Tech Deck has been bringing us authentic mini skateboards featuring real graphics from the world’s biggest skate brands for 25 years. So when you’re not dropping in on a halfpipe you can carve, flip and grind your way to fingerboarding greatness. Or shred the gift-giving game with these must-have replicas.
From nose to tail, Tech Deck’s fingerboards are designed to replicate the feel of a real skateboard–down to the smallest detail. Collect them all, including decks from Blind, Baker, Primitive, Finesse, Element, Santa Cruz, Plan B, and Toy Machine, plus replicas of boards used by top pros like Mariah Duran, Nyjah Huston, Torey Pudwill and Daewon Song. Follow the jump for all the details!
Honestly, we haven’t been paying much attention to the action sports media space lately, because there really aren’t any action sports media in the space (yeah, props to Thrasher, always). But, someone sent us a link to Emerald’s Shopping Blog and a story about A360 selling the old TransWorld Media and Surfer Publications titles (along with Men’s Journal) to The Arena Group, the current owners of Sports Illustrated, The Street, and Parade for close to $29 million dollars. The purchase includes the brands Skateboarding, Skateboarder, Snowboarder, Surfer, Powder, and Bike.
“For years, consumers have trusted Men’s Journal for exclusive lifestyle content and guidance on travel, gear, the outdoors, style, food & drink and more,” said Ross Levinsohn, chairman and CEO of The Arena Group. “Additionally, the titles within the Adventure Network have long stood for excellence with passionate enthusiasts within the Ski, Surf, Biking and Skateboarding communities. There are natural synergies between these brands and our existing audiences we can leverage and enhance through integration, distribution and our playbook, driving incremental value, growth and profitability. This strategic investment underscores our commitment to diversifying and devoting resources to opportunities where we see the most value across The Arena Group.”
As we all know, online media sites aren’t exactly killing it these days, but apparently The Arena Group (Where The Action Is™) knows some secret to getting paid. But as one industry insider told us, “Honestly, this seems like more bad media consolidation. Just stacking lots of money-losing things together rarely results in making money. They seem like they’re just building towards an acquisition by Hatchette or Condé Nast or someone bigger.” It doesn’t look like this insider is alone. Arena’s stock dropped 11 percent on today’s news. (Or was it that half percent rate hike.) You be the judge. For the official word from The Arena Group please follow the jump.
According to a recently published scholarly article by Brian Glenney and Paul O’Conner skateboarding continues to be “discordant.” In other words, skateboarding continues to be disagreeable and incongruous to the mainstream regardless of how you may feel about its diluted post pop cultural blowout. At least that’s what the authors have decided based on studying skaters in New Zealand. Here’s a little slice from the abstract.
We expand upon skateboarding’s relationship with time using the Marxist theorist Henri Lefebvre’s temporal science of Rhythmanalysis. With the disruption of urban social production of capital by the Covid-19 pandemic, we find skateboarding renewed in urban disjuncture from Capitalism and argue that this separation is central to its performance and culture. We propose that skateboarding is arrhythmic: discordant, out of step, and disruptive of the more predictable rhythms of everyday production of capital.
Good to know. If you find yourself engaged with this kind of super discussion of skateboarding philosophy the please, by all means, click the link to read the entire article.
After decades of spending money on their action sporting franchise, ESPN has finally found an exit to the X Games by selling “a majority interest” in the brand to a private equity firm called MSP Sports Capital (owners of McLaren Racing and more.)
“We are bringing our deep-rooted sports expertise to continue the progression and excitement around athletes, competition, fans, and X Games partners,” said Jahm Najafi, Founder and Chairman, MSP Sports Capital, and Founder and CEO, The Najafi Companies.
MSP founder Jahm Najafi, a billionaire who (aside from owning a large piece of the Phoenix Suns basketball team and entertainment company STX Entertainment,) also has investment dealings through Najafi Companies with Shaun Neff. Remember his first brand Neff Headwear?
We’ve never understood the calculus behind PE/VCs interest in action sports. Rarely have the numbers worked for anyone (Jamie Salter is an obvious exception), yet the “sexiness” of boardsports seems to keep the money managers flocking like vultures. They’ve enlisted Tony Hawk as “a brand steward,” and that’s not a bad first move. But the only real synergy the X Games brand ever had was ESPN’s somewhat aging TV/Internet distribution system, so it will be interesting to see what MSP does with the brand outside of that. Najafi is obviously a business genius, so this should be good.
For the official word from MSP, please follow the jump.
Lenders have been given the legal go-ahead to sue Quiksilver and Billabong’s parent company Boardriders after the lenders accused the company of “unfairly” benefitting from a rescue financing deal back in 2020, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.
A New York judge said Tuesday (October 18, 2022) that loan funds managed by Intermediate Capital Group PLC and other investment firms can move ahead with claims against Boardriders Inc. and another group of lenders over a 2020 debt transaction that provided $110 million in capital to the company.
The lenders seem to be bothered because they believe Boardriders got a better piece of the $110 million than they should have. Apparently, they posit that more of said money should have gone to paying them back. We’d read the rest of the story, but we don’t have access to WSJ Pro. If you do, let us know what it all means.
Gregory “Scott” Starr, the Santa Barbara, California based skate, surf, snow photographer and boardsports historian died October 9, 2022 one day following his 61st birthday, according to a story in the Santa Barbara Independent. Most will remember him from his years shooting for Thrasher Magazine during the 1980s and 90s.
Scott loved photography, surfing, skateboarding, frisbee, snowboarding, his beach home, researching the history of all he loved, and weaving stories of it all. He was a respected film historian and archivist of surf/skate/frisbee/snowboarding sports and cultures, but above all that, he was an extraordinary person who always made others feel at ease. His family and many friends meant the world to him. Most important was his faith in Jesus.
The community will hold a paddle out to remember Starr’s life at a “local beach” on the afternoon of Friday, October 21, 2022.
We’ve said it for years, but here’s a little reminder about author/skater Walker Ryan from Old Friends. And, if you want to read a great skate book, click here for Top of Mason.
Anyone who has been truly injured and fought their way back can feel every single one of Tony Hawk’s feels in this video. Too soon? Maybe. But, congrats anyway. Good to see Tony getting back on the roll.
Master lensperson Atiba Jefferson has agreed to host a free online Canon photo event live from the Primitive Skatepark in Los Angeles October 21, 2022 from 3 – 5 PM PST.
Watch live as photographer and Canon Explorer of Light Atiba Jefferson captures incredible skateboarding images, discusses the cameras in his gear bag, and gives tips for getting the look you want. . . .As part of the Canon Creator Lab program, this FREE event will provide you with a unique experience wherever you’re at with your content creation.
Some event visitors may win a chance to hang with Atiba live on October 22, 2022. If that’s something you’d like to do make sure you select that option when you sign up right here.
Patrick O’Dell chases down the story of an East Coast BMX kid who became the most innovative, influential image grabber in skateboarding and, arguably, the world in general. Yep, it’s Spike Jonze. The nicest, kindest, coolest, creative genius we’ve ever had the chance to hang out with.
Honestly, we haven’t been paying much attention to the action sports media space lately, because there really aren’t any action sports media in the space (yeah, props to Thrasher, always). But, someone sent us a link to 
According to a recently published 
After decades of spending money on their action sporting franchise, ESPN has finally found an exit to the 
Lenders have been given the legal go-ahead to sue Quiksilver and Billabong’s parent company 
