Regardless of whether or not the Olympics does happen the skateboarding industry should have set parameters.
What I’m getting at is that if a larger organisation can curate a way of helping/guiding sponsored skateboarders then brands can adhere to those standards set by a proposed governing body i.e Skateboard England / GB. That’s whether it’s financially/physical/mental health.
It just so happens that these things could potentially happen because of the Olympics.
You sound like you have ulterior motives squints
People in the industry have let the olympics have a piece for profit and the skaters just want some fame. Simple! Not saying that there is anything wrong with that, just that we’re going to be seeing more people taking opportunities and liberties, many things others will be embarrassed about.
Just to be clear my original question was not olympics-related as I know nothing about how all of that functions. Was just asking more generally about how sponsored skaters and industry professionals collectively understand, protect and claim their rights as workers. Is there an existing resource for these kinds of issues to be discussed?
I just think that if you offer to throw your body and mind down a flight of stairs professionally on the daily you deserve more than product and a pat on the back.
Brands should give their riders more support, and if that means clearer guidance that all companies agree too than even better.
BUT this is all hypothetical.
Agree but progression is progression, you can take it where you want if you have the influence, you can take it anywhere and it will still be skateboarding.
Fully flared steered the trends to a more technical area where ageing pros can still exist, people can do that again and are doing that, in other ways. You don’t have to kill yourself to be great. The olympics won’t help this, that will just bring in paperwork and lawyers and suing each other. Brands can help riders more, yes, it’s the industry insiders that need to be making the changes, talking more with their riders, but then it becomes like a business relationship. In skating, I think you still need that less formal, mate thing for it to work. Skateboarding will never be a job, does not matter how you spin it. Anyone doing it for that reason isn’t a skateboarder, they just chose skateboarding to be pro at.
Not sure if that’s totally true. I’m sure a lot of people who get paid to ride a skateboard don’t see it as a job, especially younger pros. But realistically if skateboarding is giving you enough money to live on, to pay your mortgage, to feed your family, it’s a job. I’m sure Tom Knox (British one) thinks of skateboarding as his job.
It’s just a different approach
How many uk heads can make a living from it? You’d have to have a wage from shoes, clothes and energy drink sponsors to make a decent amount.
There aren’t enough comps about to make money from either.
In another note, and one relevant to this, Emerica posted a go fund me for one of their AMs who destroyed themselves, in order to help pay their medical bills.
This brings up a lot of issues, firstly, why does this industry have nothing in place to help someone in that situation, given that they are potentially ruining their life in return for some free shoes.
Secondly, how has the industry got to the point where someone’s own sponsor (potential employer) can’t help with their medical bills. Yes, there’s the wider issue of the American healthcare system.
Someone pointed out in the comments, it wouldn’t happen if he was on Nike. So, maybe if we all bought less Nike shoes, Emerica would have enough money to pay its riders…
I guess unless they’ve made moves in the USA (Knox, Shier, Blodney etc) or got a crossover sponsor (Palace boys), not many.
I’m sure there’s a few other guys make enough to pay rent and bills etc. But not stacking cash
I mean, it is a job as they get paid, make a living but it still is a hobby that you do when and where you feel, as much as you want. It’s not a job, it’s a really amazing spot to be in. Granted, you have to go that extra mile or ten to get things that you need to be in that position but that’s where the pay comes in.
Jeff Jones was actually rad. He just skated for Variflex (I imagine because he was on a cushy deal). Think an American Neil Danz, I guess. Rad skater just on a bunk company. That said, I do love Variflex but that’s unrelated to my appreciation of Jeff Jones. That’s more of a kitch / nostalgia thing. I’m not saying you’e wrong, just pointing out he was a rad skater.
Blodney good man.
Pacer?
I think these are pretty murky waters but essentially it’s just more cliquey - it’s my ball, you’re not playing - bullshit. An example: Skateboard Scotland has three (that I’m aware of) company owners on their board (one of whom doesn’t even skate or have any history within skateboarding), but there’s another company here in Glasgow who aren’t included (there are lots out with Glasgow). How can that be justified? Having company owners in positions like that is kind of what the fuck anyway. Obviously there’ll be other companies who they don’t have room for so what sort of figurative boy’s club is it where some companies will clearly be included and advertised at events / competitions and others wont? I have issues with all of this ‘our gang’ pish, always have as I’m sure you’re aware. One social circle thinking they’re it and excluding other folk they personally deem as beneath them. That’s basically what the industry has done since the start with European companies having been locked out until everyone started skating Barca and they couldn’t be ignored any longer. It’s all pish. Standards should be met, yes, but legit companies, at least locally, have terrible skaters on them too.
