing up for nike admit to the following:

1. You care deeply about materialistic things, such as wearing “cool” shoes.
2. As a flow on effect of this, you choosing to support sports brands over skate brands is the reason skaters have little choice anymore when it comes to shoes and skate apparel.
3. You are happy to live in a world where you continue to make a business group rich over giving your dollar to people who care about more than that.
4. You don’t care about skating enough to actually support the brands that care about it.

[manysnakes]

I think there is only one person in this thread who is tepidly defending Nike, and they have made their point clear again and again. As I read it; they like the shoes, they think money that Nike put into the sport has been good for skateboarding (and that Nike spent money locally which improved their access to skating), and that they think there isn't a marked difference between Nike and a company operated by an international investment firm who bought into skateboarding when a shoe company went into receivership.

I don't think that Nike is inherently extremely different than numerous other corporations that operate in skateboarding, aside from being significantly more successful. Does anyone really think that Lakai wouldn't trade places with Nike if they could? Vans? New Balance? When this line of reasoning breaks down, we can see people start claiming these companies are "skater-operated", which is as far as I can tell, no different than Nike hiring people from the skate world to run their SB division.

As for the differences, if there's a difference for you, that's enough. You don't have to buy Nike, no one is making you. We all have our individual, discrete buying preferences, and maybe we rationalize them or maybe we don't.

[Firebert]

Can someone explain to me why they think Nike is a good company to buy skate shoes from? Like, lay out an argument that's not based on "they're (all shoe companies) all bad (or the same)" or you're "you're clinging to the past." All I can really see is that the Nike logo holds some heavy micro-level social status flex, ie, wearing Nike is "cool" or fashionable. I'm not trying to be snarky, I just don't get it and would appreciate reading the take of y'all diehard Nike fans.

I wouldn't consider myself a fan of nike, but coming from someone who buys a lot of shit, I can tell you that the QC of nike surpasses those of companies like lakai and sole tech. One specific example: I tried to get some reynolds 3's when they re-released and bought 3 pair of black/white, 2 pair brown/white, 1 black/black, and only one pair out of the 6 had a right shoe that fit the same as the left shoe. Maybe its the style of the model chosen, or bad luck? No - still happened with the Figgy Dose. Now you might think as I did, maybe my right foot is swollen/injured/just bigger than my left? I know that my two feet aren't identical. That could be the case if this happened also with nike/adidas/vans, but no, never happened with the big name brands. I have close to 100 shoes saved over the last 2 decades and this has only happened recently 2019-2020 emericas (reynolds and figgys) and lakais (staples).

Those experiences alone could make someone stick to the bigger companies because some tend to value quality over personal morals (especially when the morals of those who own those small skater-owned companies seem to revolve around money just as much as the big guys in this capitalist society.)

That said, I haven't given up on Emerica, they'll always be my favorite, and I look forward to the new Wino G6 Slip Cups - even if I have to buy multiples again.

[fakiefs180]

Expand Quote

i don't need shoes by skateboards for gods sake. that's my whole point. why does everything I wear while riding a skateboard has to be skate related if they don't make the best product for skating nore do they support skating where im at?

the production isn't green the money isn't going to the places where I can see a growth of culture because of them so why would I care about some random skaters paycheck I never met and who would probably refuse to shake my hand?

its nothing but reminiscing over some old videos you guys have watched connecting product with the face of some handpicked dudes that most likely aren't even friends.

[close]

no one says you HAVE to buy anything...

but your logic is fucking dumb.  if you cant discern the difference between where the profits of a company like Nike go and the profits of a Lakai or Sole Tech go, you literally don't understand what the argument is.

your "well what do I get out of it? I don't see how it supports ME!" logic is so fucking small brained.

Nike flow deals in Germany also seem over now. Homie is pissed he has to buy shoes. ^^

[fs180]

Your gif fucking sucks it looks so german its insane

[RichardBarkley]

Expand Quote

Can someone explain to me why they think Nike is a good company to buy skate shoes from? Like, lay out an argument that's not based on "they're (all shoe companies) all bad (or the same)" or you're "you're clinging to the past." All I can really see is that the Nike logo holds some heavy micro-level social status flex, ie, wearing Nike is "cool" or fashionable. I'm not trying to be snarky, I just don't get it and would appreciate reading the take of y'all diehard Nike fans.

