Skateboarding in the Olympics

Rick Reilly wants skateboarding in the Olympics
Premiere columnist makes the case for sports history
February 23, 2010, 3:41 PM
By: Adam Salo

ESPN/Getty Images
Guy on the left wants guy on the right to compete in the Summer Olympics. Know what that means?
Rick Reilly wants to see skateboarding in the Olympics. For skate readers who may not be familiar with other parts of ESPN.com, Reilly is an 11-time National Sports Writer of the Year who came to ESPN in 2008 after 23 years at Sports Illustrated. He waxes poetic on everything from Tiger Woods to Kobe Bryant. While Reilly doesn't often offer up opinions on skateboarding, he brought it up in his Go Fish column on Feb. 18, pointing out that if skateboarding were admitted into the Olympics, Shaun White (two-time Olympic Gold Medalist) would have a shot at being the first athlete in 78 years to win Olympic gold in Winter and Summer.

" ... (T)he IOC needs to get skateboarding into the Olympics right now. Shaun White could be the first athlete to win gold in the Summer and Winter Games since 1932. (American Eddie Eagan did it in boxing and bobsled that year.) Please?" Reilly implores.

Whether skateboarding should be an Olympic sport is a hotly contested issue among some of our tribe. Some see the recognition and legitimacy the Games would bring as a benefit to the sport and the industry. Others argue skateboarding and skateboarders have always gone their own way; that they don't need outside recognition for validation or support.

Reilly's plea doesn't stem from advocating for skateboarding or even for the Olympics for that matter. He's making the case for setting the stage for a potentially great moment in sports history. And when it comes to sports, history and memorable moments, the man knows his stuff.


BRIAN BRANTLEY/SHAZAMM/ESPN IMAGES
Is the opportunity for Shaun White to make history by competing in Summer and Winter Games enough reason to put skateboarding in the Olympics?