Just to correct a few inaccuracies: 5:17 This is simply untrue. Shaun's unusual high level of competitiveness wasn't because his family was poor; it's because he simply LOVES to compete. It's in his bones. You compared his family being poor as compared to rich Skier families supporting their kids, but most competing snowboarders were poor in the 90s and 2000s. Almost every major snowboarder would live in the back of a car, going cross country for every single competition they could enter. 13:57 Also, a very odd take. A lot of pro snowboarders have big sponsors like Oakley or Red Bull, even back before 2010. Him no longer competing doesn't necessarily mean that big sponsors are looking to other riders when other riders are already on those sponsors. The hate he received was simple. He was the face of snowboarding, but didn't even remotely represent the culture of snowboarding, as you did say a few times. But it's not just "the bros"; even your family at the local resort is there to have fun--not to compete. Snowboarding at its very core is not a competitive sport. As a snowboarder, I don't hate him, but he sure doesn't represent snowboarding in the slightest sense. The world of snowboarding is so much larger than the competitions. Just watch any snowboarding film, big or small, and you'll get what it's about: having fun, being creative, and pushing yourself--not pushing the other riders.
@@Nazrahnas😂 But I'm actually not. Proud Australian. But I still feel like a large portion of other people's gripes have to do with envy. I completely agree that he was terrible at sharing and being gracious. Always rubbing his victory in other people's faces. I had a very good friend of mine years ago who I imagine was similar to SW. Ultra competitive at any cost, to the detriment of all others. We're not friends anymore 🤷🏻♂️
@@fretboardrunneragree completely. Like i said in an earlier comment just now, he was overcompetitive, at any cost and to the detriment of all others.
What blows my mind is how he was literally risking his neck at such a young age, inventing some of the gnarliest tricks ever? Much like Mike McGill trying a 540 on a vert ramp for the first time, it takes a lot of balls to do that, especially when any given jump could put you in a chair for the rest of your life? Legend.
Idc. Shaun White was how I found out abt snowboarding at 7 years old, when I accidentally turned X Games on the TV. And snowboarding saved my life when I got older, so long live Shaun White.
I can understand where other riders were coming from, wanting to keep the sport relaxed and fun, but if there is $50k and a car on the line, I'm not going out and getting drunk the night before. That's on them.
Most of them had 50k like so easy. Snowboarding is so expensive. It's a typical behavior from spoiled kids. Like now... Who are the ones who are pollution the everest? Ofc the rich ones.
snow sport is an expensive sport, Shaun came from a ordinary faimly hence he was all about winning and getting money whereas others might be rich kids who were in there just for fun.
I disagree, sure its expensive to go to a mountain resort on vacation but the snowboarders who gets good are the ones growing up in the mountains and/or living there and work there and the people living around the resorts are not rich.
@@christopherespinoza-darnel8514 Not where I live, no one is rich here, most of us work at the resort. Of course there are plenty of giant lodges owned by rich people but they dont live here full time and they certainly dont snowboard.
What a true criminal this guy was! How dare he enter a sports competition, just to win. So not 'in the spirit'....WTF?? He's an athlete. He competes. That's how it works. Fuck the 'community'! Ride to win bro. Nice! Definitely one of my heroes.
i implore you to listen to the bomb hole podcast with shaun as a guest. he’s a selfish pos and talks about himself literally the whole podcast. he has no humility and no care for others
I got to see Shaun White in Afghanistan while he was on a USO tour for Christmas. He's a pretty funny guy in person and he told the mountain dew story on stage. He seemed like a pretty humble guy when he spoke and he seemed happy to be there
As an actual snowboarder, Shaun's only real 'sin' was at his last Olympics, when he took another person who had qualified's spot so he could try to do both Slopestyle and Halfpipe, then at the event he bitches out, drops Halfpipe and only does Slopestyle, while the guy who earned the spot had to watch from his fucking couch....the spot went unfilled. That's it...other than that it's his business what he does with his success and he did deserve his success generally. Yes the Xgames put their finger on the scale for him in a few Gold Medal round runs, but that wasn't his choice so it's not rational to hate Shaun for what craven TV and Corporate sponsors do. And for real he's legit, he is one of the greatest halfpipe riders ever, maybe the greatest and will always be a legend.
Totally agree with you. Shaun is a legend and seems to be a class act. But, wasn't it the other way around he dropped Slopestyle and competed Halfpipe? He wasn't a real threat in slopestyle if I remember correctly he dropped slopestyle around 2011 to focus on halfpipe in a time guys went from doing occasional double corks in slopestyle runs to now doing runs filled with triple's and even quads.
Great points. I agree Shaun is a legend and received way more hate than he likely deserved. But… he’s not innocent on all counts. I’m old enough to remeber him coming up as a child to him retiring. I’m still shredding and not rich. 🤷
He qualified for both events and US Snowboarding decided to give him the spot. It’s not like Shaun decided to “take” the spot, he was given it by his countries team. He still earned the points to qualify and deserved the spot.
I wasn't aware of that. Totally agree. The Olympics is not the same thing as the tour. Lame if he manipulated the rules and kept someone from the team.
Wow man never knew about his heart defect😢 My son had tetralogy of fallot and died after first surgery. Pretty amazing that Shaun recovered and went in to be such a badass. Much respect
@@boyifyoudonttt we had two more kids since then... Happy and healthy. Living life It was tragic and heartbreaking but such is life. Learn from it and be a better person. Thank you for your sentiment✌🏻
@@boyifyoudonttt what's truly legendary??? Riding snowboard with my oldest🥰 Last year was our first season together... Over 20 trips to Mt Baker ski area and this season he has pass. Connecting turns already so I suspect this season is gonna be the"break thru" year... Don't ever let a loss of a loved one, be the thing that breaks you... You keep them with you and live the best life you can.
@@hawkwind769 inspirational man, truly. You have a callused mind and I mean that as a compliment. It’s the only way to move forward but at the same time keeping them with you
Lmaooo so basically what I got from this is that snowboarders like to be broke, and when one wants to get paid they all gang up and gaslight him for getting paid 😂
Exactly. A snowboarder with sense would be happy for him and try to pick his brain to get some tips on how he does it. Nope... They chose "Hate" . Bunch of sore losers...🤦♂️
Halfpipe riding is just a small part of snowboarding and Shaun definitely accelerated and pushed in his department, but when I think of the progression of snowboarding and the riders that represent the culture in it's entirety, I think of guys like Travis Rice, Big Mountain Jeremy Jones, Terje Hakkonsen, Bryan Iguchi, JP Walker who are true searchers that have contributed so much.
that is 100% true but i knew shaun white from 2010 until now and hes the reason why snowboarding got so popular back then since he was killing it in the olympics. As of right now you are correct with those names you mentioned because they are still actively snowboarding, but shaun is still a snowboarding legend
As both a BMX rider and a financially underprivileged guy I can understand both perspectives. As a community, we LOVE seeing our friends win, even if we’re competitors, because at the end of the day, we’re all there to do what we love with our people. But when your prize money determines whether your family can even afford to attend, or if you’re even able to make the next competition, yeah, winning does become a priority. Maybe that’s hard for some rich kids to understand, but it’s reality for a lot of us.
Hence libtards being mostly well financially spoiled brats with no sense of sacrifice and planning for the worst, some of the most important pillars of civilization!
I’ve always felt sorry for him. He never had a normal childhood. Hell, he never even just rode with his friends in the powder through the trees. His whole career has been competitive.
you actually think you know anything about his life is kinda sad!!! and i feel sorry for you.... i for one never met shaun white nor do i pretend to know him either but to say he didn't have childhood or saying things like he didn't have friends to ride with is pretty wild..... do you really believe he didn't have anyone to ride with on his free time?? people act like they know people in media just because things are said about them online is hilarious.
@@dlckddyd76 well being a guy that snowboarding 60 days a year for over 10 years of my life and lived in mountain towns while doing it. I remember watching him when he was like 2 feet tall, tall and us all gawking at him on X games. But yeah, I’m actually grounded in reality and you took quite a while to write that little essay there, so good luck to you I stand by what I said, I think Sean White grew up quite isolated
@@thebrianchannel9890 because you saw him once when he was 2 feet tall? you know his daily life? from what i gather he was surrounded by older peers when he was young. I would think he had blast as young kid.. since snowboarding is fun sport even for older people. as for young kid snowboarding I would assume he had blast riding with older peers around him and going to contest to contest as a young kid would be something fun. I know danny davis was probably one of the guy who started bashing shaun white in (possibly late90's or early 2k) because he had different view as to shaun but who is danny davis to say how shaun should live his snowboarding life? its sad to see people bashing others because they had different perspective/priority in life. anyways shaun seem to have passion for snowboarding as young kid! which he probably love doing so. i just laugh when you say something like shaun probably never rode powder with friends............ like really? he literally travel as young kid to japan with his burton crew (which were his friends at that time!! forget about age) he had probably ridden more powder than any snowboarder you might think of that are competitive riders.
