Skateboarding had a renaissance during the 90s. Thanks to the likes of Tony Hawk and the X Games, the sport was getting more attention than ever. It was then that the UFC color commentator, Joe Rogan, also started watching the sport.
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Over two decades later, Rogan sat down with Tony Hawk on his popular podcast. During the episode, the pair talked about everything related to skateboarding.
However, when Joe revealed what he enjoyed about the sport as a spectator, he left Tony in splits.
Joe Rogan on what he enjoyed the most while watching skateboarding
In May 2020, Tony Hawk appeared on episode 1477 of Joe’s popular podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience”. As the conversation turned to the revival of skateboarding in the late 90s, Joe reacted to how he felt watching Vert skateboarding. Rogan told Tony, “For us on the outside, we would watch see someone fall spectacularly.”
Rogan also said, “Guys would go, would hit those ramps, and you would watch people just f**k up and you’re like, Oh my God! Look how far he’s falling?” While Joe had fun watching skateboarders fall, for the athletes, it was all about performance.
Tony himself has firsthand experience of pulling off a hard trick. During the 1999 X Games, Hawk landed the first “900” after 11 attempts.
Moment #10: @jakebrown_1
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The slam felt ‘round the world. Jake Brown landed history’s first 720 on the Big Air gap at #XGames 2007. Then came a 47-ft crash. But Brown somehow walked off, then returned for Big Air gold in 2009-2010.
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🔗 Top #XGames25 Moments Countdown 🔗 pic.twitter.com/uLpzM3DEGN— X Games (@XGames) June 22, 2020
Hawk also mentioned how, back in the late 90s, things were getting out of hand for a while. “Once they evolved that (vert ramps) into what they call the big air ramps, the mega ramps, then it was just like the aerials and the risk factor was tenfold.”
“I mean, I’ve seen some wipeouts that are just baffling,” said Joe.
However, after skateboarder Jake Brown had an accident in 2007, everything became more standardized. Hawk also said that Brown was lucky to have escaped relatively unscathed from such a huge fall.
Tony Hawk on how the X Games saved skateboarding
During the podcast, Tony Hawk also explained how the X Games helped skateboarding regain its popularity in the 90s. Hawk said that the X Games put athletes like him on TV, where kids could watch the sport. People who had never given it much thought suddenly realized that skateboarding had developed into a skill-based sport.
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Pulling off insane vert skateboarding tricks takes immense skill. By the late 90s, skateboarding had already become a sport that was easy to pick up but very hard to master. Legends like Tony Hawk only pushed the envelope further.