Will Skateboarding Ever Be Truly Mainstream?

I was thinking on this point as Graystone Action Sports was hosting the European Finals of Vans Shop Riot this past October. Not only how big a competition it is, but how Vans (yes, the shoe people) can justify putting such a huge budget behind it when it will barely even enter into the consciousness (or social media feed) of 99.5% of the UK population.

But surely everyone knows about skateboarding now, right? It’s an Olympic sport. It’s being used to market every brand: from mobile phones, to high end fashion to the 2022 John Lewis’ Christmas ad, and we have Sky Brown, one of the best skaters in the world representing GB.

Surely that means everyone wants to do it, right? Wrong.

Although skateboarding is something which people like to imagine themselves doing, it is notoriously difficult to learn due to being so technical; and the learning process tends to come with regular, painful falls onto concrete or wood from varying heights (depending on how tall you are). Those who are able succeed are those who are able to get back up time and time again.

And, for us, this is why so many skate parks struggle. It’s the age-old mistake in business of assuming that just because it’s something which a founder loves, that everyone else will love it too. Not only that, but they will also be willing to pay money to do it. But in our opinion, this is short sighted and the market for a pure skateboard venue of scale to succeed is narrow.

For example, we recently learned about the possibility of a relatively famous semi-pro skater who was looking for a job as a skateboard coach. And although this seemed like it would buy the facility some kudos in the hardcore skating community, it wouldn’t necessarily be as much of a coup as originally thought.

In our opinion, the parents of a keen 5-year-old skater aren’t going to know or care who this semi-pro skater is. Their priorities and the success factors which are going to bring them back time and time again are that their child has fun in a clean, safe and professional environment. And maybe their child learns a thing or two as well, albeit this tends to be secondary.

So, if the semi-pro skater is going to stay in a job and get enough hours, they also need to be excellent with children, be able to talk comfortably with customers, make a coffee, clean a toilet and show up on time. Not the personality traits you would typically associate with a skateboarder (albeit we know of some wonderful exceptions to the rule).

So, is this the key? Skateboard is the hook, the marketing angle, but the actual product needs to be more widely targeted and the delivery needs a much wider appeal?

The peripheral parts of the ecosystem seem to have always worked (and sold) well - eg Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Vans (VF Corp), the cult-like following around Supreme Streetwear and the numerous collab projects between London skate brand Palace Skateboards and fashion giants such as Guccio Gucci S.p.A., Calvin Klein and Adidas Y3.

And skateboard is already guaranteed to remain in the Olympics until Los Angeles 2028 so anyone looking to establish a business in this world, and the wider world of action sports, can have a relatively long-term view. But what can you do to make it stick?

In a fascinating interview with Tony Hawk on the The Diary Of A CEO , Steven Bartlett probed as to why the founder of Birdhouse Skateboards, Tony Hawk Signature Series, the Skateboard Project and the Tony Hawk Foundation, who has an estimated net worth of $140m, has been so successful in skateboard as well as business.

SB: “Is skateboarding a metaphor for life?”

TH: “It can be, sure.

I think that there is value in not giving up, believing in yourself and working through your own challenges. I think that’s the biggest metaphor for me.

And what I also learned is the value of taking risks. I wasn’t afraid to take risks. As in skating, I’m not afraid to take risks in business.”

Although we consider this to be an important lesson and there will always be an element of risk to any action sports venture, we would recommend that any risk taking is moderated by a full market and financial appraisal.

And for now, we expect skateboarding will continue to occupy a space between the hardcore and the mainstream. As long as you can get that balance right, it’s there for the taking.