The inclusion of skateboarding as an official discipline in the 2020 Olympic Games marks the pinnacle of a decades-long process of commercialization and sportification. Is the tightly-knit subculture in danger of losing its very identity? This anthology creates an analytical framework for understanding the fundamental conflict between skateboarding's core ethos and the tenets of institutionalized sports. Eleven acclaimed international authors from the fields of architecture, philosophy, sociology, sports sciences and gender studies provide a unique perspective on the manifold manifestations of skateboarding previously ignored by academic discourse.

Veith Kilberth, born 1976, earned his sports sciences diploma from Universität zu Köln and received his doctorate at Europa-Universität Flensburg. Drawing on his experience as a former professional skateboarder, he is involved in the planning and realization of skatepark projects as a partner in the skateboard facility design office Landskate. His specialties include youth marketing, action sports, urban planning, skateboarding and skateparks. Jürgen Schwier (Prof. Dr. phil.) is head of the department of sports science of Europa-Universität Flensburg. His research interests concern informal sports activities across childhood and youth, youth cultures in the field of sport, skateboard studies and sport, media and communication.