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An Open Letter to Andy Macdonald from Tom Miller of
Skaters for Portland Skateparks
September 16, 2003
Re: Bad Pro Endorsement Deals
BULLSHIT ON BAD ENDORSEMENTS—Every American has
a Constitutionally protected right to earn a living in a manner
he or she sees fit within the boundaries of law. Skaters that companies
deem appropriate to serve as spokespersons for certain products
are certainly free to endorse any such product, however ridiculous.
The question of endorsement savvy, then, is not one of law but something
subtler. It's called tact.
Andy Macdonald is a skater of inarguable
tenacity and skill. I, myself, will never match his lines. Like
most readers, I'm among the mass of nameless, faceless skaters who
continue to ride, in part, because of inspiration derived from guys
like Andy. We're the people whose passion for skateboarding keeps
his paychecks coming and this entire industry afloat. I fully defend
Andy's right to represent himself as a skater in any situation he
deems appropriate. But it's time to have a word with Andy and his
ilk.
Every time you guys endorse a product
it reflects on the revered way of life we all share as skateboarding.
Andy, you guys are so good you make a living at it. A damn good
living. When I say "damn good" I don't mean to imply a
certain sum of money. Any amount of money earned through pursuit
of passion like skateboarding is damn good. If you guys need a lesson
you can trade places with me any day; I sit behind a desk for 40
hours/week.
So what's up with endorsing pathetic
product that we all know disserves the long-term interests of our
revered way of life? Let's just focus on one such product: prefabricated
skatepark set-ups generated by playground companies. Andy, you guys
know the session ain't on at some bogus plastic setup. Is it just
a paycheck to you? I appreciate your desire to earn a living through
skateboarding. It's an incredible opportunity, and yes, you should
make the most of it. But it's not just about you. You
need to understand you're ruining our session—the sacred altar,
the only thing that matters in skateboarding. When you
guys endorse this stuff, duped city officials buy it. They distrust
and disrespect the experience of guys like me who have been skating
for 25 years imploring them to hire a design/construction team comprised
of people that skate. Do you guys get it?
While you travel the globe getting
paid to session with friends experiencing what we can only dream
we're slugging it out at home with the bureaucrats who know nothing
about skateboarding. We're just everyday inconsequential skaters;
they don't trust us like they trust a pro-skater endorsed sales
pitch from a bankrolled playground equipment company who recognizes
profit to be seized in the current surge of city skateparks. Your
paycheck sells out the session for all of us. You run off to the
next stop on the celebrity skate parade while we get stuck with
4-foot prefab nonsense. If you weren't jet setting and had only
your local prefab park to skate you too would curse the name of
the professional skater who endorsed it. Hard feelings, then, are
inevitable, but I'd rather be productive about this.
I write this humble plea asking for
mutual respect, foresight, and yes, tact. Andy—all of you—think
about the repercussions of what you endorse before you scoop up
a check. We're spending literally years of our lives begging for
real skateparks. We need your support. You're rolling the high life
in a serious way—thanks to us. Show some respect already and
ditch these profiteers who care not at all about the quality of
our session. Are you guys cool enough to respect that?
Tom Miller
Skaters for Portland Skateparks
pdxskaters(at)hotmail.com
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