I'm always amazed by how some posters don't think X amount of money for a skateboarder is possible.
Let's just break it down from a brand perspective here (not the brand mentioned in the thread, but ANY big board company right now)
We're talking about niche global brands.
This brand in particular has 1.5 million Instagram followers. A few retail stores. Boards are available in shops from Tokyo to Toronto. On top of that, eCommerce is likely a huge amount of the brand's biz.
But board companies aren't just "board" companies. They sell a large number of soft goods. Clothing probably accounts for most of their profits (margin-wise). Mark up on soft goods (backpacks to baseball caps to beanies) is huge.
From this point on, it's pure speculation on my part.
But let's just imagine this brand is doing 10,000,000 USD in total revenue per year.
Most marketing-driven businesses spend (or reinvest) about 10-15% of their revenue into marketing.
Skateboarding is the definition of a marketing-driven biz. And the primary vehicle for skate marketing is the skaters themselves.
10% of 10,000,000 USD is 1,000,000 USD.
Let's say a team is made up of 8 to 15 skaters. A 100,000 USD salary isn't out of the question. If the team has 10 pro skaters and each skater is paid the same, they're each making that amount.
But skateboarding is a meritocracy. Each skater has a different worth depending on their skill and reach (marketability).
So board brand salaries above that aren't out of the question.
Throughout history on this message board, we've heard stories of pros making huge amounts off board and shoe royalties. Royalties are a factor too.
But this is just an overview of how a brand this size could spend its money on its biggest marketing tools (skaters themselves). And how those pieces of pies could be divided up.
Topic: Some Primitive pros make even 100k at year. (Read 12167 times)