The End is Near as K-Mart Enters Action Sports
May 23rd, 2008 by Nubby
K-Mart has just announced that it will be releasing a new collection of action sports-inspired apparel under an unimaginative in-house brand name called “Boarding.” This is taking place on the heels of similar retailers’ forays into the same market including Walmart, Target, and Steve and Berry’s. Unfortunately, it is a telling sign that the terms action sports and extreme sports (which were once a hallmark of announcing one’s place in the counterculture) have finally lost the last remainder of their street-cred.
When the term extreme sports first surfaced in the late 80s, the market was geared more towards adult sports. As Baby Boomers and Generation X have aged, the marketing efforts have shifted towards Generation Y with ads focusing on their clothing, music and even soft drink preferences. In the meantime, as more mainstream sponsors have infiltrated the market (including Mountain Dew, Taco Bell and the U.S. Navy) the edginess of being associated with the extreme sports movement has dramatically dulled.
Youth-centric culture is constantly pushing boundaries and influencing larger societal movements, but in time, the ‘new thing’ loses its charm when every mainstream outlet markets the hell out of it and drives it into the ground. What’s interesting about this phenomenon is that many of today’s trend-setters eventually grow up and fill the marketing positions at top-tier ad agencies whose sole job is to blanket the mainstream with their clients’ take on the next social rebellion.
Just as the hippies of the 60s grew up, tuned in and transformed into yuppies during the 80s, action sports fanatics will eventually mature. Their gashes will heal and though you’ll still be able to spot them when their dress shirt cuff rises to reveal a smattering of tattoos, the gaggle of babies in trendy t-shirts and the new home tucked into a safe suburb is bound to give them away.
As the term action sports continues to lose its coolness, it’s natural to wonder what the next rebellion will be. Youth by nature is often tangled in rebellion and you can’t rebel any longer when the remnants of your scene are splashed everywhere, including K-Mart.
Tags: action sports, extreme sports, kmart, youth culture
