Scoring is one of the biggest controversies in the world of skateboarding. While every effort is made to get legitimate and fair judges it doesn't always work that way. When scores are way different with one judge than the others it certainly does raise eyebrows. When even the spectators notice that something is amiss with the scoring process then you know you have a problem.



In their defense, it can be difficult to accurately score skating events. There is so much flexibility and creativity brought in by each performer. You aren't judging each of them doing the same thing out there. Offering spectators and participants current information on what will be scored often helps them to be more accepting of what those final scores are.

Female skaters continue to feel blindsided even though there are more competitions open to female professionals in the sport than in the past. They don't feel they get the same opportunities as the males. They don't get to make as much money and they aren't often asked to take on endorsements. Such controversies can become quite heated though. Even though ESPN offers the same events for both sexes, they can't compete against each other. Many feel this is sexist and so the controversy continues.

To get the huge scores in competitions, having moves that are difficult and different are part of the equation. There is plenty of controversy out there that one professional has spies that find out what the others are doing. This is how they steal moves or they develop their own routine that is more complex than what the competition is going to be doing. If such spies exist they aren't letting their identities be known.

Another big problem is to hold world records for various skating events. The problem is that only those events that are verified can take those titles. So if someone performs extremely well and beats a record but it isn't verified with the right people to certify that it is all authentic, their claim means nothing. There are plenty of people out there that simply don't think this is fair at all.

There are even controversies when it comes to endorsements. Parents often feel that the industry takes advantage of children. They get these amazing skaters that they all look up to and have them do a commercial in particular articles of clothing and on special boards. Then these kids are continually hounding their parents to buy those items for them. They don't understand the power of marketing like adults do so they aren't going to see through it all.

Each time that there is a type of controversy in the world of skateboarding, it is a learning experience. Then changes can be made to rules and guidelines out there so that similar events will be avoided in the future. It is hard to get a grasp on every possible problem that could crop up. The fact that the media can turn anything into a three ring circus certainly doesn't help matters either.

It is important to take such controversies with a grain of salt. What is sensationalized within the media usually isn't the entire picture. Too many people assume that the media always goes with the facts. They tend to do so loosely though as they go with an angle on the story that gains them attention. Being factual all the way around will always take a back seat to that.