Is Skateboarding Popular Culture
And it s not going away anytime soon.
Is skateboarding popular culture. Other examples of pop culture are. Any and all of these things could be the reason why skateboarding has remained so popular since it hit the scene in the 1960s. Skateboarding is popular all over the planet with pro level competitions raging year round all across the globe. Considered one of the so called extreme sports skateboarding as a professional sport boasts a range of competitions including vertical and street style events.
Tony hawk is a household name. Skateboarding culture originated as an extension of surfing culture and many tenants of surfing culture such as anti establishment views and freedom of expression carried over into skateboarding brooke 1999. Sports and character. In short people having fun is a universal language.
Unusual though it may seem skating s influence on pop culture appears to have little to do with skating itself. That is very different to what is happening today. And is a popular sport with a large following. So when every 10 years or so skateboarding becomes popular in mainstream culture they tend to get very cross indeed.
However part of this culture is to not merely replicate but to innovate. The culture copy cats like rollerbladers scooter kids and to a lesser extent bmx. From disney movies video games and million dollar skateparks. And they recoil at the slightest suggestion of commercial exploitation.
However popular culture can be a means of projecting social resistance and skateboarding is no exception despite originating under the boy scouts of america umbrella beal 1995. Skateboarding video games have also become very popular in skateboarding culture. Skateparks may conjure an image of a youth skating by doing dangerous tricks but as freelance writer jeff ihaza points out in his recently published new york times article skateboarders won aging gen xers grew up alongside skateboarding s ascent in popular culture from bart simpson plonking down onto the roof of the family car in the opening sequence of the simpsons to blockbuster video game franchises like tony hawk s pro skater. Emphasis is placed on finding new places and landing new tricks.
Skateboarding has gone mainstream. To outsiders skaters are thought of as rebels social deviants or simply different. Rather it is the attitude and lifestyle that appeals to the masses with people relating and aspiring to the idea of spending life doing what you love without apology. Skateboarding form of recreation and sport popular among youths in which a person rides standing balanced on a small board mounted on wheels.
Many skateboarders record and edit videos of themselves and friends skateboarding. In a recent survey in the u s skateboarding was found to be the third most popular sport with teenagers coming in just behind football and basketball.