Skateboarding has always had its characters, but things are getting messy in the old guard.
As we previously reported, skate legend Steve Caballero came out talking about free speech and a bunch of other old pros dropped their thoughts after Charlie Kirk passed and man, the way people are reacting in the scene is wild.
But not everyone is on board with the OG commentary. Willan "Frenchy," the owner of IF Skate Co., didn’t mince his words when addressing how some of the older pros are acting.
Frenchy put it bluntly: “Old heads who are holding back opportunities for younger skaters have no business talking politics. You’re killing dreams left and right, charging $100 for decks, and making it harder for small skate shops and the people who actually keep skating alive.”
Skaters in the comments had to let everyone know what’s good either.
One user added: “Totally agree. I was just telling Steve, those dudes were acting like twats watching old skate videos while people’s homes were burning down. The talent these days is insane. Time for some of those old guys to get real jobs. California, right?”
Frenchy didn’t stop there. He called for change, saying: “It’s time for reform. The old heads need to step aside. Selling out to big stores to keep your brands alive while telling the 'core' skaters not to support those same stores is trash. And we’re supposed to back that? I can’t even. It’s obvious some of these guys are just greedy and unhealed, and sooner or later, a few might end up on the list.”
At the end of the day the scene is changing and there’s no stopping it.
The young skaters and the small shops are grinding hard, doing their thing, and keeping it gnar out in the streets. The old heads still get respect, but at the end of the day, they’ve got their own opinions too.