As we previously reported, Nike’s Converse CONS recently cut ties with Skater of the Year Milton Martinez after 15 years with the team.
Sean Pablo and Sage Elsesser were also let go by CONS after 12 years, adding to the growing conversation around how much corporate influence now exists within skateboarding.
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For decades, skateboarding was closely associated with punk rock, DIY culture, underground scenes, and a general refusal to fit into the mainstream.
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As the industry grew, however, sponsorships, major brands, professional contracts, and large events became a much bigger part of the culture.
That change is part of the reason pro skater Nick Merlino believes scooter riders are starting to represent something that skateboarding has lost.
Merlino thinks scooter kids have become the new face of punk rock culture, while skateboarding has become increasingly corporate.
“I think scooters are more punk rock now than skaters,” Merlino said.
Coming from a professional skateboarder, that is a pretty interesting statement. Scooter kids have spent years getting mocked by skaters and being treated as unwelcome guests at skateparks.
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Now Merlino is suggesting that the same kids may actually have more of the rebellious attitude that skateboarding was once famous for.
Not everyone in skateboarding agrees.
Pro skater Paul Hart has taken a much less welcoming position toward scooter riders, particularly when it comes to their inclusion in the X Games.
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While Merlino sees something authentic in the scooter scene, Hart said that he did not want scooters included alongside skateboarding at the event.
That creates an amusing contradiction.
Skateboarding has long prided itself on being rebellious and separate from mainstream culture, yet some of its biggest names are now debating who actually represents that attitude.
Scooter kids have their own communities, competitions, videos, tricks, and skatepark culture. Many young riders also face the same kind of criticism that skateboarders once dealt with when they were viewed as outsiders.
Of course, Merlino is not saying every skateboarder has gone corporate or that every scooter kid is automatically punk rock.
There are still plenty of core skaters who have no interest in the business side of the industry.
His comment is more about how the culture has changed.
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Skateboarding became a global industry, and with that came money, sponsorships, branding, and corporate involvement.
At the same time, scooters went from being something many skateboarders simply made fun of to having their own place within action sports.
So now you have one pro skater saying scooter kids are more punk rock than skateboarders, while another does not even want them sharing the X Games platform.
For something that started with kids simply riding around and learning tricks, the skate versus scooter argument has gotten pretty complicated.