Street League Skateboarding

The idea for SLS first arose when Rob Dyrdek was dissatisfied with the state of professional street skateboarding competitions. Seeking to address the flaws of the existing system, Dyrdek developed the SLS. During its launch in 2010, Dyrdek said: "It has been a dream of mine to create a professional tour that bridges the gap between true street skateboarding and contest skating, which to date has been fragmented and misguided."[2]

The inaugural year of SLS featured a four-stop arena tour that began at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona on August 28, 2010. The other venues for the inaugural tour were the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California on September 11, 2010, and the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 25, 2010.[3]

The 2011 Super Crown World Champion was Sean Malto, who upset Nyjah Huston for his first Street League win and the US$200,000 first place prize. Huston went on to win the competition in 2012, in addition to a championship watch and ring set from Nixon Watches, and a Chevy Sonic vehicle.[4]

In May 2013, the GoPro camera company was announced as the official camera sponsor of the 2013 SLS international tour. GoPro, which sponsors SLS contestants Ryan Sheckler and Malto, was used to feature the broadcasts of the domestic American events, including course previews and real-time impact highlights.[5] As of May 19, 2013, Huston had won more prize money than any other skateboarder in history.[6]

The 2013 Super Crown World Champion, Chris Cole, also earned his first career SLS win earlier in 2013 at the Street League at X Games stop in Munich, Germany. Huston and Luan Oliveira placed second and third respectively.[7] Paul Rodriguez won his second SLS stop in Portland, Oregon in July 2013.[8]

In March 2014, SLS signed a broadcasting deal with Fox Sports 1.[9]

In 2018, SLS announced a partnership with World Skate, under which it became the body's official world tour series and world championship through 2020. The SLS World Tour also became the main qualifying path for skateboarding at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The move was criticized by Tim McFerran, president of the World Skateboarding Grand Prix (who had been attempting to negotiate his own body, the World Skateboarding Federation, as the sanctioning body for Olympic skateboarding), citing the invitational nature of the events, and concerns that they would hold a near-monopoly over professional skateboarding and the athletes who compete at the Olympics.[10][11][12][13]

In May 2019, it was announced that skateboarding would be dropped from the 2019 Pan American Games, with Panam Sports citing SLS and World Skate's decision to schedule a World Tour event in direct conflict with the Games schedule, and not have the Pan American Games be a qualifying event for the Olympics. Panam Sports argued that these decisions diminished the quality of the field, and showed a "lack of respect" on behalf of the entities.[14]

The SLS contestants accumulate points at each pre-championship stop and only the top eight ranking contestants compete in the championship event. Each event's final features eight finalists in 90-minute heats.

The SLS prize purse is the largest in the history of competitive professional skateboarding,[15] and was worth US$1.6 million in 2011.[16]

In 2013, the Street League Skateboarding Foundation (SLSF) was established with the goal of increasing global participation in skateboarding. The Foundation assists municipalities and non-profits with the design, development, and construction of legal Skate Plazas, as well as assisting with the creation of community and educational programs that promote skateboarding.[17]

An extension of SLS, "Street League Skateboarding Certified Skate Parks" (SLSCSP) built three plazas in 2013. The plazas will eventually become the locations for SLS amateur and televised qualifier contests. Locations include Erie, Colorado; the Kennesaw Skatepark in Kennesaw, Georgia; and Lake Havasu City, Arizona.[18]

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