The New Face of Action Sports- Taking over the city streets one trick at a time

For years, kids in the inner city have used sports as a way out of their economic situation. It seems common to hear professional basketball and football players talk about their days growing up broke, practicing their craft for countless hours, and then making millions through endorsements once they get into the professional leagues.

The story that seems to go unspoken in the Black community are the growing number of inner city kids who have used their love for untraditional extreme sports such as skateboarding and BMXing (Bicycle Motocross), and have built a career through entrepreneurial tactics with their craft.

The New Face of Action Sports- Taking over the city streets on trick at a time

Words Aka Egwu

Commonly known as a hobby for west coast yuppies, skateboarding and BMX riding have surged into mainstream hip-hop and urban culture and has now found popularity among a Black demographic.

When before it was necessary to have a skate ramp to practice tricks, kids in the inner city use everyday structures like stairways, curbs, and railings to hone their skills.

Street skater, Stevie Williams, took full advantage of his love for skateboarding to become one of the first Black extreme athletes sponsored by Reebok. At 30 years old, Stevie has kept his flashy and blinged out persona and has started his own line of Reebok gear called DGK (Dirty Ghetto Kids).

Most recently, Stevie will be one of the judges of the 2010 Afro-punk Battle for the Streets Competition at Commodore Barry Park on June 26th, a skate competition sponsored by ESPN and Nike that will feature the top Black BMX and skateboarders from across the U.S.

Along with Stevie, pro skateboarder and entrepreneur, Kareem Campbell, will also be a judge of the Afro-punk skate competition on June 26th. Pro BMX rider, Nigel Sylvester, will be a featured judge at the Afro-punk festivals BMX competition on June 27th.

Stevie Williams

Known to many on the skate scene as the God Father of boarding, Kareem Campbell started skating when he was 16. Using his passion for skateboarding, Kareem later founded Axion Footwear shoe line, that reportedly grossed nearly $48 million in sales only three years after it launched. Kareem currently owns his own skate brand, City Stars, and was the only African-American playable skater in Tony Hawk's top selling video game, Pro Skater.

Kareem Campbell

Nigel Sylvester is known as one of the top pro BMX riders in the U.S. Growing up, Nigel said that many people in his neighborhood of Queens, NY did not understand his passion for bike riding, but because of his passion, he constantly practiced. Now, at 21-years-old, Nigel has toured the world with his sponsor Nike and has just completed a video campaign with Gatorade that follows his life as a pro BMX rider. Nigel has also branched out from riding and has opened his own BMX store called Format. Check out the spread we did on him earlier this week.

Afternoon Episode - Nigel Sylvester and Gatorade... - More BMX Videos

You can see these athletes and many more on June 26-27th at the 2010 Afro-Punk festival at Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn, New York during the Battle of the Streets Competition..

For More information on the Afro-punk Festival's music and skate schedule, click here.

Tags: 2010, APX, Afro-punk, Battle, Cambell, Competition, Kareem, Nigel, Stevie, Streets, More…Sylvester, Williams, of, the

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Comment by Thumper on January 24, 2011 at 12:53pm: Yo, Stevie, Ex BLOCKHEAD rider here...my band THUMPER wants to play your tour when you hit the Bay Area...

http://www.thumpersf.com

Comment by Phactz on June 19, 2010 at 2:01am: Even if we have black Skaters and BMX-ers (notice..no bladers lmfao) that rise up "against the status quo" and make their money, chances are nobody from either side of the fence will care, and most likely they'll just hate on them because they haven't reached that level of awesomeness in their lifetime and most likely never will. This goes for the Thugs and Artsy/radical types as well.

Brothers and Sisters, do what you got to do that makes you happy, and puts a roof over your head. Fuck everybody else.