When Rob Dyrdek called me, I was ready to give my schpeel, introduce myself explain why I am talking to him and what my story is about. But I just heard this, in a very low, seductive tone: "hey."
I was a little smitten, to say the least. Three years ago, after attending ASR in San Diego, my friend Kathryn and I retired to our hotel room at the end of the night exhausted. Since I do not have cable, I immediately grabbed the remote and got down to the business of keeping up with the kids to find out what's happening in pop culture. That night, there was a "Rob and Big" marathon on MTV. I was enthralled, and totally entertained. I sort of fell in love with Rob Dyrdek that night, the ridiculously funny plot lines revolving around Rob and his mini horse and skateboarding dog. There was fending off dirty girls, defeating evil with a net gun, filming music video spoofs and campaigning to get on Kashi cereal boxes with his best friend, Big—a 6-foot-6 black man with more tolerance for nonsense from this little white skateboarder than was sometimes believable.
Rob's career has run parallel with the extreme highs and lows of the skate industry, giving him a unique perspective into what needs to happen to sustain the industry, and to help it grow. He knows what it's like to receive a $2 royalty check at Christmastime, something nearly unheard of these days with skateboarding having become such a huge industry.
Most impressive is his pursuit to put legal skate plazas around America for kids to skate free from threat of hassle from cops and where they will not harm civic centers and library railings. The Rob Dyrdek foundation is donating a world-class skate course from the DC Pro Tour plus $50,000 for construction and design to the Andres and Maria Cardenas Recreation Center in Panorama City.
Now I love him even more.
A League of His Own
Rob Dyrdek set out to re-invent skateboarding contests—and things got gnarly on the streets
Rob Dyrdek at the Street League press conference
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| Rob Dyrdek at the Street League press conference |
Rob Dyrdek is not afraid to fall flat on his face—he’s practically a pro at it. It’s that fearlessness that not only makes Dyrdek an amazing skateboarder, but also makes his entrepreneurial spirit equally gnarly.
Dyrdek played a starring role in street skating for the last two decades, became a successful businessman, a philanthropist and starred in two hit MTV reality shows. Now he’s primed to become the Ian Cairnes of skateboarding. The former pro surfer helped revolutionize surf contests in the 1980s, which resulted in zealous fandom for the sport.
At heart, Dyrdek comes off as a cross between an avid Midwest sports fan, a hustler, a jock, a math geek and a little bit of a mama’s boy. But there’s no questioning his love for and awe of a slab of Canadian maple atop four polyurethane wheels and the endless possibilities.
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