As someone new to the snowboarding community, this was very eye opening. Didn't know he was resented so much, and would've never guessed it was because he actually took the sport seriously?! No wonder he was on top for so long - his competition didn't even like competing 😂
I agree with not splitting the money. Go Shaun! You put in the work, you deserve the rewards. Sounds like a bunch of sour grapes from dudes who couldn't keep up. He lived his life how he wants to live it. He owes these guys nothing.
Yeah for real. If they’d rather party and/or be lazy stoners then you snooze you lose lol I can’t believe the contestants even thought about doing that lol 😂
it’s the exact same culture in skating tbh 😢 I haven’t competed other than doing comps as a 10 yr old but it’s the same attitude. Tony Hawk was hated for so long about the video games but ANY one of them would have also taken that opportunity
That may or may not have been the scenario. It's worth noting that a LOT of snowboarding contests split the money when conditions aren't great or the park setup isn't great, especially back in those days.
I knew him as a little kid skating the old Encinitas YMCA skate park (rip) and he’s just good. He’s always been good and he knew it he’s not blind. He was super talented from a Grom on a skateboard and he just ripped a snowboard times 10.❤❤❤❤❤ and yeah, I’ve always been a fan as I was the skateboard mom😂🎉 I just don’t understand why people wanted to disrespect him because he was trying to take care of his family and get upset at him because he was sober while they were partying that’s absurd😊. But then you hang out with an entitled crew I guess that’s what happens. He’s a goat.❤
Tbh after watching this I like and respect him even more. He is a professional athlete who is competing for a living and his mentality is exactly what youd expect from someone not fed by a silver spoon. His competitors hate him because he took winning so seriously but it sounds like they are mad they couldnt beat him
So basically you're another lazy, you should share your riches with everybody.. This is so interesting coming from a generation of grifters and influencers and do whatever it takes to make money. Grow up.
This really just goes to show the difference between ideals and how we were raised, because Shaun felt he needed to win in order to help support his family while everyone else was just trying to have fun.
Heres a big point you missed. Snowboarders often see what they’re doing as an art or a sport (usually some of both). Shaun was fully on the sport side. He had his perfect run that he used at every competition. While it was a winning strategy at that time, to snowboarders he looked like a robot. Everything he did was the opposite of what snowboarders generally thought was cool- tight pants, boot grabs, wide stance, not riding outside of comps for the fun of it. His lack of style and uniqueness pushed many riders away. Much more than in traditional sports, snowboarding is a form of self expression and creativity is highly valued in the snowboard community. This is why riders like Scott Stevens will always be revered as gods in the snowboard world, while the Shaun Whites get laughed at. I don’t think that most snowboarders genuinely hate Shaun, they just gravitate towards other riders who have a more creative and interesting way of expressing themselves in their riding.
So a bunch of snowboarders went out and got wasted before a competition and he didn't and then they expect him to give up most of his winnings? I would have told them to shove it also...
It’s a sport that exists outside of a competition model. Style, creativity and freedom are the pillars to most and the competitive scene is almost a separate entity in the culture. He was the poster child for what most of the community sees as missing the point. His skill is unquestionable though.
@@Lightspeedloser_ Yep, similar viewpoint of wanting to dominate the sport. Will say though, Nyjah has hit some pretty gnar spots.. and he's paid for them in blood. He's some real shit, even if he is very competition focused.
Do people just forget that Shaun was a massively competitive vert skateboarder too?! That’s one of the things that made me such a fan, I think he went undefeated in both snowboarding and skateboarding one year (maybe 2010-‘11, not certain). A lot of the skaters never thought he’d have a chance at winning but he put the effort in and started beating Bucky and Pierre-luc, two legends of skating. At the same time Shaun was on his own level in both slopestyle and pipe snowboarding. Possibly the most talented boardsport rider ever, would’ve been the only modern athlete to earn both summer and winter Olympic medals (he’s still the only one to do it for X Games) of skating was in the Olympics in late 2000s.
By far the most talented competition vert and park skater/boarder combo ever. Shaun was more an athlete(most vert shredders are)/rock star kind of boarder. He peaked at the same time commercial interest in the sport peaked. Not his fault. Somebody would have filled that spot and it just happened to be him. Good on him for having a vision and sticking to it. I think that is what separated him and other shredders at that time. Most were just enjoying the ride and he had a plan. An absolute Master in the pipe and park. He progressed both sports in vert. I remember thinking how awesome his family was for driving to big bear and sleeping in their van, They were normal peeps and not the usual rich ski family you'd see back in the day. Together they lifted each other up beyond the limits of imagination. What a great story. Respect to the White's
His skateboarding career is definitely overlooked too often. Other vert pros have referenced his time in skateboarding as a renassaince for vert skating.
So basically, Shaun was the harbinger of the new generation of professional snowboarders. Ones who actually took competition seriously, and didn't share training methods with their competitors. In other words, he treated it as a professional athlete should, and the other riders were just blaming him for their own old mindset and shortcomings.
Shaun White, Terje, Nyjah, Tony Hawk, Sheckler, P Rod: examples of people so ridiculously good at what they do they kicked out of the “bad boy alternative skater image” club and elevated (or demoted depending on who you ask) to super star status.
Sheckler never had a bad boy image, dude was sponsored as a seven year old. What did he do to have a “bad boy alternative skater image” stay up past his bedtime?
EXACTLY, thank you. It's always the partying scrubs who want the bar lowered and get mad when someone pushes it, takes it seriously. I don't want to name names but one of those guys actually got his stuff together and became and amazing Olympian too.
Sounds like a whole lot of envy and jealousy from the others. I think it's completely fine the way others view competition and the way Shaun goes about it. He's clearly very competitive and you don't make it to the top by not having a competitive mentality, dude is a pro athlete..verdict for me is hate unwarranted. The man was inspirational and did a lot for the sport. He's by no means my fav rider, but I do like to recognize greatness when I see it
He talked about all this the other day on the bomb hole podcast. I honestly felt bad for him. This vid came out two months ago, so great timing on your part.
Dude feel bad for him, he literally got hate because he was too good and the others couldn’t cope with the jealously they had for him. Great he kept on winning and showing them what true competition is
Shaun White has what many would call the Mamba mentality, Kobe Bryant was the same exact way but is beloved by both fans and the majority of players he competed against, so I don't see how other pros couldn't appreciate that aspect of snowboarding that Shaun White brought to the table. He progressed the sport more than anybody because he constantly pushed the limits of what people thought was possible and took his competition seriously, he will always be the GOAT for that. Anyone who shows up to a competition hungover where 50k and a car are on the line shouldn't be whining that they didn't get a split of the money, all I hear is a bunch of spoiled rich kids getting jealous that an average kid worked harder and got way better than them. He was treated like garbage from day one because he was better than people twice his age, so of course he was bound to become the lone wolf and it clearly paid off.
it's because it's a rich kids game. they have completely different priorities to what someone like shaun would have had. Shaun, in the early days needed the money to support his family, where as the other kids would have just spent it all on weed and booze. As someone who grew up poor, but met a lot of very rich people via music and art, this makes total sense. The rich kids just don't think in the same way, as money is not an issue for them. it's like how it's always the incredibly rich person that says "it's just money".
I have been snowboarding since early 90s, and I am just slightly younger than Shaun. I average 20-40 days/year. I have always looked up to him! His drive is unreal, and ability to pull off the unthinkable. He is a legend!!
I've spent a lot of time snowboarding at a stunt park called Woodward Park City, and I've encountered a handful of pros there, including Shaun White. Some pros show up with a big crew of 20 other guys, riding in a pack, but Shaun just came in solo, practically incognito. I didn't even know he was him while I rode next to him for a while. I got some time alone with him on the lift, and he was a pretty chill guy. I can sympathize with his competitive nature. Just because everyone else claims to not be taking a competition seriously doesnt mean you can't either...
What I recall (and this video summarize quite nicely) was that Shaun treated snowboarding as a business from much early age where others just kind of took it as a "the friends we made along the way" route. This kind of contrasting mentality can make people act and/or appear shrewd and calculative, and only a rare few are good at balancing cutthroat competitiveness vs perception of comradery and relatability; see Arnold Schwarzenegger's backstory for a good example on how he ran a relatively smooth career and public optics. I think it's unfortunate that one of the most talented and influential riders in the sport's history has so much social baggage, but its undeniable that he as an individual has been instrumental in getting an f ton of people (from a wide demographic, internationally) into snowboarding and allowing more of us to benefit from it in various ways.
