Translated subtitle: @LiangDi King
How to make money by skateboarding has always been a question that passers-by or your friends and family will ask. As everyone knows, the salary or income source of skaters has always been the "legend" of skateboarding. Today, follow the video to see how professional skaters make money and how much can they make?
contract
Many skaters will sign contracts with their sponsors, which is not a "deed of sale", it makes everything no longer a verbal agreement, providing both sides of the guarantee, a good contract can be mutually beneficial.
On the one hand, the contract stipulates that you can only wear, how many shooting or competition obligations you must fulfill, and even make demands on social platforms... But on the other hand, the contract will also tell you what income and budget reimbursement you can reasonably and legally receive.
Some contracts have a "photo reward mechanism", such as if you wear the brand's clothes and get on the magazine or stand on the podium, you will have an additional income. Maybe you don't like these skaters and these behaviors, but that's one way skaters earn their income.
Skaters of different ages will also have different contracts, for example, young skaters may sign a short-term contract, and when their fame and strength have increased, skaters can sign contracts with larger amounts. For the older generation of skaters who already have a certain degree of fame and strength, they tend to use a more long-term and stable contract to provide protection for themselves.
A cold knowledge, usually the duration of shoe sponsorship will be longer than the board, because if a professional signature model is launched, from design, testing to the official sale of shoes, it takes a longer cycle.
Signature board tax
In the U.S., the average tax for professional skaters is $2 (about 12.5 rmb) per deck. In recent years, many small brands have ushered in rapid growth and popularity, but they produce less, so the tax on the board will increase accordingly.
You know, many skaters also have a basic salary every month. So the contract will stipulate that if your board tax is lower than the salary, you will not receive this tax. When the skateboarding industry was still very small, some professional skaters could earn tens of thousands of dollars in taxes alone.
This is also the reason why many top skaters will stand on their own, because they have the opportunity to turn their $2/sheet tax into $30/sheet.
Signed shoe tax
The tax on shoes is more complicated, but at the same time it can also bring in more revenue. Because maybe each skateboard shop will only enter two signature boards, but shoes may have to be booked in multiple sizes, and the income will immediately double.
A lot of skaters dream of going to bigger shoe brands to get more opportunities, but that's also something to think twice about. For example, a small brand can launch a signature for you, but if you go to a big brand, you may only get a flow salary.
Today, this may be rare, but skaters still need to think about how many opportunities they can get in different brands, rather than just looking at the pie in front of them.
Sponsors
Yes, today more and more brands are adding skateboarding to get a piece of the pie. Maybe this is not good for the core skateboarding culture, but many brands will open a window for skaters by offering huge salaries that you can't refuse. In the United States, some large functional beverage brands will pay skaters an annual salary ranging from $600,000 to $300,000.
The feature drink brand will also offer huge event prize money for skaters, such as Nyjah Huston can get a salary of $300,000, plus the SLS champion's $50,000 prize, then this alone can make a profit of $350,000. So put on a hat and win the game, you can make a lot of money. Wait a minute, the ultimate traceability answer to the slippery hat may be found...
A cold knowledge, Red Bull clothing is basically unpalatable, Red Bull will ask the skater to return all the clothing after the contract ends. So if you see someone wearing something about them, there are only two possibilities: Red Bull sponsorship or fakes.
With the development of the Olympic Games, the sponsorship and opportunities of many skaters have become more diverse, from models to film and television, and even corporate sponsorship. As long as the company is good enough to play, this is actually not a bad thing.
Race skater
One of the skater categories is to race or not to race. Many big events pay for famous skaters to compete, and yes, there is money to participate. Like X GAMES, SLS has an appearance fee ranging from 3k to 1w.
Of course, the organizers will also arrange flights and accommodation for you. So if you can show the podium, from bonuses, appearance fees, sponsor rewards... Basically you can make a lot of money in a weekend. In China, the "Cash Jam Race" is also an additional source of income for skaters.
Social media
A lot of brands will pay for social platforms, if you have enough influence. Red Bull, for example, pays TJ Rogers $100 for each piece of content. And the fans' likes, forwards, and messages are all bargaining chips for skaters and sponsors. Want to support your favorite skater? Start with a retweet and a like.
How much money the skater actually makes
According to Mikey Taylor, the average American professional skater earns $60,000 a year, and only 10-20 people can earn $500,000/year, and considering the probability of becoming a professional skater, and the life span of professional skaters may only be 5-15 years, this is really not a good road.
In 2022, the skateboarding business is still growing, and professional skaters can make money through many channels. But many skaters, even professional skaters, still can't get enough protection. The skater signed only an outsourcing contract, not even a member of the company, and all the tax protection has to be paid for by himself.
For young skaters, this is even more of an oversized puzzle. Therefore, while managing themselves cautiously, they must also learn to protect their long-term interests. After all, getting through it with love and loving being used are two different things.
But then again, skateboarding is not your choice to be rich and expensive, and it does not mean that professional skaters are not worth pursuing. After all, when you see your signature launch, appear on an ad, be lined up by fans to sign an autograph, or have a surprise promotion party, it's all worth it.