Tony Hawk Pro Skater Fans Celebrate His 53rd Birthday

Tony Hawk turns 53 today and fans were in the mood to celebrate. The beloved skateboarding icon has been doing it for a long time. But, he’s beginning to slow down just a bit. Last year saw the release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Remastered 1+2. That game drew critical acclaim and a lot of celebration on social media for how closely it stayed to the original releases. However, recent days have been filled with a lot more scrutiny as the skateboarding masses are unhappy with Hawk for making an NFT of one of his tricks. : (Note: More information about the negative environmental impact of cryptocurrencies and NFTs is included at the bottom of this article) But, there are still some more than happy to root on the legend as he’s become an Internet darling.

“I’d like to foster the growth of skating internationally,” Hawk told Newsweek recently about life after skating. “I realize that with the Olympics coming, that’s an opportunity to show it on a bigger venue but, I’m more interested in … skating starting to grow in places like Cambodia and South Africa, Afghanistan and there’s a skate community in Uganda. And to me, that’s the exciting part about how far skating has come. Whatever I can do to raise awareness or promote the growth, that’s what I want to do.”

“In the ’90s, when the X Games started, people knew my name from the previous generation. It was sort of like I had this crossover, [I] was bridging a gap,” he continued. “And I was still doing well. I had the experience and history with skating, I could speak to its roots as well as its future. It was never something I ever intended; it was more bestowed upon me and I was happy to take responsibility.”

(Note: Many critics point to the ecologic toll of NFTs, cryptocurrencies and other such technologies as having a disastrous effect on the planet and exacerbating climate problems. You can read more about that here)

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The game itself

This is what he’s drawing some criticism from

Folks are disappointed

This is positive though

People just love him

But, for real

What an anniversary

Short and simple