Skateboarding and BMX freestyle cycling have developed from a spontaneous idea of a young generation. They were finding new ways of expressing themselves; skateboarding when there was a lack of conditions for wave surfing and BMX cycling as a more interesting and exciting use of a bicycle. The goal of these two activities was total freedom and expression. The sports developed spontaneously and freely over time, with no formal goals and not organized by any institutions. The definitions of the sport and the people practicing it are therefore very loose and in some cases possibly even false.
The sports do not originate from the mainstream, they were and in some cases still are in opposition with established social values. For this reason, they form two strong subcultures with their own beliefs. Subcultures are minorities that are a part of the wider society, with whom the public doesn't come in contact daily, and that is reflected in how much public awareness they generate.
In recent years the appeal and freshness of sports have allowed them to enter into the channels of wider society. Due to this the public has been able to know and accept them better. With the sports' newfound "popularity" they started to formally organize into clubs and associations both on national and international levels. Both sports were set to premiere at The Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020, but the games were postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic.
Our research is focused on how skateboarders and BMX cyclists are perceived by the wider society due to the popularization of the sport; mainly if the perception differs with gender, age, the environment they originate from, and education. We surveyed 274 people with the use of a purposely assembled questionnaire. We determined that there is a statistically significant difference in perception based on gender, age, environment, and education.
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