[close]

Agree 100%

Will all the people standing up for nike admit to the following:

1. You care deeply about materialistic things, such as wearing “cool” shoes.
2. As a flow on effect of this, you choosing to support sports brands over skate brands is the reason skaters have little choice anymore when it comes to shoes and skate apparel.
3. You are happy to live in a world where you continue to make a business group rich over giving your dollar to people who care about more than that.
4. You don’t care about skating enough to actually support the brands that care about it.

End thread

[figureitout]

Here's a comparison for perspective sake.

You have a small-town mom-and-pop hardware store.  They give back to your community, they live in your community, you know where they came from, they're friendly, etc.

Do they still sell pretty much the same shit as Home Depot? Yes. Same brands? Yes. Same manufacturers? Yes. 

Then Home Depot moves to town and opens up down the road. 

Are you gonna keep supporting your mom-and-pop hardware store? The one that gives you personal recommendations on purchases? Helps you out when in need? Gives back to your community? Puts dollars in the local economy?

Or are you gonna say fuck em? And justify that home depot is cheaper/better/bigger?

If your answer is Home Depot, you are the problem.  Not Home Depot, not the mom and pop, it's you as a consumer who has the fucking IQ of a toddler. 

Support within.  Community matters.  Conviction matters.  This isn't that hard.

Spot on, thank you kind sir.

[fakie nollie]

Gonna tell my kids Mike carrol and Rick Howard were mom and pop

[Billy Bitchcakes]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

a skate shoe. doesn't change the fact that no skater ever developed any part of a skate shoe ever in his live.
all ideas by nike and Adidas and some surfer at vans by doing shoes over 100 years so a son of a bitch from California could make millions by just using those informations and making his own shoe out of it. just so the consumer who doesn't know shit can point a finger at nike because they are the bad company because they don't even skate in office bro. bet they don't even smoke pot in there or shot gun a beer fucking lames.

[close]

How about DESIGN, ENDORSEMENT and in some cases MONEY.

Is that enough?

[close]

Yeah, that's a bullshit claim. Do they expect a skater to go to a Chinese factory and build them themselves? Sure, not every pro is going to design their own shoe these days but to say they're not involved whatsoever is BS

[close]

no I don't I expect them to not claim to be the holy gods in shoe business because the money they make isn't going straight into skateboarders pockets.

I know you love the idea that your shoe company looks like your local skate shop and the owner is like your skate shop owner and fights to make a living so you buy some goods from him and he's so thankful and brave and talk about how the years fly by and he's still there and you sit in front of the shop and its getting melancholy.
that's just stupid.
give me an example for a shoe technology made by a skater?

Sole Tech (started by a skater) built a skatepark purely for the skaters they followed to work on and test out the science of the skate shoes they made

[livin on a speyer]

Your gif fucking sucks it looks so german its insane

What do you have against Germany?

[SlapTM]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

a skate shoe. doesn't change the fact that no skater ever developed any part of a skate shoe ever in his live.
all ideas by nike and Adidas and some surfer at vans by doing shoes over 100 years so a son of a bitch from California could make millions by just using those informations and making his own shoe out of it. just so the consumer who doesn't know shit can point a finger at nike because they are the bad company because they don't even skate in office bro. bet they don't even smoke pot in there or shot gun a beer fucking lames.

[close]

How about DESIGN, ENDORSEMENT and in some cases MONEY.

Is that enough?

[close]

Yeah, that's a bullshit claim. Do they expect a skater to go to a Chinese factory and build them themselves? Sure, not every pro is going to design their own shoe these days but to say they're not involved whatsoever is BS

[close]

no I don't I expect them to not claim to be the holy gods in shoe business because the money they make isn't going straight into skateboarders pockets.

