Skateboarding With Pizza: Then & Now

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It turns out that the Slap message boards have a purpose beyond gauging imminent skate nerd critical darlings / future recipients of “Why isn’t he properly hooked up yet?!” inquiries. Slap, despite its many faults, is the internet’s leading destination for all things pertaining to Forrest Edwards. (Why isn’t he properly hooked up yet?!)

Amidst searching for a link to Edwards’ new video part (it got deleted), there was another thread with a photo of him back lipping a nine-stair handrail while holding a Little Caesar’s box. It looks like Little Caesar’s has done what many actual skate companies have been hesitant to do, and inked a long-term endorsement deal with one of skateboarding’s few genuine characters. If the prime Russell Stover product placement in the teaser for his new part is any indication of a future business relationship, then Edwards may already be two steps ahead of the entire skate industry.

In the same thread, someone posted a similar photograph of Eric Koston from over ten years ago. Given energy drink companies’ monstrous (right?) involvement with skateboarding these days, it’s odd that pizza chains haven’t approached more skaters with sponsorship opportunities. Based on a large sample size of acquaintances, pizza appears more frequently in our day-to-day skateboard activities than energy drinks, which are typically only useful for 3 A.M. drives on road trips. (“I’d drink a tall can of Monster and get through at least three states, easy.” — Marquez.) Dominoes, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar’s, Papa John’s, high-end spots like Grimaldi’s, and even Two Bros are missing out on a bountiful pool of endorsements.

Below is a diagram of pizza giants, and their projected corresponding skate industry equivalents.

Are there pizza chains in the U.K. or Europe? Was Googling around to find an equivalent for Blueprint and Cliché, but couldn’t find any real answers.

28 Comments

  1. Pizza, the food of Gods. When I was battling Xerxes for domination of Greece, I met with many Italians. Earlier that century, I had figured out a way to domesticate the wild fruit, the tomato. The Italians were drawn to the tomato as I showed them how to puree this fine food. After many nights of drinking early iterations of vermouth and what was then called “winam”, a Proto-Germanic word, we discovered that spreading the pureed tomato on bread the italians made would serve as a great source of fuel in order to battle the great xerxes and his warriors. SO PRETTY MUCH, YEAH, I INVENTED FUCKING PIZZA.

  2. It was our idea to spread that pureed tomato on a primitive, circular bread formation, what would later become known as the “bagel,” but more similar to the German ‘bügel’, a stirrup or ring. The resulting snack, the “Philly Four Cheese pizza ‘bügel”‘, was used to give strength to the legions that occupied an early 15th-century public forum known as “Love Park.” Contrary to a popular myth, Ricky had nothing to do with any of this.

  3. There was a moment when Artichoke sponsored skaters. You had to wear there t-shirt when you wanted a slice.

  4. hey don’t forget that I suggested using oil, similar to the oils secreted from my funky ass dreadlocks, would enhance the flavor of pizza. Admittedly, olive oil was a better final choice than my actual dreadlock oil. Credit due to Serge on that one.

  5. Word. Thanks for the shout out Matt. Yeah the olive oil thing was chill. Also, I perfected the art of delivering pizzas on a skateboard too.

  6. There was a moment when Traffic sponsored skateboarders. You had to buy their boards to ride for the team.

  7. I know Famous Ben’s gets the vote for best slice downtown, but my all time favorite slice spot is New York Pizza Suprema, on 31st and 8. Next time you hit up that plaza on 29th street, just skate a few blocks west and check it out…

  8. Jesus, this post is amazing!!!! Pizza is the SHIT!!!!!!!!!!! Real rap, all day every day- Elios to that hand crafted brick oven shit, it’s all love. The comments though, are absolutely surreal…….and very funny.

  9. PS. Philly in the 90s >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>New York these days.

    Corny ass little boys with their parents’ money groping at authenticity.

    Fucking losers.


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