Skateboarding and money have always had a weird relationship. For decades, the idea was that real skaters rode for the love of it, not the paycheck.
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But as social media changes the game, some skateboarders are making more from TikTok than they ever would from a traditional sponsor.
Jack Springer, known by his stage name Bubba Jackson, is one of the more talked-about influencers in skateboarding and knows this firsthand.
In a recent chat with Jenkem skate blog, Jackson laid it out bluntly that there’s not much cash in skating, at least not the way it used to be.
"People are starting to realize that there’s no money in skateboarding, and everyone either has another job or is doing something on the side." He said, "A brand manager told me this the other day, that a lot of dudes my age are going to hate, but they are going to do exactly what we’re doing in a couple of years.
Jackson gets why the core crowd doesn’t like big-brand deals. There’s this feeling that if non-skate companies start throwing money around, it waters things down. But at the end of the day, everyone needs to make a living. "I get to do what I love and get paid for it," He explained, it’s just not exactly the same traditional way as it’s been in the past. Even core skateboarders are starting to do YouTube and brand deals now. Pedro Delfino has a YouTube now, and no one talks shit on him."
Of course, not everyone gets the same respect. Some skaters feel like Jackson hasn’t “earned” these brand deals. He doesn’t really care and said that a lot of people hate more out of jealousy.
"They’re trying to skate for this core company who’s going to pay them $100 a month, when I could get product from the same company and also go do a stupid brand deal with American Eagle and get $3,000, you know what I mean?" He added. "I’m fully self-aware of how everything looks. I’m not oblivious to why everyone is hating on me, but hey, we all have to make money somehow. Would you rather work a nine to five or get to do what you love to do for a living?
He continued, "There is a certain skateboarder who’s pretty popular and would talk a lot of shit on me, and now he’s the one posting funny reels and TikToks, which are hilarious by the way, but it’s the same thing. You can maybe guess who that is, I don’t know."
The skate influencer knows some of his past deals weren’t the best look. He admitted to taking a vape sponsorship at a time when money was tight, even though he doesn’t vape. "I did a vape one in the past and I don’t vape at all. I didn’t hit the thing once, but I was down bad at the time." He said, "I texted the people like, “Do I even have to hit it in the video?” and they said no, so I just skated with it in my hand and they paid me. It got a ton of hate, but whatever. People probably forgot about it until I just reminded them."
As for how much he actually makes, it depends. Some deals are as simple as using a song in a TikTok for a quick $500. Others, like clothing companies, offer thousands for multiple posts. “The deliverables and price vary depending on a bunch of things,” he said.
Love it or hate it, this is where skateboarding is now. And if Jackson is right, more skaters will start following the money sooner than they’d like to admit.