This is why I super respect Ryan Williams. It’s rare to see someone that pushes a sport so much but is a genuine fan, and hype man, for all his competitors and emerging talents. At least that’s the image I’ve always seen.
The world works by people going to work and making money. He found what he was good at a very young age and figured out how to make it a full time job. He did what he had to do in order to make the money he has made . The world is a game and he learned how to play it right . And he got hate for it cause he was living the dream. But he earned every dollar
All I see is he took his skill seriously , did not party nor take it lightly , he could not afford to do that , he was not a rich kid like the others. He could have shared his half pipe, but would you share it with people who were hating on you because you took your sport seriously?
Part of me kinda gets it. I play pinball, which has a competition element, but most people are there to have fun, nerd out about pinball, and maybe test each other's skills against each other. But with the competitive atmosphere, there's always some toxicity. Some people play great but can't get out of that mindset, and you are like afterwards, come on, you can take off your game face and have fun for a bit. Especially for a hobby that is underground. Personally, I think White was probably one of the first big players in snowboarding that represented the change from underground hobby to big business. He understood the new model, but if you were there before, it would seem like a degradation of what it was.
@Dusted1 I think most of the hate increased once he kept backing out last second at contests because he was scared he would place bad. For example 2010 X games slopestyle. And much more. And like one person said this can cancel another guy's spot who would have happily taken his place.
I was an X Games judge in the ski discipline for about 6 years and I would have to disagree although we may never know. If Sean was backing out, I don't think it was out of fear of failure. You don't get to the top without failing. I sincerely believe he was the hungriest of competitors in generations and he is not one to back out of a fight for the podium unless he seriously was physically hurt or unable to perform without risking further injury to himself over something in his body that was keeping him on the sidelines. Yes I agree, their should always be runner up athletes and alternates on standby for a chance when a competitor drops out, but lets face it, X was never about the competitors and never will be. The big picture is its a business as a giant circus and in order to logistically get a new rider on deck, graphics, interviews, blah blah and everything the TV producers and people at the top need to do make the TV show they are producing requires preperation and with the exception of the outcome, Everything is scripted when the show starts. This is an entertainment business in the end, and the top doesn't care about athletic careers or what sacrifice they made to get to where they are. But yeah, Their should be at least 3-5 alternates ready to go in pecking order at every live event IMO. It would be awesome for the wild card, dark horse, last minute alternate to mess up the whole outcome. Thats entertainment. @@jjglaser
I was living in whistler BC during his major wins in the early 2000s and no one in the community seemed to care that much but once everyone found out he had his own half pipe cut with a foam pit and didn’t bring any else in that pissed people off! Riding with the boys/girls or homies is a camaraderie that is big in the snowboarding/ skateboarding scene so for him to purely think of himself is kinda selfish but he’s a competitor so there’s that…
Exactly. That and the fact that ge started backing out of slopestyle finals all the time last second in the 2010 onward because he was scared he would place bad. And he would have placed bad.
I still remember when bob burnquist slammed into him during the skateboard vert competition at the x games. Shaun was a little kid, mad respect. Don’t forget he was a heck of a vert skateboarder as well
Cause he’s the face of snowboarding shows no interest in helping to progress the sport. It’s kind of like turning your back on the community that brought you all the success in the first place
@@JSHbproductions Idk man still doesn't seem justified. I'm a skater and if some dudes showed up to my house that were complete assholes to me and wanted to use my miniramp to practice I'd tell em to get lost. Maybe the drama is exaggerated but going off this video alone I don't think he owes them anything.
@@JSHbproductions did you even watch the video? The only one who brought him all that success is himself (and his family of course), he doesn't owe anybody anything and deserves all the success that HE achieved while others were too busy getting trashed before competitions. Who in their right mind goes to a competition hungover when there's 50k and a car on the line? Isn't his fault they acted like a bunch of spoiled brats lol
@@NASAFanboy you can still win competitions and get fancy cars and give back to your community that brought you up. Just look at tony hawk there’s a reason the skateboard community still embraces him. But no i guess your right he doesn’t owe anyone anything….
@JSHbproductions According to your logic and his career, the only ones he was owing something were the board manufacturers and sponsors. You keep repeating "the people who brought him up," but who were they besides his family? He got ostracized by the community early on and had to basically do everything by himself with the help of sponsors, so who of his competition was he owning anything? You're talking in philosophical words without any meaning or substance behind them. The "community" gave him just shit, so that's how he reciprocated. The snowboarding community made him into what he is. I'm not saying it's cool what he did, but the snowboarding community can be awesome and extremely toxic at the same time. They got what they had coming. They've created the monster he was.
Snowboarding culture has been fairly toxic of anything that is different of popular. Travis Rice even experiences similar hate just watch the natural selection tour. I ended up switching to step ons this year to help make days on the mountain easier post knee surgery and the toxicity around this stuff is wild. Shaun will forever be a legend of the sport and likely the reason it is what it is today.
Anyone too popular will receive some hate, but Travis doesn't receive too much as compared to Shaun. Shaun just liked competing more than he liked to have fun. For him, competing alone is fun. That's why he's done so much more than snowboarding in his life. Then, you compare that to Travis Rice, Jeremy Jones, and other famous riders, and you can see they're all in on snowboarding. Have fun and pushing themselves; they aren't there solely to compete in competitions.
Snowboarding culture is probably one of the most positive communities around. What are you talking about? Snowboarders will actually ask what each other is working on and then help each other. Nobody helping you with a jump shot in the gym. Lol snowboard culture is toxic 😂. I’m a foot booter park skier and have more common sense. 😂
@@Ryan_heyMaaaan. They started getting their asses bussed in competitions and had to ride backcounty instead. I don't blame them, because the contests got seriously boring after Antti Autti hit those back to back 1080s. It became spin to win. After that, I only watched to see Shaun White, Autti and eventually Torstein Horgmo. People forget that Jeremy Jones wasn't always a backcountry and Big Mountain rider.
There was a very similar thing in the wakeboard community, at least around the late 2000s/early 2010s (I haven't really been following the scene since then). Philip Soven (formerly went by "Froggy" Soven) was good from a very young age, and even got a segment on the Disney Channel with his younger brother Bob (that's about the extent of their mainstream fame). As Philip got older, he became super competitive, and was the kind of person to sit off by himself at contests getting in the zone, and then would win every contest, and not really participate much with the community. He was seen as a very intense but un-stylish rider, and even though he was winning almost every contest, most people didn't think really highly of him. Funny enough, his younger brother Bob was really out-going and laid back, and was super well received in the community. Maybe he saw how people treated his older brother and made it a point to not be like that.
Interesting. But you needed a god damn boat. A really expensive boat. Not exactly the skateboard roots of the streets. I think that's the core of where his "hate" came from. No pro back then had their mom and dad and family flowing cash to make livings. It was a joke back then to your parents - "if you wanna go slide around on your ski board thing that's fine, good luck. But it ain't payin the bills and you better grow up one day" was pretty much every snowboard bums we knew in the early days. Good for him and no hate, prob just a lot of jealousy cause the struggle to buy a damn lift ticket or even afford top ramen was real for most of us degens that wanted to do this.
My friends and I still call him the unstoppable. The kid (when he was a kid) just kept killing it. He learned here in big bear CA and I will bow to him just like I would bow to Tony hawk. Shaun white is awesome!!!!
13:22 as a skateboarder, when I was younger, I’d compete all the time, yes, some of them were my friends, but we still competed against each other and the best came out on top and that’s that. Like, I was competing against my legit best friend
You have the tale of two Shauns who define two mindsets in snowboarding. The Shaun Palmer crowd and the Shaun White crowd. While he was on Sims, SP totally exemplified the outlaw attitude so many of us had - this is back when some slopes didn't even allow riders and when they did, there was definitely a 'we don't like yer kind' thing from the pole-clutcher scene. The tendency was to embrace that - drink beers, manual picnic tables, go out of bounds in any way possible. Shaun White was arguably the 'better', more tech rider (but really just Terje Hakonsen cranked to 11) - but he was such a goodie goodie. You're going to have a hard time selling that "sponsored by Slim Jim" scene to a bunch of stoners jumping off of boulders. No disrespect to either - but as somebody who started in the late 80's, I still have the outlaw mindset - even if I can't ride like an angry 20-year-old anymore.
@@suckieduckie I'll most certainly hand the younger Shaun all the respect in the world for what he brought to the fold. But he's an icon of the sport becoming more disney and homogenized.
Good summary. I've never gravitated towards White and never knew why. He just wasn't that intriguing even though he was technically the best rider there was. I didn't start snowboarding until I was 22 back in 2011. I'm definitely more on the rebel side so it makes sense why I never found SW appealing. Happy shredding to ya.
Shaun is a legend and I thank him for making Snowboarding mainstream.. He pulled it out for the industry harder than anyone else had. I've been riding since 1992 he did more than my idols Jones, Line, Rice etc Snowboarding needed ya buddy.