I know you love the idea that your shoe company looks like your local skate shop and the owner is like your skate shop owner and fights to make a living so you buy some goods from him and he's so thankful and brave and talk about how the years fly by and he's still there and you sit in front of the shop and its getting melancholy.
that's just stupid.
give me an example for a shoe technology made by a skater?

[close]

Sole Tech (started by a skater) built a skatepark purely for the skaters they followed to work on and test out the science of the skate shoes they made

And also donated a ton of money for the skatepark in Lake Forest to get built as well as the Buy A Shoe, Plant A Tree program, putting on events such as Game of Skates, Wild in the Streets, demos/signings to get skaters to the local shop, giving away thousands of pairs of shoes to the homeless and much more.

I may come off bias but my opinions are purely from 20+ years of being a skateboarder, not because of who I work for.

First things first, I don't really have an issue of the corporate brands being in skateboarding. They're huge companies and saw opportunities to get into sports that they weren't in and wanted to make as much money as humanly possible. I get it and who am I to say who can or can't be in skateboarding. I can say though that I've never bought a pair of SB's, Adidas, Cons or #NB. Growing up there weren't many corporate brands in skating like there are today so all I knew about were the "core" footwear brands. Basically I wore mostly Emerica and Es with some Circa's and Fallen in the mix. Even after Nike and the rest of the corporate brands got into skateboarding, I never had any interest in supporting those brands because it just felt wrong to me. I wanted to support the guys that started brands for the right reasons, not to make a quick buck. I can tell you Pierre Andre started the Sole Tech brands because there just weren't a ton of footwear options for skateboarders back then. As a kid to an adult, that always stood out to me and was proud to support the brands that were there for the right reasons and deserved to be. It's very unfortunate that brands like Circa, Adio, HUF, and even Osiris (when it was cool at one point) couldn't survive due to those big brands coming in and taking over.

In regards to this thread, Nike doesn't give a fuck about skateboarding and neither do the other big brands. I'm not saying that in a hateful way, it's "nothing but the truth". The second those skateboarding programs aren't profitable, they will pull out. SB already did it in snowboarding and is doing it now in skate to a degree. Cutting pros, flow riders, and even valuable employees is proof enough. Now add in all the core skate shops they're pulling out of to focus on their own Direct to Consumer business model. Getting into these shops years ago just to become legitimized to skaters only to bail on shops to make more money for themselves is a giant fuck you to skate shops especially after posting that "58 reasons to support skate shops" video on Skate Shop Day while at the same time sending letters to shops dropping their accounts. There's no doubt that Nike did a great job recruiting core skateboarders to run SB and to me, it's a major red flag when they decide to get rid of the guys who basically built the SB program and helped make it so successful. At this point, SB is out of the hands of skateboarders and run by people who have never stepped foot on a skateboard and never will. The truth is that SB doesn't need 50+ team riders or to flow every kid anymore. They could just have a few riders such as Ishod, GT, Nyjah, Prod and be totally fine. They've already stated they're moving away from athlete endorsements. I don't think SB will ever fully cut the skate program but could they downsize it or murge SB into just Nike? Yeah, probably.

I won't be that guy that says "support skater owned because it's right thing to do". Support whatever you feel like. I just hope people realize that they can either support brands who truly care about skateboarding or those that don't. The more support the little guys get, the more they're able to do whether it be to take care of more skateboarders, put out more projects, give back to local skate scenes, etc. Some people care about skater owned and operated while some don't and that's totally okay. I think there's enough room for all the brands core or not to be in skateboarding but I'd rather give my money to the guys who are still doing kickflips in their mid-50's than to some suit who has never once thought about picking up a board and pushing down the street.

[Colt Cannon's Cargos]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

a skate shoe. doesn't change the fact that no skater ever developed any part of a skate shoe ever in his live.
all ideas by nike and Adidas and some surfer at vans by doing shoes over 100 years so a son of a bitch from California could make millions by just using those informations and making his own shoe out of it. just so the consumer who doesn't know shit can point a finger at nike because they are the bad company because they don't even skate in office bro. bet they don't even smoke pot in there or shot gun a beer fucking lames.

