2025 unpopular opinion thread

[Abyss1]

fully agree @BartHarleyJarvis, he was always a good skateboarder but i never thought he was "the best" in any way (other than at fluffing his own ego and reputation)

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P Rod is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe the NAC which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

Counterpoint - the rod dominated every contest for almost a decade. He's arguably the best street contest skater of all time. He's relevant in the way that Cab is in that way

[close]

counter-counterpoint: who cares about street skateboarding contests? the only reason we give those 80s vert contests weight because that's all there was, i don't see why anyone should truly care about contest results past 1990 or whenever the skate video became king

I don't use contest skating, (good or bad) i've always seen it as just another means to bring in commercial opportunities to skateboarding.

But Prod was also damn near in almost magazine I had picked up throughout the 2000s, and in a lot of the videos from that era too mainly skating street...tbh first time I saw Prod skate competitions was either SLS or Dew Tour.   

His Shoes was ironically the first shoe I got after Ipath folded.

[BartHarleyJarvis]

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P Rod is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe the NAC which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

Counterpoint - the rod dominated every contest for almost a decade. He's arguably the best street contest skater of all time. He's relevant in the way that Cab is in that way

Cab is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe having a fucked up neck and dating 19 year olds which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[urbneathme]

Feels relevant to say this - I don't like Paul Rodriguez or his skateboarding. I don't like street league or contests in general. I got into skating via Tony hawk and the x games being on ESPN (and in my city) helped get me into it. I'm just saying that kids (who are now adults) who were maybe introduced to p-rod on television may see him differently.

That being said I also don't think he's top whatever

[neonbrown]

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P Rod is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe the NAC which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

Counterpoint - the rod dominated every contest for almost a decade. He's arguably the best street contest skater of all time. He's relevant in the way that Cab is in that way

[close]

Cab is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe having a fucked up neck and dating 19 year olds which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

I call it a fakie backside 360 or fakie backside flip just to normalize taking him out of the conversation

👏 Normalize 👏 taking 👏 Cab 👏 out 👏 of 👏 the 👏 conversation

[pizzafliptofakie]

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P Rod is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe the NAC which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

Counterpoint - the rod dominated every contest for almost a decade. He's arguably the best street contest skater of all time. He's relevant in the way that Cab is in that way

[close]

Cab is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe having a fucked up neck and dating 19 year olds which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

I call it a fakie backside 360 or fakie backside flip just to normalize taking him out of the conversation

[close]

👏 Normalize 👏 taking 👏 Cab 👏 out 👏 of 👏 the 👏 conversation

[vinithebr]

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P Rod is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe the NAC which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

Counterpoint - the rod dominated every contest for almost a decade. He's arguably the best street contest skater of all time. He's relevant in the way that Cab is in that way

[close]

Cab is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe having a fucked up neck and dating 19 year olds which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

I call it a fakie backside 360 or fakie backside flip just to normalize taking him out of the conversation

[close]

👏 Normalize 👏 taking 👏 Cab 👏 out 👏 of 👏 the 👏 conversation

I need to stop calling 360s anti cabs then

[GnarAlarm]

Is consistency a part of the equation when discussing greatest skaters?
I get it, fuck contests, I know, but they're about the only way you can gauge a skaters consistency from the outside looking in. Especially a contest like Tampa where it's not just the same 5 people doing the same 5 tricks over and over.

[Abyss1]

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P Rod is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe the NAC which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

Counterpoint - the rod dominated every contest for almost a decade. He's arguably the best street contest skater of all time. He's relevant in the way that Cab is in that way

[close]

Cab is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe having a fucked up neck and dating 19 year olds which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

I call it a fakie backside 360 or fakie backside flip just to normalize taking him out of the conversation

[close]

👏 Normalize 👏 taking 👏 Cab 👏 out 👏 of 👏 the 👏 conversation

[close]

In San Jose and was lucky enough to see him skate street ~99 and all the mexican kids in my hood idolized him and his punk band, It wasn't till later when I heard about the shit with his ex-wife that I realized he was kinda shitty person

[elisunday]

taking credit for rotating from fakie is the greatest trick that Steve Caballero ever pulled

[Free Whirl]

lol if Cab is known for anything today, it's for dating people half his age

[Buttworm]

41 the new 21

[GnarAlarm]

41 the new 21

Nice so does that mean 44 is the new 24 or am I just fucked?

[SatanicPanic]

Did Prod skate as slow when he was young as he did in his last few years in SLS? That was painful to watch.

If we’re talking kind of vanilla street skaters I like Malto better than PRod. Prod is and was boring.

[Unkle Fleak]

I never thought much of Paul’s skating. His best stuff was inspired by Guy. I always thought he was going to slow.

[DeanMaple]

I just wanna see more fs noseslides down big rail and on transitions

[Steely Daniel]

I just wanna see more fs noseslides down big rail and on transitions

Did we just become best friends?

[Plan9Customs]

lol if Cab is known for anything today, it's for dating people half his age

I vote that this is what a half cab is now. Same age, full cab.
Call the tricks fakie 180/fakie 360.

[Underpressureflips]

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P Rod is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe the NAC which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

Counterpoint - the rod dominated every contest for almost a decade. He's arguably the best street contest skater of all time. He's relevant in the way that Cab is in that way

lol fuck no.

[DeanMaple]

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I just wanna see more fs noseslides down big rail and on transitions

[close]

Did we just become best friends?