It wasn't mentioned, but his falling out with Kevin Pierce always made me dislike him. That being said, he definitely seems to have matured a lot throughout the years and has done a ton for the sport. Hate him or love him, Shaun's a legend.
There's no denying his talent, but Shaun was/is a 'jock'. Winning was everything. Meanwhile a lot snowboarders (most notably Terje) didn't even want snowboarding to be in the Olympics. Snowboarding & skating aren't traditional 'sports' - there was very little money in it, so all of us who grew up in thise days didn't expect or care about winning/sponsorship/money. Ask KP qbout him - or PLG for the skate version. Craig Kelly, Terje & others will go down as the real 'Greats' - but the average spectator probably wouldn't even understand why. Each to their own I suppose.
I don’t hate on him for his success but what he says about pro teams not getting dinner after they play, that’s not true at all. They all hang out and maintain a very collegial vibe because when it comes down to it, they’re all potential teammates at a moments notice, anyone can be traded or cut and then signed by another team at the drop of a hat. So yeah I don’t have any issue with his success but when he tries claiming that pro athletes aren’t hanging out after the game, that’s just ridiculous.
Yeah, he doesn't know a lot abut team sports. He has the mentality of a racer, or single athlete. Most of the greats in these realms are pretty narcissistic. It is an advantage, he said it himself he drove on the hate. He made not getting along with his peers his strenght.
Not at all. Look at the best riders today, nobody hates on them. People like Travis Rice, Mark McMorris, Torstein Horgmo are all amazing riders, but they also do a lot for snowboarding and are looked up on in the community. Travis is the closest to Shaun as he is super competitive, but he is still well liked and respected for what he gives back to snowboarding and his attitude.
@nicklarson8575 though I do partially agree with you and you bring up great examples they are not at all on Shauns level of stardom. In his day he was a household name, no other snowboarder has even come close to the amount of fame he has gotten. Back in the day every boarder I knew hated Shaun, but they also hated Tony Hawk and Ryan Sheckler. Who are both genuinely awesome dudes and have brought a lot of attention to skateboarding but even they weren't on Shauns level. I mean my grandmother knew who Shaun was. People hate on Tom Brady, Nyjah Houston, Mayweather, Labron James and GSP because they are goats in their sports and people hate on goats and want to see them lose. My point isn't that all these guys are great people, in fact they are all very different from each other. But they all get the same amount of hate, and I believe it's because of jealousy.
@@manwithnoname734 Being a GOAT doesn't inherently bring hate. I've never heard any skater hate on Tony Hawk, thy may say he's a little dorky, but not hate. Being a GOAT and also being a dick is what brings the hate. Shaun was just very unlikable back in the day due to his attitude, not only because he was really good.
it aint shaun doing a flip in quebec old city at 9:59 , shaun never did any street ever . shaun was that contest guy , always alone in his bubble . what great years it was ! nice clip man !
Shaun White's comments about the situation are on point. It's disgusting that his own peers put so much energy into trying to drag him down. Snowboarding on that level is a lifestyle. I'm sure in hindsight they will realize that their differences were ultimately insignificant, and blown out of proportion. I never understood the hate. I just saw a guy doing what he loved, and putting everything he had into it. Luckily the story doesn't end here. When the dust settles we will really see who did what for snowboarding, if that really even matters.
I don't know man, his comments also perfectly highlight the communities issues with him. He says it loud and clear that he isn't out to make any friends so it seems pretty wierd to wonder why they aren't all friendly to him
Well, I do understand them though. He was probably ruining the experience for most of the people competing at the time. I get Shauns side too, but at the same time he's participating in event, but kinda not since he's not there to do what other people are doing. I would probably compare it to something like going to some wine tasting and getting piss drunk. Sure, you are there to drink alcohol, but people don't really go there to become blabbering mess.
@@mukkaar Wow that comparison with the wine tasting is on point 😄 Came here to leave a comment similar to yours, but you def beat me to and at it... "I just saw a guy doing what he loved": I agree. He loved the competition and the winning. Not so much the art side of the sport. Which is in my opinion why he should have gone into racing. Art has always been a part of doing jumps and tricks, is a form of art and an integral part of snowboarding. If you leave that out, there's only greed (be that money or fame or something else) left as a motivator. It loses the beauty, therefore he lost the overall support. U gotta have some style to become cool. He always lacked that completely.
Why enter a competition if you don’t want to compete. If it wasn’t for Shaun, I don’t see snowboarding elevating to the levels it’s at now. Ironic that the people that shat on him for taking this seriously also considered themselves pros.
I was a huge fan of guys like Travis Rice, John Jackson, and Jeremy Jones growing up, it was a bit frustrating when talking to non snowboarders about snowboarding, thinking that snowboarding was all about the half pipe and that Shaun White represented the sport or the type of riding or snowboarding I looked up to.
If you want to get a good sense of what kind of person he is, watch “The Crash Reel” and see how he treats his closest friends. The movie is just about Kevin’s injury but also shows a side to Shaun that people wouldnt like.
Correct, this video shows only a small surface level of Shaun White with a dictated narrative. I expected also the relationship with Kevin Pearce to be highlighted and was missed.
Same thing kind of happened with Ricky Carmichael in moto. He came in wanting to compete and brought a new era, the other riders didn't like that they couldn't party anymore and actually had to hone their talent.
I've been snowboarding since my first Snurfer in 1969, surfing since 1976 and skateboarding since 1985. Add in windsurfing, kiteboarding, wing foiling and being an instructor trainer I have to say that I don't know any of my friends who hate Shaun White. We owe much of our sports to his lifetime of innovation, dedication and ambassadorship. Nobody is perfect, get over it.
I had two buddies of mine go to Woodward skatepark for a week in the early 2000s. They said Shaun was extremely snobby. That he’d demand sections of the park closed to only him. Mind you he was probably 14-16 at the time.
please nobody should be hating on him or anyone else in the sport for that matter if you don't like losing get better you don't like him earning big biscuits go make more of your own and that money splitting thing at the contest is such lame bs he earned that money and then they cried for a hand out like a bunch of babies
My brother used to compete in bmx in the early years. He said he and the other pros thought similarly about Matt Haufman for the same reasons. One thing to be good, another to be cool.
People who hate this guy are just jealous of his success. I have seen him just give a kid a snowboard one day when he was practicing and no cameras were around. He just did it to be nice to kid who needed a board. White is a good man.
I feel like there needs to be separate "creative" and "sport" style events for Snowboarding. "Creative" where style outweighs technical difficulty. You'll see one leg out of the binding moves or Superman front flips, for example. Then a pure "sport" competition. People that just want to win can do the sport one. This would allow hardcore sport types like Shaun to thrive without issues while still allowing the creative events that we all love.
He would have beat anyone in any of the “creative” events because he invented the most “creative” Tricks. The results would be the same as in the “sport” style of events that he dominated.
Only way your "creative" would have different results to "sports" is if you can only do tricks they create. In turn 9/10 pro riders would not be able to do a single trick in their run. Wonder what pros have tricks in their bag that they created meaning they can use it in your creative comp.
@@senoe7792 The creative style events wouldn't have to be tricks they made up. If that was the case, there wouldn't be many contestants. Just tricks that get the crowd going. It would be based on crowd's applause, no official judges.
@@toddspangler6669 I take it you dont watch comps much? If it went by crowd sound volume, who ever the most hyped pro is would win every time due to the fact most fans cheer for the biggest and hardest tricks that look difficult rather than a nice flowy line. Or the pro they fan boy over due to media attention. So unless you ban average viewers from being a spectator, guess who would win from the cheers? Shaun white, tony hawk etc. The people you dont want winning as they are known by more than just a tiny little community you are apart of
Late to the party but that kind of event already somewhat exists in the x games as the Knuckle Huck. 20 minute jam session style comp, no hard scoring, judges just decide who they feel made the most out of the runs they got. It's easily my favorite snowboarding event to watch cause you see guys bring out ridiculous shit like using other guys as props or riding super sized boards.
Shaun White is an absolute Legend and the GOAT of Snowboarding. No one is perfect and hes Human as well. With fame and success you will always get jealousy.
In skate, snow, and surf - there’s people that get known making videos and people that get known winning contest. The best things ever done are never in contest. Contest is doing things for other people to like you. Independent videos are a display of your natural expression of self which is not uncommon to be way more gnarly than what happens in contest. Contest skaters/snowboarders have never been better than street. I have no idea who these other people are commenting all this bs but comps are a jock mentality to monetize something. It removes the soul from the activity.
He is the living proof that "your peers" want you to do well as long as you dont do better than them. That story in Japan is crazy, splitting the money? Dude, what? Its a competition, not a cookout
Real snowboarders don't care about medals and contest wins. They care about riding with friends, having fun, and style. Shaun only had the style, he didn't have many friends in the scene due to his competitive nature. He is one of the best to ride, but he is more of an "athlete" than a snowboarder.
