Normally the biggest news for a pro skater is the release of their signature shoe or winning SOTY. The exception to that is when everyone on the internet is talking shit about what you said in Thrasher. People might say that print media is dead, but there’s a huge difference between saying something on the internet and having a quote published in a physical magazine. If you think I’m full of shit just ask Nyjah Huston.
Nyjah’s pro model DC shoe dropped last week and he got the cover of Thrasher doing a front 5-0 down a kinked rail, but no one really mentions that. Why is Figgy crooked grinding a triple kink the coolest thing in the world and Nyjah’s trick semi-ignored? Figgy has a cool image–he plays guitar, likes pizza, and rides for a cool company. Nyjah has energy drink sponsors, rides for a “little kid” company, and seems a bit quiet and reserved–hardly an image that a dude wearing a Palace T-Shirt is going to be psyched on. In many ways Nyjah and other pros who get labeled “contest skaters” are handicapped in the same way the Birdman was in the ‘80s. They’re young, rich, and really fucking good, but if you ride their board you’re a kook. Welcome to the world of skateboarding–it’s confusing I know.
By now you’ve probably read about his comments from the issue–specifically the pull quote, “Skateboarding is not for girls at all.” As you can imagine several well known people in skateboarding called out Nyjah’s statement, including Patrick O’Dell who posted the quote on Instagram. Why did O’Dell take Nyjah to task? Here’s what he said via email, “I was really disappointed by his comment, why shouldn’t anyone that wants to skate be allowed? I think some skaters forget that 99% of skateboarding exists outside of magazines, pros, skate gossip and especially contests. Skateboarding is something you do and anyone can do it. But on the pro level there have been so many girls and women that have contributed so much that it’s absolutely insane to discredit them. I know for a fact I’ve said some stupid stuff in my life–thank god most of it was off record–so hopefully this will all be forgotten. I appreciate that he apologized to all the girls out there.”
Along with O’Dell and several others, Ed Templeton wasn’t particularly psyched on Nyjah’s answers either. “There have always been girl skaters. Life Magazine did an article in ’65 that showed girls skateboarding,” Templeton said. “In my childhood I skated with girls at my local spots, and of course Toy Machine was responsible for turning Elissa Steamer pro as the first female pro street skater. Before her was Cara-beth Burnside who was pro for skating vert. There’s been and underground movement for years with zines and videos like Villa Villa Cola, and the one Luciana Ellington did, and companies like Zero with Marisa Del Santos, and Hoopla skateboards which is dedicated to sponsoring and promoting girls in skateboarding.”
In order to uphold the integrity of journalism, I went out and bought a copy of Thrasher. I thought the quote was pretty ridiculous, but I wanted to read the whole thing to give it some context. I remembered reading another interview about what a train-wreck Nyjah’s dad was and it made me feel shitty for thinking he was kind of an idiot for his comments. Papa Huston basically bankrupted Nyjah and almost fucked up his entire career. Nyjah recently wrote him off–that’s a lot for a kid just entering adulthood.
”After reading the entire interview it was obvious that Nyjah wasn’t the only one in Thrasher who made questionable comments.”
After reading the entire interview it was obvious that Nyjah wasn’t the only one in Thrasher who made questionable comments. Phelps led in saying “It (skating) ain’t for pussies” and “The women do the downhill stuff because they think it’s sidewalk surfing. They don’t realize how dangerous it really is.” Phelps also revels in the fact that he saw a girl get “served-up so hard” in a downhill contest.
Throughout the issue there’s plenty to take issue with if you’re looking potentially sexist, racist, or homophobic stuff. Jamie Tancowny talks about everyone getting “beaver fever” on tour, Leo Romero recalls people tripping out because a man kissed him at a signing (it was his dad), James Hardy is asked about his “girl cars,” to which he clarifies that the Honda Element is the “ultimate chick car,” and Al Davis is asked why his name is Alex and if he’s been to jail because he’s black. No one is buzzing about any of those interviews though.
