Is It What It Once Was or Is It Still?

Just caught wind of a great interview in The Guardian called "The Rise and Fall of Skateboard Chic" and it reminds of the same questions that I have about so called "Hip Hop" that came from nothing and became a major something with all types of sponsors throwing money it's way and how people that aren't from this element become rappers, DJ's etc. because it's the cool thing.

Here's an excerpt from a portion with Hufnagel of the Huf Brand.

With so much money in the sport, both Hufnagel and Oblow have seen a change in the kind of kids who are interested in skateboarding. "Skating in the beginning was so poor, it had nothing. It nearly died out. Then all of a sudden it came back and the guys were buying nice watches, then the next generation see that and think, 'I want to become a skateboarder so I can drive a Mercedes.' Now you're seeing parents involved and the whole soccer-mom thing. All of sudden these parents were saying, 'I want my kid to skateboard because he can make money.' It's horrible," Oblow says.

Hufnagel has worries about the future. "My concern is: are they [Nike and Adidas] always going to be there? What happens in a couple of years when skateboarding isn't cool any more and they just drop their programme? They've been in before, dropped it and then come back. Are they going to do it again? Those are the concerns."

Hufnagel remembers the days when skating wasn't so cool: "I grew up in New York and it was unacceptable to have a skateboard. I'd have to take the train up to Canarsie in Brooklyn and I'd put my board under the C train because we'd go through these areas where kids would steal your board and punk you out. In 1992, there were some brands but it was nothing like it is today."