Isn't the point of a competition to be competitive? Especially when the sport entered the Olympics? Saying that thise people shouldn't be athletes and just "snow bros" is pretty backwards thinking. One part is the culture, the other the competition side. You can't mix and match them as the word "competition" would loose all it's meaning. That doesen't mean that its ok to be a shitty person to your pears, but it deffinitely means that people who weren't taking competitions serious and were expecting others to do the same, we're just clowns.
He is real to me, just different attitude towards snowboarding. What's wrong being competititve? Surely there's room for every style regardless of your intent as long as your are snowboarding. I snowboard alone and don't do rails and big jumps, am I not real as they say?
I’v been a snowboarder all my life, worked at ski hills, Met Shaun white on 3 occasion he is a friendly wholesome guy. Ppl who hate him will realized they are just confused and eventually change their opinion
You left out the "i want to murder that guy, not murder but" he had a fuck everyone else attitude. All the greats eventually give back the game . Jordan,Kobe,Tom Brady, etc. Shaun White never gave back that way , thus the sport never got to a place where it could have been.
we snowboarded with this kid at big bear he was around 10 yrs old with a lot of drive so all the haters take a ride he was putting in the work from the get go, rock on shaun from big bear
100% with Shaun here. An elite competitor who took it very serious. He made snowboarding a household name and inspired a generation. Sounds like the jealous haters got what they deserved
spot on, i wrote a similar essay last semester not on Shaun but on the mentality of organized sports vs extreme sports. traditionally extreme sports have never been about competing against others but rather pushing yourself and you couldnt make it without a strong supportive network around you or you would quite literally die. just think extreme climbing or riding avalanche prone terrain and you'll see the truth in this. where as organized sports is a more us vs them mentality and ill do anything to win type mentality. of course it wasnt as extreme in x games competition but as a snowboarder i never enjoyed shaun because he didnt seem to really enjoy it or have fun and his style was generic, it was much more of a calculated formula vs just going with the flow and finding rhythm. to each their own. individuality is the main point of the sport. however i dont think his impact will be as long lasting as say Jeremy Jones or Travis Rice. he had his time, he served himself but he didnt tap into the culture or leave a legacy in the way jeremy jones and travis rice have.
I started snowboarding in 1993. Shawn was this little turd snowboarding at Windells and getting attention back then. It was an amazing rise to become one of the greatest to do it. I never felt any I’ll-will to the kid. For these other clowns… envy and jealousy is a mother f*****. I’m sure Shawn and his family have zero regrets and could give zero f***** about the hate.
i dont rly think envy and jealousy mattered that much to the community of the time. shaun was (and still is, by many) viewed as a sort of "greedy" opportunist, which stuck out compared to the other riders. one can argue that "he was pushing the sport", but reality is, hes known for "the perfect run formula" because of how he didnt really progress any further once he made the line that gave him the perfect score. he basically just pushed himself enough to have a solid lead, and then stop pushing until others caught up - essentially just "doing it for the money". its kind of wrong to say that he was such a saint and pushed the sport and bla bla when it had more to do with "just being enough" to catch the grand price. nothing wrong with that, of course, but it explains why his legend-status is somewhat tainted, depending on who you ask
I just saw him as the biggest talent -by far-. He was impressive and unstoppable. I also remember a snowboard culture of accepting everyone, being unjudgemental, relaxed, mellow and doing whatever you wanted to do, inspiring each other and pushing each other learning tricks. A bit of surfer-culture. So fuck the haters.
Don't forget it's how he acted while he was winning that made people hate him. There was a year at X games(towards the end of his slopestyle dominance) where he took an extra run because he didn't like his score. His diva actions detracted from the actual winners of the comp. People who are hated for winning, usually end up being revered. The "hate" stems from wanting to see someone else win - i.e. Tom Brady, Hated for winning, respected for how he did it.
Or that one year where i showed us his new clothing line and torstein only said „i was sitting in the lift during practice and I wondered, who’s this red head chick up there, completely ripping“
It's funny because I distinctively remember early on when I saw him on TV, I was mesmerized with how much fun he seemed to be having and how he celebrated his victories early in his career. I can understand that a winning streak like his can suck the money and "fun" right out of his competitors but I truly never thought of him being particularly cocky until very late into his career and dominance.
@@dang7824 Stan said it pretty well: „shawn white is one of the best professional athletes in the world and snowboarding and skating has been his Plattform. He has never been a snowboarder. Like a SNOWBOARDER, snowboarder!“
This is the first time I’ve heard that he’s hated. As a kid that grew up in the 2000s snowboarding, Shaun White was and is a legend in my eyes. He’s a pioneer of the sport
Prodigy, yes. However, pioneer is a stretch. Modern snowboards have been around for a for 40-50 years. That said, I believe hate is too strong of a word for how the community felt about Shawn’s isolationist city attitude. Ultimately, I’d say they disliked his approach to never connect with the community.
I am mostly ok with him but I say he misrepresents snowboarding as a whole, many of the half pipe snowboarders also misrepresent snowboarding, because the people that do half pipe it is basically all they do so they aren’t. He is so perfectly trained it takes away from what snowboarding really is
The haters should look in the mirror and admit to themselves……..they’re jealous of Shaune, his ability, his mentality and his success. The guys a total snowboarding legend.
Why would I be any more envious (I guess that is what you ment by jealous, it is not like I'm his girlfriend) towards Shaun, than I am to any other pro that is lightyears better than me? This whole " you are just jealous" argument from fanboys, when someone critizises their idols is so dumb and childish. I think his mentality is shit, simple as that. There are many great riders that won a shitton of events, and somehow they are not disliked by most of the community. I wonder why that is?
@@TCK71 jealousy means you are worried someone is gonna take something you have, envy is when you want something someone else has, so yeah, you are wrong here. And again, why should I be anymore envious towards him, than literally any other pro that is lightyears better than me, including the many riders that surpassed him in ability? I know he was good, I don't like him because of his shitty attitude, not because he won contests. I know your little fanboy brain can't process this, but I can respect his skill and still don't like him.
As one-of-those who Coached Shaun in his Early years, I've got to say, he 'played the Players' quite well, and utilized his moments of Fame to promote decent brands. He earned his fame with a Solid Work Ethic, and a want to Better Himself as a Performer in 2 sports. I probably had a hand in That, as, at Mt. Hood, I advised a red-headed Tween to 'Do Tricks on your Skateboard, then put them on Snow, and, Vice-Versa,', something that the Youngin' obviously took to heart, as he Sk8-ed in the X-games, and also Snowboarded in such (plus Olympics on Snowboard). In '93, I was a very vocal Coach in using a sk8-board to better your Snowboarding skills, and posted a few thousand times on NCDSA/freecarve , Bomber, ISSA, silverfish and the like for decades +. Shaun is kinda my 'proof-positive' that I wasn't Insane in tying the Board-sports together as muscle-memory skill enhancers. "PSR", aka Pre-school Rider, aka E. Brammer, the guy that designed Sel's Park & Pipe at Okemo...
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Just to correct a few inaccuracies:
5:17 This is simply untrue. Shaun's unusual high level of competitiveness wasn't because his family was poor; it's because he simply LOVES to compete. It's in his bones. You compared his family being poor as compared to rich Skier families supporting their kids, but most competing snowboarders were poor in the 90s and 2000s. Almost every major snowboarder would live in the back of a car, going cross country for every single competition they could enter.
13:57 Also, a very odd take. A lot of pro snowboarders have big sponsors like Oakley or Red Bull, even back before 2010. Him no longer competing doesn't necessarily mean that big sponsors are looking to other riders when other riders are already on those sponsors.
The hate he received was simple. He was the face of snowboarding, but didn't even remotely represent the culture of snowboarding, as you did say a few times. But it's not just "the bros"; even your family at the local resort is there to have fun--not to compete. Snowboarding at its very core is not a competitive sport.
As a snowboarder, I don't hate him, but he sure doesn't represent snowboarding in the slightest sense. The world of snowboarding is so much larger than the competitions. Just watch any snowboarding film, big or small, and you'll get what it's about: having fun, being creative, and pushing yourself--not pushing the other riders.
and skateboarders hate him literally just for snowboarding. lol
i already use factor haha
I have bean using factor for years and I can verify that they are litraly the BEST
I can't believe what are you eating
This is Sad..
This video summed up in one sentence:
"Everyone else was just pissed off they weren't as good as Shaun White!"
Thank you
Eh, I mostly agree but not letting other riders practice in a safe environment is getting dangerously close to overcompetitive.
@user-fu7rd9li9k Tell me you are American without actually telling me. Oh wait, you just did.
