In the past few years, many new sports have been added to the list of Olympic sports. Skateboarding is one of the few that I personally disagree with. Although skateboarding is more popular now than it ever has been, it does and doesn’t belong in the olympic sports category.

As a skateboarder myself, I love the position that the industry is in at the moment. Skateboarding is a creative outlet, and there are no limits to it. There’s not a line drawn at what can and can’t be done. There’s not many other things out there like that, which I love. In my opinion, putting skateboarding in the olympics might take away the creative mindset from some people. Skateboarding isn’t and never really will be a sport, there’s no team, no rules, and no limits, only creativity. Although competitions are big in skateboarding, none of them can compare to the olympics. For example, Street League, it’s the biggest competition host in the industry. SLS is strictly skating, and doesn’t make it seem like a sport while still offering big money prizes.

When skateboarding started in the 1950’s, nobody thought it would ever become what it has today. Skateboarding has gone from child’s play to a way of life. It’s unlike any other sport or action sport. In my opinion, it doesn’t compare in any way to anything in the Olympics. Although athletic ability and other factors are important in skating, you don’t have to train yourself for years to do it. The idea of it being in the Olympic games seems like it could also cause a bandwagon. Nobody in the community likes what’s trending, a lot of us were driven to it because we consider ourselves as outsiders.

Maybe next year my opinion will change, after all, there’s still a year until the 2020 Olympics. I just hope that it stays the same as it always has been, a fun and creative way to express yourself. Everyone has their own opinion, but I don’t see skateboarding as a sport, and I never will.