Of the first purpose-built skateparks, from the 1970s boom years of the sport’s second wave, very few remain. Preserving them is about more than sporting history.
The desire to transfer the thrills of surfing on to dry land created the monumental culture of skateboarding, now vividly documented in a new exhibition.
As the Winter Olympics are showing, the unique cultures of action sports seem to support long careers among the top athletes – something other sports and society in general could learn from.
Although it’s now an Olympic sport, at its core skateboarding is still a counter-cultural activity that represents creativity, community and personal expression.
The inclusion of new action sports can offend Olympic traditionalists and outsiders alike. But it’s part of a long-term strategy to keep the games relevant and appealing to younger fans.
Even as our world goes digital, there will always be an appetite for craftsmanship, for art and for the work only human hands can truly bring to life. Art and design schools should celebrate creators.
The first worldwide skateboarding conference, Pushing Boarders, showed how skateboarding is evolving to include people of all genders, ethnicities and sexualities.
Skateboarders are being driven from Melbourne’s Lincoln Square after community complaints. But skaters are citizens too, and with obesity on the rise, their activities should be encouraged.
The Japanese Olympic Committee recently announced five new sports for possible inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics: baseball/softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing.
Lecturer, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Research Director Annenberg Institute of Sports, Media and Society, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism