Is skateboarding dying?

[svenfuck cowboy]

I hope it dies so I don’t have to go to the park and see FA cosplayers with pants up to their ankles and beanies covering their eyes doing bad back 3’s and no complying everything

pants up to their ankles

[Watson]

I actually think it's so stupid when people say they want skateboarding to "die" again because then it will be cool again. It's still fucking cool. If you think skateboarding isn't as cool, you're watching the wrong people and the wrong stuff.

Sure we have the Jagger Eatons and all the instagram kooks, but there's always been kooks. Milk ads and Army ads in Transworld, Bucky Lasek riding for Campbells Soup, fucking Swatch and Pepsi tours in the 80s.

Skateboarding is different now because it's been around for over 50 years. Skateboarding losing popularity won't take us back to 1995 because it's not fucking 1995 anymore.

Personally I want skateshops to flourish, cities to support skateboarding more, and pros who are actually cool to be able to make money. Nyjah Huston does not diminish my personal enjoyment of the act of skateboarding or watching good skateboarding. If you actually can't enjoy skateboarding because it's more popular, well shit man, the industry dying ain't gonna do it for you either.

[sizzle_chest]

Skateboarding has been dying for well over a decade. The pandemic is like that moment of clarity that some experience right before they die.

The number of searchers for "skateboarding" sucks compared to 2004.

Coincidence?

[realbasedgod112]

while i missed out on the era of 'true' delinquent skateboarding, i do feel almost wistful on these days.
many SLAP users' idea of skateboarding (i.e. street skating) is certainly dying out, with most kids only sticking to parks.
in my view: skateboarding as a sport is living stronger than it ever has, but skateboarding as a culture is well on the decline.

[Yonnycage]

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I hope it dies so I don’t have to go to the park and see FA cosplayers with pants up to their ankles and beanies covering their eyes doing bad back 3’s and no complying everything

[close]

pants up to their ankles

Yeah I said that lol

[NorthShore]

It's also winter right now in many parts of the world, so that's why peeps are filming and releasing less video parts.

Overall, the early 2000s were the peak. Then longboarding created a big influx of casuals.

Real skateboarding where people learn tricks and take slams has always been too difficult for the mainstream. But with all the great parks these days we may be looking better.

What I wonder about is the size of the BMX market? BMXers are ripping more than ever but how many are there? Does anyone know?

[IpathCats]

I've been stressing over whether or not i should skate or die for like 20 years, this would certainly make things easier for me.

[DESTROYER OF SENSES]

it aint dead yet...cant wait for the bottom to fall out and we can clean the slate....again.

[Brguy]

I actually think it's so stupid when people say they want skateboarding to "die" again because then it will be cool again. It's still fucking cool. If you think skateboarding isn't as cool, you're watching the wrong people and the wrong stuff.

Sure we have the Jagger Eatons and all the instagram kooks, but there's always been kooks. Milk ads and Army ads in Transworld, Bucky Lasek riding for Campbells Soup, fucking Swatch and Pepsi tours in the 80s.

Skateboarding is different now because it's been around for over 50 years. Skateboarding losing popularity won't take us back to 1995 because it's not fucking 1995 anymore.

Personally I want skateshops to flourish, cities to support skateboarding more, and pros who are actually cool to be able to make money. Nyjah Huston does not diminish my personal enjoyment of the act of skateboarding or watching good skateboarding. If you actually can't enjoy skateboarding because it's more popular, well shit man, the industry dying ain't gonna do it for you either.

I think they feel the nostalgic sense of community will return if skateboarding dies, to which I say they just need to get out more. Skateboarding got big as hell but you'll still know everyone in the area if you hang out and they will separate into tiny crews just like they always did. To be fair a lot of guys here are past the age of being in the skate scene simply because they're past the age of partying and being a bum all the time.

And speaking of video parts, there are more independent video parts being released today than ever, the only thing that feels like it's dying is the hero worship because you can't possibly remember the names of all skaters from all little groups of people around the world releasing stuff.

[Mike Oxwelling]

[wil540]

I actually think it's so stupid when people say they want skateboarding to "die" again because then it will be cool again. It's still fucking cool. If you think skateboarding isn't as cool, you're watching the wrong people and the wrong stuff.

Sure we have the Jagger Eatons and all the instagram kooks, but there's always been kooks. Milk ads and Army ads in Transworld, Bucky Lasek riding for Campbells Soup, fucking Swatch and Pepsi tours in the 80s.

Skateboarding is different now because it's been around for over 50 years. Skateboarding losing popularity won't take us back to 1995 because it's not fucking 1995 anymore.