Male skaters talking shit on women in or out of skateboarding isn’t really anything new. In fact, for a culture of outcasts and creatives, skateboarding can be pretty racist, sexist, and homophobic, but that’s also because the skate world is just a microcosm of the rest of society. “Our culture is crude. There is the polite above ground political/professional culture–the one where you hide your tattoos and don’t say offensive things to keep your job. Then there’s the one when you go home and watch your porn, make racial slurs, and leave shitty comments on Instagram and YouTube.” Templeton said, “Look at the comments anywhere online. Women, or “chicks” are pieces of meat to be looked at, judged and ultimately fucked. I have always been saying that 95% of skateboarders are open minded and accepting people. Because skateboarding is creative and mostly illegal to do it attracts a certain type of person. That same percentage is true for pro skateboarders. But there’s always that 5% that make us all look bad.”
”Nyjah’s going to be taken to task for anything he does because he’s looked at through a different lens.”
So why is the skate world fixated on Nyjah and not Phelps? Nyjah Huston is an athlete. When he files taxes on the large sums of money he gets for winning skateboarding, his occupation is listed as “athlete” and that puts him in a different category than your average pro skater. No one really cared when Jeremy Klein said “Oakley Blades are so gay” in a Transworld interview or about 97% of Big Brother’s content, because using sexist, racist, and homophobic language was tolerated in skateboarding and Jeremy Klein’s relevance had faded. Klein also wasn’t on your television everyday making a ton of cash. So, like Roy Hibbert, Adrian Peterson, or John Rocker, Nyjah’s going to be taken to task for anything he does because he’s looked at through a different lens. Luckily for him it wasn’t in Sports Illustrated or some other large publication or he might be stripped of his sponsors like other pro athletes.
But is that fair?
Templeton certainly thinks so, “He’s a big pro in this industry. He is one of the most talented. Thousands of people follow him and take inspiration from him. I felt bad for the amount of hate piled on him over this. That is why I felt obligated to also post his apology. I think it’s a good thing that there are no ‘fines’ or anything like in the NBA, it’s just fellow skaters holding his feet to the fire.”
Nyjah’s fame and monetary success does make him an easy target and you can pile on the fact that he’s better than almost every human that rides a skateboard, but not everyone is quick to take shots at him. Rob Brink sent over some thoughts which I’m quoting in their entirety:
“I’m excited and proud of what the future holds. The public’s reaction to Nyjah’s ridiculous statement in Thrasher speaks multitudes. It sounds like everyone’s prepared to put their money where their mouth is, which can only lead to progress.
I mean, who would’ve thought we’d ever reach the point where the skateboarding internet masses were comfortable and flawless enough to cast the first stones? They are, after all, so very accepting of people—regardless of gender, race, religion, sexuality, socio-economic status, sponsors, how they push, how they hold their skateboard, their taste in music, the clothes they wear or their hairstyles.
I’m really looking forward to seeing all the skate companies—whether they be footwear, boards, trucks, wheels, apparel, bearings … whatever—adding female ams, pros and pro models to their lineups and paying them buttloads of cash. I also can’t wait to see more girls in contests, interviews and videos.
As a result of the industry’s example, I’m excited to see hundreds of thousands of skateboarders across the globe spending their hard-earned money on female-endorsed signature product—an extension of the support they are showing now by lashing out at Nyjah. In turn, female participation and acceptance in skateboarding will increase, become the norm and incidents like these will no longer happen.”
Nyjah might have apologized but the stink is there. It’s a safe bet he wasn’t thinking about all the girls who buy his skateboards, wear DC shoes, or drink Monster when he made his comments and he probably didn’t think his line would be a pull quote either. That’s interviewing 101 and he’ll learn the art of it, which may mean giving vanilla answers like Derek Jeter or Tim Duncan. Could he suddenly have the swagger of Lebron and change his whole shit? Sure, he’s 18-years-old, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to back up his comments, but framing him as a sexist asshole isn’t completely fair either.
No matter how much of a sport skateboarding becomes, it still operates in it’s own sphere where we govern ourselves. Aside from getting blacklisted from mags or sponsors for being a kook, there’s plenty of leeway to act however the fuck you want. There’s a higher tolerance for shit that wouldn’t fly in “real” sports. Good or bad, that’s bound to change, it’s just going to take a minute.
