Local author examines how action sports changed the business world

BY: DAN KIDDER

What if the world had never heard of Tony Hawk?
Sure, there are those who would welcome the liberation of their precious sidewalks from the tyranny of an army of four-wheeled oppressors.
But for those who rocked DC gear before it was mainstream, who saved up to buy that Element deck they had their eye on, who saw Hawk pull off the 900 at the X-Games in 1999 and immediately went outside to practice on their own boards—and who know that Hawk’s popularity came about only because of the revolutionary pioneers of the sport, a list that includes Alan Gelfand, Tony Alva, Danny Way, Per Welinder, Andy Kessler and so many more—a life without a skateboard is unimaginable.
It staggers the mind to think about how a group of bored surfers who slapped some metal wheels on the bottom of a wooden box turned out to be the unwitting pioneers of a multi-billion dollar industry. But in the 60-odd years since these unknown street surfers first shredded the California concrete with their new invention, skateboarding has transformed from a weekend hobby into a unique, multi-layered culture.
How did it happen? How did these punks on wheels turn into multi-millionaires? How did the underground skaters in the Z-Boys and the Bones Brigade morph into international superstars? Why didn’t things like frisbee competitions, which were also on the fringe of popularity in the 1970s, explode into a worldwide phenomenon?
Basically, what was it about skateboarding that made it so cool?
That’s what Alex Striler wanted to know.
The Valley Center resident came to California from a job on Wall Street eight years ago and recently published the book X Play Nation, an examination of the people, companies and marketing strategies behind the surge in popularity of action sports.
“I came out here to run a company that sold to skaters online, and I thought I knew how to do it,” he says. “Boy, was I wrong. So I hooked up with Tony Alva, and he helped me see that it’s an entirely different culture than the business community is used to dealing with.”
From that realization came a desire to help create connections between the business community and the ever-growing nation of action sports.
“These endemic brands like DC Shoes just don’t understand the way that corporate America works,” Striler says. “And corporate America doesn’t understand the culture around these brands. This book is a way to bridge that gap.”
X Play Nation is an in-depth look at how leading action sports companies created their brands using lifestyle marketing. With more than 50 interviews of company founders, CEOs and professional athletes, Striler thoroughly examines the roots of skateboarding, the process and effectiveness of lifestyle marketing, the impact of technology and social media on the culture, and the current direction of the culture, including a chapter on the rise of action sports in China.
“My generation grew up with the traditional sports—baseball, football and basketball, or if you’re from Europe, hockey and soccer—and things like skateboarding and snowboarding were just weekend hobbies,” Striler says. “My kids are growing up not knowing the difference between action sports and traditional sports. They don’t view the X-Games as any different from Major League Baseball. My son Cole plays baseball, but he also knows about guys like Ken Block and Mike Metzger. These athletes are finding new ways to earn money by being good at their sport, winning competitions and getting sponsors. And this book is an explanation of how the industry works.”
It’s already working, too. Striler tells a quick story about Vox Footwear, a company formed by his friend, skater Ed Dominick, along with Dr. Chen, a traditional businessman who also helped found Osiris Shoes.
“They always fought about how to do business,” he says. “Doctor Chen came from a methodical business culture and wanted Ed to have regular hours, wear a tie and all of that. Ed was a skater, so he wanted to hit the skate park for lunch and things like that. Ed ended up leaving, saying that he just couldn’t handle that environment anymore. After he left, Doctor Chen got a copy of my book and invited me to lunch. He told me, ‘Thank you for this book, now I understand what Ed was trying to do.’ He called Ed and apologized for everything. Ed sent me a heartfelt e-mail saying that, after four years of an unbearable work environment, Doctor Chen’s call reconciled everything.”
One of the book’s chapters highlights the trend-forward nature of action sports in the parity between genders that pervades deeper into the roots of the sport than in any of the traditional sports.
“The support that was coming in for the guys, it just wasn’t happening for girls,” Striler says. “At the X-Games, the medals for men were something like ten thousand, but for girls it was only like eighteen hundred. The girls united and said that they should get as much as men because they’re out there getting the same exposure. That’s something you don’t see in other sports yet.”
Striler’s ultimate hope for this book is to make it possible for a company looking to support the next skating superstar to find the kid who is out on his sidewalk perfecting the next revolution in the sport.
“Action sports are about creativity and expression,” he says. “Anyone can increase the bar by doing something that no one else has ever done. That expression of creativity is what’s fueling the industry. It’s so innovative, I can’t wait to see what unfolds in the next five years.”
Check out X Play Nation on the book’s Web site at www.x-playnation.com or search for X Play Nation on Amazon.