Personally I want skateshops to flourish, cities to support skateboarding more, and pros who are actually cool to be able to make money. Nyjah Huston does not diminish my personal enjoyment of the act of skateboarding or watching good skateboarding. If you actually can't enjoy skateboarding because it's more popular, well shit man, the industry dying ain't gonna do it for you either.

Well sad. Support the parts of skateboarding you like by "voting with your dollar/time" i.e. buying the brands/skaters you like, watching the videos of skaters you like, talking about videos you like.

[svenfuck cowboy]

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I hope it dies so I don’t have to go to the park and see FA cosplayers with pants up to their ankles and beanies covering their eyes doing bad back 3’s and no complying everything

[close]

pants up to their ankles

[close]

Yeah I said that lol

i am so incredibly curious as to where your pants end
please post pant pics

[funeral_tuxedo]

These kids today with their tee shirts down to their elbows…

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

When people pull up to the skatepark and say….’why is the park so busy?’  The first thing out of my mouth is…. ‘You…..that’s why’.

The same applies here….

[Ray C. Usery]

[IUTSM]

I mean there's always gonna be aspects that are more cultural than say Olympics skateboarding, and then within that even more subcultural and then within that even more pure but that's the fucking minority and I'm getting older and greyer and skating more and old ladies walking their little dogs smile at me and strike up a conversation while I'm sitting on the curb, tattooed as fuck with no shirt on, listening to a transistor radio and drinking fruit juice while high school kids are skating around me wearing headphones and not talking to each other and dudes in full pads are trying long boardslides with railed pool boards throwing shakas and dudes in polo shirts and salmon colored shorts are playing a game of skate on penny boards ignoring people saying what's up. So, I'm out of touch and kind of dress the same way I have for the past 20 years and nothing I say about skateboarding has any meaning or value, because it's always been a thing for the kids and I'm pretty far the fuck away from being a kid. So all I can do is keep a stack of used boards in the whip and give them like golden tickets to the kids whose razor tail says their parents don't buy boards. It's not the east coast anymore and it's not very gritty anymore, if it was, I'd probably be dead and skateboarding can't happen when you're dead.

[drcroc]

Depends on when you consider the last "boom" to be in skateboarding.

Prob Revive and YouTube skaters... and seems like that wave may have dissipated due to market saturation. Add in the Olympics, corporate shoe sponsors and the algorithmic-induced sludge of micro-edits and you're looking at a bubble pop.

There will be some new genre-bending video that'll come out. I have hope for skateboarding. I don't think corporations have a total iron grip on it yet. When it becomes pretty much impossible to get noticed as an indie then we have a problem. Could be sooner than you'd think with how good everyone is these days... Wasn't always the case.

[Sila]

I'm just thankful the fresh or hesh days are gone. All styles and approaches are welcome. It's a great time for skateboarding honestly.

[BobbyPshew]

Watson is, as usual, spot on.
Skating in the early '90's was harsh, man! People calling you all sorts of names, spitting at and on you, getting boards stolen, getting into fist fights, people looking and treating you like dirt.no thanks.

[livin on a speyer]

I hope so.

[Watson]

When people pull up to the skatepark and say….’why is the park so busy?’  The first thing out of my mouth is…. ‘You…..that’s why’.

The same applies here….

Yeah exactly. Complaining about the park being full of kooks is like complaining about Wal-Mart being full of shitty people.

Skating in the early '90's was harsh, man! People calling you all sorts of names, spitting at and on you, getting boards stolen, getting into fist fights, people looking and treating you like dirt.no thanks.

I started skating in 94 and I tell people this all the time. I used to make joking comments clowning this dude for wearing Old Skools and a Thrasher shirt and blasting off the launch ramp at the indoor. And I knew him and he was older than me! Should have just shown the man respect. There was undoubtedly a certain coolness and authenticity in the 90s that we can never get back, but there was also so much fucking bullshit and hating and politics.

Basically:

I'm just thankful the fresh or hesh days are gone. All styles and approaches are welcome. It's a great time for skateboarding honestly.

[Yonnycage]

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Expand Quote

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I hope it dies so I don’t have to go to the park and see FA cosplayers with pants up to their ankles and beanies covering their eyes doing bad back 3’s and no complying everything

[close]

pants up to their ankles

[close]

Yeah I said that lol

[close]

i am so incredibly curious as to where your pants end
please post pant pics

At my knees dumbass just like everyone else

[Sleazy]

Expand Quote

When people pull up to the skatepark and say….’why is the park so busy?’  The first thing out of my mouth is…. ‘You…..that’s why’.

The same applies here….

