Skateboarding in the Olympics: A Collision of Two Incompatible Physical Cultures? Drs Brian Glenney & Paul O’Connor (Pt1) - Meaningful Sport Series

Lifestyle sports are increasingly included in the Olympic Games. For the first time, skateboarding is included on the Olympic arenas this summer. For some people, this is a natural progression, whereas for others, this represents a collision of two incompatible cultures of sport (if skateboarding can be called such).

What happens, when Olympics (as corporate, nationalistic, spectator-based and points-based) and skateboarding (as skater-owned, globalist, cooperative, and style-centred) meet? Who will be the heroes and the zeroes? 

In this fun episode - partly recorded from the beach - Drs Brian Glenney and Paul O'Connor take us on a journey to understand the meanings and values associated with skateboarding, the tensions associated with the inclusion in the Olympics, and ways that skateboarding is associated with religion and questions about a meaningful life.  

Dr Brian Glenney is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Norwich University and Dr Paul O’Connor is lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Exeter. Much of our conversation draws on their recent article "When Myths Collide: Skateboarding and Olympics Narratives".

Additional resources for further inspiration that were mentioned in the conversation include: 

Example of pure fun skateboarding:

Worble and Cobra Man’s “Worble III” Video

https://youtu.be/kWhyPZgiXI8

 

Zion Wright from team USA making the case for skateboarding in the streets (cued to spot 47:50)

GODSPEED by Davonte Jolly

https://youtu.be/ZYAzo5OdqHM?t=2870

 

Professional Skateboarder and Trans activist Leo Baker's new Mercedes advert

(of additional interest is that Leo Baker is also a playable character in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater videogame)

Leo Baker Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQq60MADh1y/

 

... And you can jump directly to Part 2 here!