According to recent statistics, there are over twelve million skateboarders worldwide and more than 80 percent of these skateboarders are under 18 years old.
It has touched the younger markets quite well and has a firm grip on them. Some of these skateboarders skate as a hobby or as a means of transportation, but very few of these skaters go on into the big leagues to become a professional skateboarder.
The industry of skateboarding is a big one. Armed with a huge market, skateboarding has become a multi-billion dollar industry. The mere fact that it is very popular with the young generations and getting into skateboarding is quite easy, there is a lot of money to be made from selling products, advertising and events organizing.
What does being a professional skateboarder exactly mean? Well, as in any other sport, going professional means using the sport as a means to earn money. If you get paid for your skateboarding abilities and skills, then you are a pro skateboarder.
Many of the great skateboarders such as Reese Forbes, Kareem Campbell and Ron Bertino began their careers from humble beginnings. The dynamics of commercialism really gives the much needed financial value to the sport that is skateboarding. But, how does one earn from skateboarding?
One popular way of earning from skateboarding, as many people would see it, is to join and win skateboarding tournaments. Yes, indeed, there is some money to be made from regularly joining these tournaments and these tournaments provide avenues for skateboarders to be recognized, but in reality, the real money in professional skateboarding does not lie in winning tournaments. The bulk of the money comes from deals arising from the endorsements of skateboarding products.
The journey of a professional skateboarder would start in the streets, where he would take endless attempts to do new tricks and perform new stunts. These tricks and stunts are to be displayed in tournaments which the different sponsors are carefully keeping an eye on. If a certain company sees a skateboarder with much talent and has a promising career, they would give him free stuff for him to use. This move is also advantageous for the company since the skateboarder will sort of “endorse” their products. When a skateboarder has become a crowd favorite and catches the attention of everyone, then talks are usually made for endorsement deals, and the money will come in.
Skateboarding shoes and other apparels are the real cash cows in the skateboarding industry and not the skateboards themselves. Actually, other shoe lines have suffered losses because of the rise in popularity of “urban” shoes which cater to the lifestyle of skateboarders.
If you really love the sport that is skateboarding, you’d probably dreaming of being a professional skateboarder someday. There’s no harm in dreaming such things since being a professional skateboarder can really bring in lots of benefits. Going pro can bring things like money and fame into the table, but at the end of the day, what really matters is that you enjoy what you are doing.
Editors note: At the end of the day, the pussy & money that goes with it probably won`t hurt … sure makes up for those busted knees!
