Pro skateboarder says Olympics will restart sport's popularity: 'Gonna go crazy'

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No skateboarder, in terms of popularity, has come close to Tony Hawk. Just about every video game bared his name, and for most, he is the only skateboarder people can name.

Street League Skateboarding, founded by Rob Dyrdek in 2010, hands out the most prize money in the history of skateboarding.

However, the sport will be featured in the Olympics this year for the second time, and one skateboarder says the Games in Paris could be a huge step in getting skateboarding back to its glory days.

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Paul Rodriguez during a visit to the Los Angeles Berrics Skate Park on July 28, 2022 in Los Angeles. (Daniele Badolato - Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images)

Paul Rodriguez did not have the opportunity to compete for an Olympic gold (he won four in his X Games career, and won two events in Street League Skateboarding). However, he is going to live vicariously through his friends who will.

"To see it in the Olympics is pretty incredible. To see my friends going, like, you’re an Olympian bro," Rodriguez said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "We didn’t know that was something we could dream about when we first started skating. We just wanted to skate, make a little video, maybe get into X Games, but the Olympics wasn’t even on our radar. Now, I have a handful of friends. I know Olympians now. It’s a crazy thing to say.

Paul Rodriguez skating at the Nike Street League Skateboarding Competition at USC Galen Center on Oct. 2, 2016 in Los Angeles. (Brian Gove/Getty Images)

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