[close]

How about DESIGN, ENDORSEMENT and in some cases MONEY.

Is that enough?

[close]

Yeah, that's a bullshit claim. Do they expect a skater to go to a Chinese factory and build them themselves? Sure, not every pro is going to design their own shoe these days but to say they're not involved whatsoever is BS

[close]

no I don't I expect them to not claim to be the holy gods in shoe business because the money they make isn't going straight into skateboarders pockets.

I know you love the idea that your shoe company looks like your local skate shop and the owner is like your skate shop owner and fights to make a living so you buy some goods from him and he's so thankful and brave and talk about how the years fly by and he's still there and you sit in front of the shop and its getting melancholy.
that's just stupid.
give me an example for a shoe technology made by a skater?

[close]

Sole Tech (started by a skater) built a skatepark purely for the skaters they followed to work on and test out the science of the skate shoes they made

[close]

And also donated a ton of money for the skatepark in Lake Forest to get built as well as the Buy A Shoe, Plant A Tree program, putting on events such as Game of Skates, Wild in the Streets, demos/signings to get skaters to the local shop, giving away thousands of pairs of shoes to the homeless and much more.

I may come off bias but my opinions are purely from 20+ years of being a skateboarder, not because of who I work for.

First things first, I don't really have an issue of the corporate brands being in skateboarding. They're huge companies and saw opportunities to get into sports that they weren't in and wanted to make as much money as humanly possible. I get it and who am I to say who can or can't be in skateboarding. I can say though that I've never bought a pair of SB's, Adidas, Cons or #NB. Growing up there weren't many corporate brands in skating like there are today so all I knew about were the "core" footwear brands. Basically I wore mostly Emerica and Es with some Circa's and Fallen in the mix. Even after Nike and the rest of the corporate brands got into skateboarding, I never had any interest in supporting those brands because it just felt wrong to me. I wanted to support the guys that started brands for the right reasons, not to make a quick buck. I can tell you Pierre Andre started the Sole Tech brands because there just weren't a ton of footwear options for skateboarders back then. As a kid to an adult, that always stood out to me and was proud to support the brands that were there for the right reasons and deserved to be. It's very unfortunate that brands like Circa, Adio, HUF, and even Osiris (when it was cool at one point) couldn't survive due to those big brands coming in and taking over.

In regards to this thread, Nike doesn't give a fuck about skateboarding and neither do the other big brands. I'm not saying that in a hateful way, it's "nothing but the truth". The second those skateboarding programs aren't profitable, they will pull out. SB already did it in snowboarding and is doing it now in skate to a degree. Cutting pros, flow riders, and even valuable employees is proof enough. Now add in all the core skate shops they're pulling out of to focus on their own Direct to Consumer business model. Getting into these shops years ago just to become legitimized to skaters only to bail on shops to make more money for themselves is a giant fuck you to skate shops especially after posting that "58 reasons to support skate shops" video on Skate Shop Day while at the same time sending letters to shops dropping their accounts. There's no doubt that Nike did a great job recruiting core skateboarders to run SB and to me, it's a major red flag when they decide to get rid of the guys who basically built the SB program and helped make it so successful. At this point, SB is out of the hands of skateboarders and run by people who have never stepped foot on a skateboard and never will. The truth is that SB doesn't need 50+ team riders or to flow every kid anymore. They could just have a few riders such as Ishod, GT, Nyjah, Prod and be totally fine. They've already stated they're moving away from athlete endorsements. I don't think SB will ever fully cut the skate program but could they downsize it or murge SB into just Nike? Yeah, probably.

I won't be that guy that says "support skater owned because it's right thing to do". Support whatever you feel like. I just hope people realize that they can either support brands who truly care about skateboarding or those that don't. The more support the little guys get, the more they're able to do whether it be to take care of more skateboarders, put out more projects, give back to local skate scenes, etc. Some people care about skater owned and operated while some don't and that's totally okay. I think there's enough room for all the brands core or not to be in skateboarding but I'd rather give my money to the guys who are still doing kickflips in their mid-50's than to some suit who has never once thought about picking up a board and pushing down the street.

tl;dr