Skateboarding sponsorship

Skateboarding sponsorship is the commercial sponsorship of an individual or team of people who participate in skateboarding, competitions or public activities. Typically, the individual or team will receive cash payments, reduced-price or free merchandise or equipment from a sponsor in return for public and in-competition use of that sponsor's merchandise or equipment for promotional purposes and recipient testimonial or endorsement. Skateboarding sponsorship may also extend to the sponsorship of major competitions or venues (like specific skateparks) by larger distributors or manufacturers of skateboarding equipment and merchandise.

Sponsors employ a variety of methods in an effort to "discover" potential sponsorship recipients including word of mouth, the solicitation of "sponsor-me" videos and direct participation in public skateboarding events and competitions, as well as raising awareness through social media websites.

There are four generally recognised classes of individual skateboarding sponsorship.

Shop sponsorship is sponsorship by a local retail company or small locally distributed merchandise manufacturer. Skateboarders sponsored in this manner are generally not required to dedicate a particular amount of time to sponsor-related activities. In some cases, retailers may sponsor their own staff (who skateboard in their own time) as part of their employment agreements. Some simple sponsorship agreements may involve provision of discounted merchandise or equipment to well-known local skaters in return for a commitment to use that merchandise or equipment at public skate parks or local competitions.

Flow sponsorship is similar to shop sponsorship in that it generally involves the sponsorship of an individual by a small to medium commercial enterprise. However, flow sponsorship usually involves the provision of free merchandise (no cost to the sponsored individual) and a reciprocal time commitment to the sponsor's brand from the sponsored skater. The total value of the sponsorship can sometimes be determined by the regularity with which the sponsored skater receives free merchandise. By 2003, then-6-year-old Mitchie Brusco was committed to 9 such agreements.

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