“As skateboarding progressed from sidewalk surfing to gaps and rails and the media surrounding those actions covered it, female skateboarding became less visible.” Templeton explained, “The same reasons people watch the NBA as opposed to the WNBA apply to skateboarding. But the girls are starting to dunk. And there will be that moment in skateboarding when a girl is doing the biggest gaps and the biggest rails. That breakthrough is coming.”
Words: Anthony Pappalardo
Follow him on Twitter/Instagram: @anthonypops
Check out more of Anthony’s work over at VICE.
Special Thanks: Ed Templeton, Rob Brink, Patrick O’Dell
Rant, comment or bitch on our Facebook
Let us spam you on Twitter
Related Posts
Comments
Popular
-
HANGING OUT WITH ANDREW HUBERMAN, SKATEBOARDER TURNED NEUROSCIENTIST
Curious what it would be like to hang with this guy outside of a stuffy podcast studio? Us too.
-
A CHAT WITH LUDVIG HAKANSSON, THE OLDEST SOUL IN SKATEBOARDING
The man loves to read Nietzche, skates in some expensive vintage gear, and paints in his own neoclassical-meets-abstract-expressionist style.
-
INTRODUCING THE NEW JENKEM COLLECTION, JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Air fresheners, bumper stickers, a shirt with a gun on it and a bunch of other stuff.
-
LIFE LESSONS FROM BEING A PRO SKATER
"Hopefully this piece will be an opportunity to pull the curtain back on things that too often go unsaid."
-
GROWING UP, MOVING OUT, AND BREAKING BOARDS
A personal essay recounting a love affair with something we're all too familiar with.
June 10, 2013 11:24 pm
Well balanced, well written, thoughtful. As the father of two teenage girls who also happens to skate, I can see both sides of this story. I am also grateful that most of the words escaping my mouth between 13 and 21 were never recorded for posterity. I can only hope for a positive outcome for Nyjah and skating. Not all lessons are painless. I will agree with Mr. Templeton that 95% of skaters are fine folks regardless of DNA.
Best,
Vance Hutchinson
Whitehorse, Yukon
June 11, 2013 3:13 am
I think, this article was mostly right. But the apology doesn’t seem to be written by Nyjah. And I personaly think, Nyjah is just a guy, that talks shit and then, his manager or who ever fixes it again. That’s the bullshit about all the big brands (like Monster, Nike and so on) in skateboarding. If I would talk shit now, everyone would just hate me, but he just get’s someone to fix it… Fix your shit yourself Nyjah!
Too much about money and your image in skateboarding :(
June 11, 2013 4:26 am
Am I the only one who thinks its ironic that no women were quoted in this article? Ed Templeton? Creepy skater girl voyeur as the voice of woman kind? Really?
June 11, 2013 5:09 am
Some of this article I agree with and some of it I don’t. First of all, Nyjah can feel the way he wants to feel and so can I…I can disagree with and no longer support him because of it. That doesn’t mean I am going to stop supporting all the other male skaters and only support female skaters because of him… I am not a feminist or sexist. I do feel empathy over his family life as i don’t think anyone deserves that. That is not right for his dad to take his money and basically bankrupt him. Some of his ignorance has probably been caused by his upbringing but he’s old enough to know right from wrong.
It bothers me that people keep trying to make excuses for his comments or explain it away, especially by pointing fingers at others. And who cares if the sport started out mostly male…most sports started out only white…doesn’t mean other races don’t belong….like Nyjah. Come on! If someone said Nyjah didn’t belong on a skateboard because he’s black…people would be flipping out too even if they talked crap on him or said disrespectful things about him in the past because it is WRONG.
Skateboarding has yet to have an out gay male or female (that I am aware of) and people will stop finding humor in the gay bashing and hold these athletes to a higher standard. The sport will cross that bridge sooner or later, as it has in other sports. And when that day comes…I’d give them my full support because I believe you can dislike someone for something they said, something they did or the way that they act but not for the way they were born.