Skateboarding is not a sport

Creativity at the margins of capitalism

Bibliographic Data

ID2248244
AuthorsJohn Marlovits (0000-0002-9944-6162, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume40
Issue5
Pages10-13
Publication date2024-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAnthropology Today (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0268-540X • E-ISSN: 1467-8322
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1467-8322.12913
OpenAlexW4403042602
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited19

One might expect skateboarders to be jubilant that the Olympics recognized theirs as an Olympic sport, but their response is ambivalent. Alexis Sablone, a women's street competition participant, does not consider skateboarding 'a sport'. What is it if not a sport? This article argues that it is a fugitive, non-teleological, open-source practice for creating new 'existential territories' - new forms of personhood, public space and social relationships. Skateboarders' resistance to centralization and their emphasis on DIY creativity suggests skateboarding involves challenging culturally specific and local norms. It rests on creative remakings of derelict and unevenly developed urban spaces and the construction of new forms of identity and social purpose. The argument is based on fieldwork with the Osaka Daggers

Capitalism · Creativity · Political science · Sociology · Adventure Sports and Sensation Seeking · Digital Games and Media · Law · Outdoor and Experiential Education

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