@@Nazrahnas😂
But I'm actually not. Proud Australian. But I still feel like a large portion of other people's gripes have to do with envy.
I completely agree that he was terrible at sharing and being gracious. Always rubbing his victory in other people's faces. I had a very good friend of mine years ago who I imagine was similar to SW. Ultra competitive at any cost, to the detriment of all others. We're not friends anymore 🤷🏻♂️
@@fretboardrunneragree completely. Like i said in an earlier comment just now, he was overcompetitive, at any cost and to the detriment of all others.
“You’ll never find a hater doing better than you”
Exactly. That one statement nails the whole argument for me. Substitute 'hate' for 'jealousy' and you see the real picture....
Crabs in a bucket
People doing better do hate on you, they just don't say it out loud because it's not a good look to punch down.
Maybe Michael Jordan?
Except in extremely toxic work cultures that overly value seniority.
What blows my mind is how he was literally risking his neck at such a young age, inventing some of the gnarliest tricks ever? Much like Mike McGill trying a 540 on a vert ramp for the first time, it takes a lot of balls to do that, especially when any given jump could put you in a chair for the rest of your life? Legend.
Totally! Love backcountry riding the best. But people wouldn’t be pulling the tricks they are today without people like White.
Backcountry is my favorite
@crazyralph6386
A 540 is much easier than a 360 on transition. Don’t ask me how
"I’m talking about Mountain Dews baby". Lol classic, when I first saw that clip as a child I actually believed him
Idc. Shaun White was how I found out abt snowboarding at 7 years old, when I accidentally turned X Games on the TV. And snowboarding saved my life when I got older, so long live Shaun White.
I can understand where other riders were coming from, wanting to keep the sport relaxed and fun, but if there is $50k and a car on the line, I'm not going out and getting drunk the night before. That's on them.
Not only that but his family would have spent more to get him there than he would have won.
it's also not fair to the people who showed up to see the competition
100%
Most of them had 50k like so easy. Snowboarding is so expensive. It's a typical behavior from spoiled kids. Like now... Who are the ones who are pollution the everest? Ofc the rich ones.
You are definitely not a snowboarder...
snow sport is an expensive sport, Shaun came from a ordinary faimly hence he was all about winning and getting money whereas others might be rich kids who were in there just for fun.
yup. he had the hunger for it. and others were just hating.
I disagree, sure its expensive to go to a mountain resort on vacation but the snowboarders who gets good are the ones growing up in the mountains and/or living there and work there and the people living around the resorts are not rich.
@@antediluviangocartThe people living around the resorts are some of the richest in the world.
FACTS!!!
@@christopherespinoza-darnel8514 Not where I live, no one is rich here, most of us work at the resort. Of course there are plenty of giant lodges owned by rich people but they dont live here full time and they certainly dont snowboard.
What a true criminal this guy was! How dare he enter a sports competition, just to win. So not 'in the spirit'....WTF?? He's an athlete. He competes. That's how it works. Fuck the 'community'! Ride to win bro. Nice! Definitely one of my heroes.
you don’t understand snowboarding bro. the sport is all about the community you can’t just say “fuck the community” lmao. delete your comment
i implore you to listen to the bomb hole podcast with shaun as a guest. he’s a selfish pos and talks about himself literally the whole podcast. he has no humility and no care for others
he's also a sex pest
@@jnystrom8i mean he was invited cuz hes the best so.. dont blame him🤷🏻♀️
he's a douche. people can feel however they want about him.
I got to see Shaun White in Afghanistan while he was on a USO tour for Christmas. He's a pretty funny guy in person and he told the mountain dew story on stage. He seemed like a pretty humble guy when he spoke and he seemed happy to be there
That's crazy you met him in Afghanistan of all places
As an actual snowboarder, Shaun's only real 'sin' was at his last Olympics, when he took another person who had qualified's spot so he could try to do both Slopestyle and Halfpipe, then at the event he bitches out, drops Halfpipe and only does Slopestyle, while the guy who earned the spot had to watch from his fucking couch....the spot went unfilled.
That's it...other than that it's his business what he does with his success and he did deserve his success generally. Yes the Xgames put their finger on the scale for him in a few Gold Medal round runs, but that wasn't his choice so it's not rational to hate Shaun for what craven TV and Corporate sponsors do. And for real he's legit, he is one of the greatest halfpipe riders ever, maybe the greatest and will always be a legend.
Totally agree with you. Shaun is a legend and seems to be a class act. But, wasn't it the other way around he dropped Slopestyle and competed Halfpipe? He wasn't a real threat in slopestyle if I remember correctly he dropped slopestyle around 2011 to focus on halfpipe in a time guys went from doing occasional double corks in slopestyle runs to now doing runs filled with triple's and even quads.
Who was the rider?
Great points. I agree Shaun is a legend and received way more hate than he likely deserved. But… he’s not innocent on all counts. I’m old enough to remeber him coming up as a child to him retiring. I’m still shredding and not rich. 🤷
He qualified for both events and US Snowboarding decided to give him the spot. It’s not like Shaun decided to “take” the spot, he was given it by his countries team.
He still earned the points to qualify and deserved the spot.
I wasn't aware of that. Totally agree. The Olympics is not the same thing as the tour. Lame if he manipulated the rules and kept someone from the team.
Wow man never knew about his heart defect😢
My son had tetralogy of fallot and died after first surgery.
Pretty amazing that Shaun recovered and went in to be such a badass.
Much respect
RIL to your son bro, godspeed ❤
@@boyifyoudonttt we had two more kids since then... Happy and healthy. Living life
It was tragic and heartbreaking but such is life.
Learn from it and be a better person.
Thank you for your sentiment✌🏻
@@hawkwind769 Legend 💪🏼
@@boyifyoudonttt what's truly legendary???
Riding snowboard with my oldest🥰
Last year was our first season together...
Over 20 trips to Mt Baker ski area and this season he has pass.
Connecting turns already so I suspect this season is gonna be the"break thru" year...
Don't ever let a loss of a loved one, be the thing that breaks you... You keep them with you and live the best life you can.
@@hawkwind769 inspirational man, truly. You have a callused mind and I mean that as a compliment. It’s the only way to move forward but at the same time keeping them with you
Lmaooo so basically what I got from this is that snowboarders like to be broke, and when one wants to get paid they all gang up and gaslight him for getting paid 😂
Good for him... great role model, leveled up the sport, maximized his position, worked his ass off. Kids should look up to him and model his success.
Exactly. A snowboarder with sense would be happy for him and try to pick his brain to get some tips on how he does it. Nope... They chose "Hate" . Bunch of sore losers...🤦♂️
Halfpipe riding is just a small part of snowboarding and Shaun definitely accelerated and pushed in his department, but when I think of the progression of snowboarding and the riders that represent the culture in it's entirety, I think of guys like Travis Rice, Big Mountain Jeremy Jones, Terje Hakkonsen, Bryan Iguchi, JP Walker who are true searchers that have contributed so much.
White was a pretty good Backcountry boarder when he was starting out. Some of the big tricks today came from slope style.
Exactly
that is 100% true but i knew shaun white from 2010 until now and hes the reason why snowboarding got so popular back then since he was killing it in the olympics. As of right now you are correct with those names you mentioned because they are still actively snowboarding, but shaun is still a snowboarding legend
@@boriscima8134 he's win slope style events fool
@@mjor6406 do you even snowboard or you just watch it on tv
As both a BMX rider and a financially underprivileged guy I can understand both perspectives. As a community, we LOVE seeing our friends win, even if we’re competitors, because at the end of the day, we’re all there to do what we love with our people. But when your prize money determines whether your family can even afford to attend, or if you’re even able to make the next competition, yeah, winning does become a priority. Maybe that’s hard for some rich kids to understand, but it’s reality for a lot of us.
Hence libtards being mostly well financially spoiled brats with no sense of sacrifice and planning for the worst, some of the most important pillars of civilization!
I’ve always felt sorry for him. He never had a normal childhood. Hell, he never even just rode with his friends in the powder through the trees. His whole career has been competitive.
I feel bad for the unnecessary hate and bullying he had from the "cool kids". Mad respect for Shawn.
you actually think you know anything about his life is kinda sad!!! and i feel sorry for you.... i for one never met shaun white nor do i pretend to know him either but to say he didn't have childhood or saying things like he didn't have friends to ride with is pretty wild..... do you really believe he didn't have anyone to ride with on his free time?? people act like they know people in media just because things are said about them online is hilarious.
@@dlckddyd76 well being a guy that snowboarding 60 days a year for over 10 years of my life and lived in mountain towns while doing it. I remember watching him when he was like 2 feet tall, tall and us all gawking at him on X games.
