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I think the general consensus within the larger skateboarding community is that, while lucrative, getting paid to wear a hat with a Monster or Mountain Dew logo on it is pretty fucking wack. You can make the argument that skaters have short careers and are entitled to make as much money as they can, just for doing what they love, for as long as possible. There’s a good deal of validity to the side of this debate that contends if some clueless corporate drink sponsor wants to hand you a huge check for skateboarding every day, you’d be a fool to turn it down. Nonetheless, you’ve got to wonder, at this point, whether P. Rod will be remembered more for his inhuman ability on a skateboard, or for looking kind of like a NASCAR driver. I mean, seriously, shit’s starting to get a little silly out there…

While I remain pretty firmly entrenched in the “energy drink sponsors are lame” camp, I’m willing to admit it may simply be due to the fact that no energy drink sponsors have come knocking on my door, holding comically oversized checks covered with zeroes. Yes, that is how I imagine most of these corporate sponsorship deals happen, by the way. Nonetheless, saying no to free Red Bull still seems like it would be considerably easier than turning down free beer…

Unfortunately, many of the shapes in Santa Cruz’s new collaborative release with Pabst Brewing Company seem a little too long to be entirely comfortable with, if you know what I mean. Still, it appears there are a few pretty worthy looking steads in the stable… that Colt 45 tall boy cruiser is particularly hilarious. Fuck, I’d sponsor somebody if they could do a decent kickflip on that thing.

The bottle opener on the bottom of the deck is a nice surprise… the price-point? Not so much. For $135 bucks I could buy like 50 40s. (Note to self: name future upstart skateboard company 50-40).

Indeed, it’s a shame that as an industry, skateboarding seems so decidedly fixed on the Termite demographic. Sure, brands like Baker, Deathwish, and Anti-Hero have done much to celebrate substance abuse with board graphics over the years, but I’m talking more about market penetration by outside industries. Bagel Bites did it, for fuck’s sake, so where the hell are all the beer sponsors?

LATE-BREAKING UPDATE: Clug sent in some photographic evidence of none other than Ryan Sheckler doing a rather proper-looking tre flip on one of the beer can cruisers. So… fuck me, right? I guess it really is all in the back foot… but god damn, this kid needs to be stopped. I need to hold on to the relative impossibility of these kinds of feats, as it’s the only way I can convince myself that continuing to skateboard isn’t just an exercise in self-harm, and then along comes Ryan Sheckler being all perfect at everything and shit.

[Photo found here]

Just release a full-on 2×4 part and shut this shit down already. Maybe pick up a Home Depot sponsorship package while you’re at it, who knows?