[close]

Yeah exactly. Complaining about the park being full of kooks is like complaining about Wal-Mart being full of shitty people.

Expand Quote

Skating in the early '90's was harsh, man! People calling you all sorts of names, spitting at and on you, getting boards stolen, getting into fist fights, people looking and treating you like dirt.no thanks.

[close]

I started skating in 94 and I tell people this all the time. I used to make joking comments clowning this dude for wearing Old Skools and a Thrasher shirt and blasting off the launch ramp at the indoor. And I knew him and he was older than me! Should have just shown the man respect. There was undoubtedly a certain coolness and authenticity in the 90s that we can never get back, but there was also so much fucking bullshit and hating and politics.

Basically:

Expand Quote

I'm just thankful the fresh or hesh days are gone. All styles and approaches are welcome. It's a great time for skateboarding honestly.

[close]

92-94 was a shit era to me. no parks, shitty attitudes, everyone trying trying to be little gangsters like they saw in kids and as you pointed out no respect for the guys who had been doing it longer. i was 19 in 92 and lost interest and was done by 94 and quit skating till about 2000. i don't really feel i missed out, focused on college, had a great time exploring other hobbies and partying. there wasn't really any good scenes were i was living at the time. not everywhere was philly and emb.

i enjoyed the birth of street skating more with natas, gonz, hensley when the videos were approachable and the vibes were pretty positive. seemed like in those days you could roll up to any crew and instantly be best friends but maybe it's just generational and i was at the right age but i remember we always respected the older guys.

[tkp]

it's kinda crazy to see how far skateboarding has come, how far it hasn't, and how much farther it has to go.

the tricks are always getting gnarlier. some of these rails people are balancing on are insanely next level on what i thought would ever be possible. remember those thrasher magazine "where's the muska?" photos with the mega kinked handrails. those used to make me laugh, now people are just like "i'll flip into this".

people used to fucking hate skateboarding, like with a passion. i got stopped by cops so many times for just pushing down a street, or just sitting on a curb and having a skateboard. tickets and court dates for rolling on a college campus or in a public city park... that shit sucked.

in north carolina in the 90s, after laying down my first sheets of wax on a 6 inch tall curb, some random mud covered truck drove by and threw glass bottles at my friend and i and yelled "skater fags!"

the less people who give me shit for skateboarding, the more enjoyable my day is.

[commie]

I'm seeing a lot of people you wouldn't normally see skating, like families where mom, dad and kids are all learning how to skate while wearing full protective gear.

[Easy Slider]

I started in 91 and we had no parks and people gave us shit even for skating a schoolyard („why don‘t you skate in the woods?“). We had altercations with janitors but also beef with locals from other cities when we went there to skate or when they came to the short lived super slippery indoor park that was open for one season in our town. We had to drive an hour (that‘s a lot in Switzerland) to the skateshop. People looked down on us for wearing those super baggy pants (in hindsight I can understand that we looked funny).

So I kind of agree that it was tough to skate  in the early 90s before everybody started to emulate the skate style rocking Airwalk Ones and mildly baggy trousers. But it was the best time for me. I sucked at team sports but skating was different. There were no rules (just a few cool guy codes) and it felt rebellious too. It was an adventure to go out with the homies, you never knew what would happen or where you‘d end up. The world was a playground and punkrock and hardcore was the soundtrack (later hip hop). It was our world with our fashion that set us apart from the jocks.

When you saw another skater you immediately recognized them because of the shoes and clothes and they would recognize you, probably acknowledge it like truckers or bikers acknowledge each other. It was a community.

Do I want it to be like that again? Not necessarily. For me it still is like it used to be. I don‘t go to skateparks, skate schools and streets. People might give me shit or mock me („do a kickflip“) but less because I am older. The world is still my playground and when I see other dudes ripping I am stoked but I wouldn‘t mind if there were less skaters. I am more than happy to have a spot for myself.

Tl;dr: The 90s were dope but I also like skating today. It doesn’t matter to me if skateboarding is in or dead.

[FUBAR]

I’m thinking more about when I can go skate again than the state of skateboarding. I’ll worry when I have to start making my own decks because everyone is out of business.

[layzieyez]

If skateboarding is dead, good.

If skateboarding isn't dead, good.

If skateboarding is skateboarding, good.

[radcunt]

It’s a board with wheels. It’ll be fine

[The Ghost of Lenny Kirk]

Skateboarding is better than ever and not go away but Pro skateboarding seems like it’s pretty much dead. It doesn’t seem possible to make a living off of it unless you’re one of a handful of pros. Not that that’s much different than the past but in the late 00s it seemed like anyone could get paid to skate and that is for sure not coming back.