But yeah, I’m actually grounded in reality and you took quite a while to write that little essay there, so good luck to you
I stand by what I said, I think Sean White grew up quite isolated
@@thebrianchannel9890 because you saw him once when he was 2 feet tall? you know his daily life? from what i gather he was surrounded by older peers when he was young. I would think he had blast as young kid.. since snowboarding is fun sport even for older people. as for young kid snowboarding I would assume he had blast riding with older peers around him and going to contest to contest as a young kid would be something fun.
I know danny davis was probably one of the guy who started bashing shaun white in (possibly late90's or early 2k) because he had different view as to shaun but who is danny davis to say how shaun should live his snowboarding life? its sad to see people bashing others because they had different perspective/priority in life.
anyways shaun seem to have passion for snowboarding as young kid! which he probably love doing so. i just laugh when you say something like shaun probably never rode powder with friends............ like really? he literally travel as young kid to japan with his burton crew (which were his friends at that time!! forget about age) he had probably ridden more powder than any snowboarder you might think of that are competitive riders.
@@dlckddyd76 dude you need to get a friend that’s a bot or something. Have a great day.
As someone new to the snowboarding community, this was very eye opening. Didn't know he was resented so much, and would've never guessed it was because he actually took the sport seriously?! No wonder he was on top for so long - his competition didn't even like competing 😂
I agree with not splitting the money. Go Shaun! You put in the work, you deserve the rewards. Sounds like a bunch of sour grapes from dudes who couldn't keep up. He lived his life how he wants to live it. He owes these guys nothing.
Yeah for real. If they’d rather party and/or be lazy stoners then you snooze you lose lol I can’t believe the contestants even thought about doing that lol 😂
it’s the exact same culture in skating tbh 😢 I haven’t competed other than doing comps as a 10 yr old but it’s the same attitude. Tony Hawk was hated for so long about the video games but ANY one of them would have also taken that opportunity
That may or may not have been the scenario. It's worth noting that a LOT of snowboarding contests split the money when conditions aren't great or the park setup isn't great, especially back in those days.
Common guys he fucked up soooo much and I think you don’t really understand sb culture…
@helloitsme543 your culture doesn't mean shit. Results do.
I knew him as a little kid skating the old Encinitas YMCA skate park (rip) and he’s just good. He’s always been good and he knew it he’s not blind. He was super talented from a Grom on a skateboard and he just ripped a snowboard times 10.❤❤❤❤❤ and yeah, I’ve always been a fan as I was the skateboard mom😂🎉 I just don’t understand why people wanted to disrespect him because he was trying to take care of his family and get upset at him because he was sober while they were partying that’s absurd😊. But then you hang out with an entitled crew I guess that’s what happens. He’s a goat.❤
People always hate the best because they aren’t
Tbh after watching this I like and respect him even more. He is a professional athlete who is competing for a living and his mentality is exactly what youd expect from someone not fed by a silver spoon. His competitors hate him because he took winning so seriously but it sounds like they are mad they couldnt beat him
So basically you're another lazy, you should share your riches with everybody.. This is so interesting coming from a generation of grifters and influencers and do whatever it takes to make money. Grow up.
This really just goes to show the difference between ideals and how we were raised, because Shaun felt he needed to win in order to help support his family while everyone else was just trying to have fun.
Non stop fun...like idiots, and idiots make competitions boring and sorts stale.
Heres a big point you missed. Snowboarders often see what they’re doing as an art or a sport (usually some of both). Shaun was fully on the sport side. He had his perfect run that he used at every competition. While it was a winning strategy at that time, to snowboarders he looked like a robot. Everything he did was the opposite of what snowboarders generally thought was cool- tight pants, boot grabs, wide stance, not riding outside of comps for the fun of it. His lack of style and uniqueness pushed many riders away. Much more than in traditional sports, snowboarding is a form of self expression and creativity is highly valued in the snowboard community. This is why riders like Scott Stevens will always be revered as gods in the snowboard world, while the Shaun Whites get laughed at. I don’t think that most snowboarders genuinely hate Shaun, they just gravitate towards other riders who have a more creative and interesting way of expressing themselves in their riding.
So basically he is the nyjah of snowboarding? Or vice versa
Haha bunch of 🤡 snow boarders and skiers are douchbags
also snowboarders dont give a fuck about shaun white or even talk about him that much wtf is this video even
and after lookin at ur channel u actually suck bro i seen skater kids go bigger than that what
sounds a lot like how skating was with tony hawk, too.
So a bunch of snowboarders went out and got wasted before a competition and he didn't and then they expect him to give up most of his winnings? I would have told them to shove it also...
“I’m talking about mtn dews baby alright”😂
Travis Rice is our true ambassador. He proved you can embrace sponsors while still maintaining the soul.
It’s a sport that exists outside of a competition model. Style, creativity and freedom are the pillars to most and the competitive scene is almost a separate entity in the culture. He was the poster child for what most of the community sees as missing the point. His skill is unquestionable though.
Same with skateboarding and Tony Hawk is not the GOAT by a long shot.
@@mikeschmidt4800white is more comparable to Nyjah Houston
@@mikeschmidt4800 sure, hard to knock tony on his influence and growing skateboarding at large though. has to get props in that regard.
@@Lightspeedloser_ Yep, similar viewpoint of wanting to dominate the sport. Will say though, Nyjah has hit some pretty gnar spots.. and he's paid for them in blood. He's some real shit, even if he is very competition focused.
Skateboarding and surfing as well, though competitive surfing is a bit different. The guys who enjoy these sports don’t see them as competitive.
Do people just forget that Shaun was a massively competitive vert skateboarder too?! That’s one of the things that made me such a fan, I think he went undefeated in both snowboarding and skateboarding one year (maybe 2010-‘11, not certain). A lot of the skaters never thought he’d have a chance at winning but he put the effort in and started beating Bucky and Pierre-luc, two legends of skating. At the same time Shaun was on his own level in both slopestyle and pipe snowboarding. Possibly the most talented boardsport rider ever, would’ve been the only modern athlete to earn both summer and winter Olympic medals (he’s still the only one to do it for X Games) of skating was in the Olympics in late 2000s.
He surfed a bit too
By far the most talented competition vert and park skater/boarder combo ever. Shaun was more an athlete(most vert shredders are)/rock star kind of boarder. He peaked at the same time commercial interest in the sport peaked. Not his fault. Somebody would have filled that spot and it just happened to be him. Good on him for having a vision and sticking to it. I think that is what separated him and other shredders at that time. Most were just enjoying the ride and he had a plan. An absolute Master in the pipe and park. He progressed both sports in vert. I remember thinking how awesome his family was for driving to big bear and sleeping in their van, They were normal peeps and not the usual rich ski family you'd see back in the day. Together they lifted each other up beyond the limits of imagination. What a great story. Respect to the White's
He has the worst stinkbug stance, horrible style skating 😂
I always thought the snowboarding gave him an edge. He did so many flip tricks on ramp. I bet he can't skate street for shit. Ha ha.
His skateboarding career is definitely overlooked too often. Other vert pros have referenced his time in skateboarding as a renassaince for vert skating.
So basically, Shaun was the harbinger of the new generation of professional snowboarders. Ones who actually took competition seriously, and didn't share training methods with their competitors. In other words, he treated it as a professional athlete should, and the other riders were just blaming him for their own old mindset and shortcomings.
It reminds me a lot of this new generation with the everyone gets a trophy crap, that we don’t won’t to hurt anybody’s feelings BS
@tomdiets5079 what? The old style snowboarder reminds you of the new generation? Wouldn't that just imply people have always acted that way?
@@bradybraun6952 No I was talking about all the other pro snow boarders idea of competition, not Shaun’s
As a snowboarder , I loved Shaun . He was one of the best , and was huge when I was a teen and snowboarding a lot .
Shaun White, Terje, Nyjah, Tony Hawk, Sheckler, P Rod: examples of people so ridiculously good at what they do they kicked out of the “bad boy alternative skater image” club and elevated (or demoted depending on who you ask) to super star status.
Terje refused to go to Olympics ;)
@@evok993 good point
I only know two names on that list
Sheckler never had a bad boy image, dude was sponsored as a seven year old. What did he do to have a “bad boy alternative skater image” stay up past his bedtime?
EXACTLY, thank you. It's always the partying scrubs who want the bar lowered and get mad when someone pushes it, takes it seriously. I don't want to name names but one of those guys actually got his stuff together and became and amazing Olympian too.
Sounds like a whole lot of envy and jealousy from the others. I think it's completely fine the way others view competition and the way Shaun goes about it. He's clearly very competitive and you don't make it to the top by not having a competitive mentality, dude is a pro athlete..verdict for me is hate unwarranted. The man was inspirational and did a lot for the sport. He's by no means my fav rider, but I do like to recognize greatness when I see it
He talked about all this the other day on the bomb hole podcast. I honestly felt bad for him. This vid came out two months ago, so great timing on your part.