EDIT: Skateboard Scotland do a rad job and it must be a headache trying to keep everyone happy. I’m just pointing out how elitist the whole industry from the top all the way to a local level is and always has been, and used them as an example.
All a company has to do though is put out some rad advertising i.e. a skate video and they’ll be noticed. The public then have the vote after that whether the company is good/legit etc
Like any company, they need to advertise to get their brand known, that’s the job of the skaters. If they don’t do a video and don’t show their riders at their best then it’s their fault they don’t get seen by the wider public or industry.
It’s easier than ever to get your stuff out there, if your edit is good then people will see it, Insta will help riders blow up and thrasher or similar will put your video in front of thousands.
I appreciate that things might be a bit different now, like how you’ve described, but not entirely. There has always been a media side to the industry and finding representation in that isn’t, and never has been as simple as you suggest. Just picking another name out of nowhere as an example I can remember being perplexed by: Rodney Clark. And yeah, he certainly got there eventually but when he skated for Fat Planet it seemed like for years the only coverage he got were their paid adds and he was clearly really rad, whereas you’d see Dan Cates taking up space in practically every issue (no offence, Dan). I’m not trying to suggest there was anything malicious going on there but it definitely looked like Rodney wasn’t in the gang. The Skateboard Scotland thing i’ve mentioned, that other Glasgow company isn’t in the gang. The companies who are don’t all live up to your ideology. Look, I know that to some degree what you’ve said is how we like to imagine things are but I think you’re being naive if you can’t recognise there is and always has been a glass ceiling here. I agree that it’s very different now: Thrasher, in my opinion have had to make room for stuff like Tea and Biscuits which I don’t believe they’d have done before. European companies put out rad shit for a really long time and they weren’t recognised by ‘the real’ industry. Things are different now because of the internet, but that’s just moved the goal posts on how we separate ourselves from ‘undesirables’. Or something. My point is there is and always has been a them and us. there’s always been skaters who are rad and companies who are doing stuff that the industry has, for whatever reason, not acknowledged.
There might be some truth in it yeah, media controls skateboarding. But the UK has been lucky with the people who managed the media, I feel it was very inclusive, always had new people and there would be reasons why names would be more prevalent than others. Location, Distance, availability, access to local photographers etc etc. I don’t feel Rodney was under represented in a sense he was purposely left out, I feel that Dan was more in the mix and was always available whereas Rodney wasn’t. I don’t think that we need to be looking for anything sinister in it for the sake of it.
You have to remember that Scotland was a fucking big drive for people winging it with normal amounts of pay so England was way more accessible and was explored way more. Scotland had some of the best skaters ever in the UK and the ones that could be available were represented in the mags.
I can’t say anything about the US but I imagine it’s just different, they have an industry built in one area and that area has the monopoly and the gates are very much kept but if you put effort in, anyone from anywhere could make it. It’s down to the individual to put the work in, if you don’t you sit in your state growing bitter not realising it’s your own laziness that’s holding you back. Of course, that’s not entirely true, there must have been so many cases where people have been dismissed for many reasons. But it’s worth thinking of it in a realistic sense with many influential factors rather than jumping to sinister motives.
I was almost in complete agreement with you until you started talking about America.
Edit: Almost. Things aren’t and never have been that simple. I totally agree that in the UK the mags, by and large, had the best intensions. But not always, not by a longshot. I can think of one guy who went on to become editor of one of the mags who definitely didn’t want to include everyone but I won’t get personal. As for America, skaters get black listed. That whole industry is just a bunch of old white guys keeping it all to themselves. It’s bullshit.
The only person I could ever say was a dick and I don’t mind saying is Niall Neeson. His output on here was bitter and twisted and the Southbank stuff was unforgivable even though I’d struggle to remember why. At the times of the arguments I just remember thinking he was a fucking bell.
I don’t know anything about that, and I’m not questioning your opinion at all, but I do know from personal experience that people become embittered for a reason.