I would give you a very masculine hug for sure

[Steely Daniel]

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I just wanna see more fs noseslides down big rail and on transitions

[close]

Did we just become best friends?

[close]

I would give you a very masculine hug for sure

I made a thread about front noses on transition... And lately I was imagining an alternate universe where Foy front nosed el toro instead. 

I still like Paul Machnau's rdsfsu2002 ender. I know I know...

Apart from him and Lizard King Hollywood 16 what are some other big rail fs noses? Most of the burliest ones are on hubbas naturally.

[moonordie]

So what's the consensus on "How old is old in skateboarding?"
My také would be: The moment your lower back started to mess with you bad enough to be affecting your daily life.

[botefdunn]

So what's the consensus on "How old is old in skateboarding?"
My také would be: The moment your lower back started to mess with you bad enough to be affecting your daily life.

I'm not referring to your question when I say this: old to me is when people start bringing up their age all the time, something I find very annoying. If you skate you're just a skater, if you talk about being old all the time, you're old.

[Southernmost]

Ok maybe not in the goat conversation for most but you can’t say Prods not a good skater. Switch 360 flip Santa Monica triple is timeless. In Bloom and Yeah Right parts were great at the time. Still skating at a fairly high level for being 40 years old.

[BALARGUE]

the fetishization of old age in skateboarding is why the industry is dying, shit is turning into cricket

the young generation is not interested
It makes sense for brands to focus more on older skateboarders with income
But it could be a vicious circle

The marketing team at Bones / Powell push it way too far with all those wheels variations though...
Useless stuff in an oversaturated market.

Ok maybe not in the goat conversation for most but you can’t say Prods not a good skater. Switch 360 flip Santa Monica triple is timeless. In Bloom and Yeah Right parts were great at the time. Still skating at a fairly high level for being 40 years old.

yes
Mastering switch at such a young age is still remarkable
he's a dork but we can't deny he was a goat when he was younger. Not so much later in his career, milking it.

[vinithebr]

Is consistency a part of the equation when discussing greatest skaters?

Wouldn't all skaters worth mentioning be consistent enough?
The less consistent guy just has to break an extra bone to get the footy he wants

Which reminds me, while good for the skater, raw parts full of first tries are weirdly disappointing

[DeanMaple]

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I just wanna see more fs noseslides down big rail and on transitions

[close]

Did we just become best friends?

[close]

I would give you a very masculine hug for sure

[close]

I made a thread about front noses on transition... And lately I was imagining an alternate universe where Foy front nosed el toro instead. 

I still like Paul Machnau's rdsfsu2002 ender. I know I know...

Apart from him and Lizard King Hollywood 16 what are some other big rail fs noses? Most of the burliest ones are on hubbas naturally.

The lizard one is the one for me. So rad.

[Groondor the Orc]

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I just wanna see more fs noseslides down big rail and on transitions

[close]

Did we just become best friends?

[close]

I would give you a very masculine hug for sure

[close]

I made a thread about front noses on transition... And lately I was imagining an alternate universe where Foy front nosed el toro instead. 

I still like Paul Machnau's rdsfsu2002 ender. I know I know...

Apart from him and Lizard King Hollywood 16 what are some other big rail fs noses? Most of the burliest ones are on hubbas naturally.

Alf

[Steely Daniel]

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I just wanna see more fs noseslides down big rail and on transitions

[close]

Did we just become best friends?

[close]

I would give you a very masculine hug for sure

[close]

I made a thread about front noses on transition... And lately I was imagining an alternate universe where Foy front nosed el toro instead. 

I still like Paul Machnau's rdsfsu2002 ender. I know I know...

Apart from him and Lizard King Hollywood 16 what are some other big rail fs noses? Most of the burliest ones are on hubbas naturally.

[close]

Alf

Oh that's a good one too. The all white outfit cover photo right?

[ToySanta]

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P Rod is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe the NAC which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

Counterpoint - the rod dominated every contest for almost a decade. He's arguably the best street contest skater of all time. He's relevant in the way that Cab is in that way

[close]

Cab is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe having a fucked up neck and dating 19 year olds which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

If Cab didn’t have the shoe that other skaters made successful, would he be anymore famous than, say, Eddie Elguera or Monty Nolder or something? Even McGill’s name doesn’t come up too often, but at least he has a skateshop he runs.

Also, kudos on the P Rod opinion. There was a time on Slap he was only ever an untouchable saint. I once said he skated too slowly and everyone acted like I spit in their mothers face and insulted her cooking.

[back smith]

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P Rod is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe the NAC which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

Counterpoint - the rod dominated every contest for almost a decade. He's arguably the best street contest skater of all time. He's relevant in the way that Cab is in that way

[close]

Cab is not elite, he is not in the GOAT conversation, his reputation has way overrun his actual output. He was just a kid who was good who did just enough to stay relevant. He has no signature clips/tricks (aside from maybe having a fucked up neck and dating 19 year olds which is more of a bit than anything).

He should really be discussed as “remember that guy? He was pretty good” instead of acting like he’s some elder statesman that changed skateboarding.

[close]

If Cab didn’t have the shoe that other skaters made successful, would he be anymore famous than, say, Eddie Elguera or Monty Nolder or something? Even McGill’s name doesn’t come up too often, but at least he has a skateshop he runs.

Also, kudos on the P Rod opinion. There was a time on Slap he was only ever an untouchable saint. I once said he skated too slowly and everyone acted like I spit in their mothers face and insulted her cooking.

Cab's still an OG Bones Brigadier. McGill is a good comparison.