Dude feel bad for him, he literally got hate because he was too good and the others couldn’t cope with the jealously they had for him. Great he kept on winning and showing them what true competition is
Shaun White has what many would call the Mamba mentality, Kobe Bryant was the same exact way but is beloved by both fans and the majority of players he competed against, so I don't see how other pros couldn't appreciate that aspect of snowboarding that Shaun White brought to the table. He progressed the sport more than anybody because he constantly pushed the limits of what people thought was possible and took his competition seriously, he will always be the GOAT for that. Anyone who shows up to a competition hungover where 50k and a car are on the line shouldn't be whining that they didn't get a split of the money, all I hear is a bunch of spoiled rich kids getting jealous that an average kid worked harder and got way better than them. He was treated like garbage from day one because he was better than people twice his age, so of course he was bound to become the lone wolf and it clearly paid off.
it's because it's a rich kids game. they have completely different priorities to what someone like shaun would have had. Shaun, in the early days needed the money to support his family, where as the other kids would have just spent it all on weed and booze. As someone who grew up poor, but met a lot of very rich people via music and art, this makes total sense. The rich kids just don't think in the same way, as money is not an issue for them.
it's like how it's always the incredibly rich person that says "it's just money".
I have been snowboarding since early 90s, and I am just slightly younger than Shaun. I average 20-40 days/year. I have always looked up to him! His drive is unreal, and ability to pull off the unthinkable. He is a legend!!
Whether or not you like the guy, he revolutionized the sport on more than one playing field.
I've spent a lot of time snowboarding at a stunt park called Woodward Park City, and I've encountered a handful of pros there, including Shaun White.
Some pros show up with a big crew of 20 other guys, riding in a pack, but Shaun just came in solo, practically incognito. I didn't even know he was him while I rode next to him for a while. I got some time alone with him on the lift, and he was a pretty chill guy.
I can sympathize with his competitive nature. Just because everyone else claims to not be taking a competition seriously doesnt mean you can't either...
What I recall (and this video summarize quite nicely) was that Shaun treated snowboarding as a business from much early age where others just kind of took it as a "the friends we made along the way" route. This kind of contrasting mentality can make people act and/or appear shrewd and calculative, and only a rare few are good at balancing cutthroat competitiveness vs perception of comradery and relatability; see Arnold Schwarzenegger's backstory for a good example on how he ran a relatively smooth career and public optics.
I think it's unfortunate that one of the most talented and influential riders in the sport's history has so much social baggage, but its undeniable that he as an individual has been instrumental in getting an f ton of people (from a wide demographic, internationally) into snowboarding and allowing more of us to benefit from it in various ways.
This is why I super respect Ryan Williams. It’s rare to see someone that pushes a sport so much but is a genuine fan, and hype man, for all his competitors and emerging talents. At least that’s the image I’ve always seen.
The world works by people going to work and making money. He found what he was good at a very young age and figured out how to make it a full time job. He did what he had to do in order to make the money he has made . The world is a game and he learned how to play it right . And he got hate for it cause he was living the dream. But he earned every dollar
All I see is he took his skill seriously , did not party nor take it lightly , he could not afford to do that , he was not a rich kid like the others. He could have shared his half pipe, but would you share it with people who were hating on you because you took your sport seriously?
Basically most snowboarders are wealthy dilettantes that don't have to work at anything and look down on people that do work.
Part of me kinda gets it. I play pinball, which has a competition element, but most people are there to have fun, nerd out about pinball, and maybe test each other's skills against each other. But with the competitive atmosphere, there's always some toxicity. Some people play great but can't get out of that mindset, and you are like afterwards, come on, you can take off your game face and have fun for a bit. Especially for a hobby that is underground.
Personally, I think White was probably one of the first big players in snowboarding that represented the change from underground hobby to big business. He understood the new model, but if you were there before, it would seem like a degradation of what it was.
Sean is a legend. At the same time he was top of game in skateboarding vert as well.
Haters will be haters. He was just ahead of the time.
It's interesting to see how he's seen in snowboarding vs skateboarding since most people in skateboarding appreciated his effort in the vert scene
@Dusted1 I think most of the hate increased once he kept backing out last second at contests because he was scared he would place bad. For example 2010 X games slopestyle. And much more. And like one person said this can cancel another guy's spot who would have happily taken his place.
I was an X Games judge in the ski discipline for about 6 years and I would have to disagree although we may never know. If Sean was backing out, I don't think it was out of fear of failure. You don't get to the top without failing. I sincerely believe he was the hungriest of competitors in generations and he is not one to back out of a fight for the podium unless he seriously was physically hurt or unable to perform without risking further injury to himself over something in his body that was keeping him on the sidelines.
Yes I agree, their should always be runner up athletes and alternates on standby for a chance when a competitor drops out, but lets face it, X was never about the competitors and never will be. The big picture is its a business as a giant circus and in order to logistically get a new rider on deck, graphics, interviews, blah blah and everything the TV producers and people at the top need to do make the TV show they are producing requires preperation and with the exception of the outcome, Everything is scripted when the show starts. This is an entertainment business in the end, and the top doesn't care about athletic careers or what sacrifice they made to get to where they are.
But yeah, Their should be at least 3-5 alternates ready to go in pecking order at every live event IMO. It would be awesome for the wild card, dark horse, last minute alternate to mess up the whole outcome. Thats entertainment. @@jjglaser
shoud of put in the part when he stared getting jealous of his BFF for beating him in contests, than kicking him out of his pad.
I was living in whistler BC during his major wins in the early 2000s and no one in the community seemed to care that much but once everyone found out he had his own half pipe cut with a foam pit and didn’t bring any else in that pissed people off! Riding with the boys/girls or homies is a camaraderie that is big in the snowboarding/ skateboarding scene so for him to purely think of himself is kinda selfish but he’s a competitor so there’s that…
Exactly. That and the fact that ge started backing out of slopestyle finals all the time last second in the 2010 onward because he was scared he would place bad. And he would have placed bad.
I still remember when bob burnquist slammed into him during the skateboard vert competition at the x games. Shaun was a little kid, mad respect. Don’t forget he was a heck of a vert skateboarder as well
That's a rare one not a lot of people remember that
All the skaters known, RESPECT
shawn white
He is an amazing human being
Fuck all the posers
Lol how are you gonna ostracize someone in your sport and get mad when they dont let you use their practice ramp because of it?
Cause he’s the face of snowboarding shows no interest in helping to progress the sport. It’s kind of like turning your back on the community that brought you all the success in the first place
@@JSHbproductions Idk man still doesn't seem justified. I'm a skater and if some dudes showed up to my house that were complete assholes to me and wanted to use my miniramp to practice I'd tell em to get lost. Maybe the drama is exaggerated but going off this video alone I don't think he owes them anything.
@@JSHbproductions did you even watch the video? The only one who brought him all that success is himself (and his family of course), he doesn't owe anybody anything and deserves all the success that HE achieved while others were too busy getting trashed before competitions. Who in their right mind goes to a competition hungover when there's 50k and a car on the line? Isn't his fault they acted like a bunch of spoiled brats lol
@@NASAFanboy you can still win competitions and get fancy cars and give back to your community that brought you up. Just look at tony hawk there’s a reason the skateboard community still embraces him. But no i guess your right he doesn’t owe anyone anything….
@JSHbproductions According to your logic and his career, the only ones he was owing something were the board manufacturers and sponsors.
You keep repeating "the people who brought him up," but who were they besides his family? He got ostracized by the community early on and had to basically do everything by himself with the help of sponsors, so who of his competition was he owning anything?
You're talking in philosophical words without any meaning or substance behind them. The "community" gave him just shit, so that's how he reciprocated. The snowboarding community made him into what he is.
I'm not saying it's cool what he did, but the snowboarding community can be awesome and extremely toxic at the same time. They got what they had coming. They've created the monster he was.
"You entered competitions and are more competitive than us?? 😡 how dare you!" Lmao
My buddy rode with White once about 10 years ago and said the guy was kinda a jerk.
Snowboarding culture has been fairly toxic of anything that is different of popular. Travis Rice even experiences similar hate just watch the natural selection tour. I ended up switching to step ons this year to help make days on the mountain easier post knee surgery and the toxicity around this stuff is wild. Shaun will forever be a legend of the sport and likely the reason it is what it is today.
Anyone too popular will receive some hate, but Travis doesn't receive too much as compared to Shaun. Shaun just liked competing more than he liked to have fun. For him, competing alone is fun. That's why he's done so much more than snowboarding in his life. Then, you compare that to Travis Rice, Jeremy Jones, and other famous riders, and you can see they're all in on snowboarding. Have fun and pushing themselves; they aren't there solely to compete in competitions.
Travis Rice has never been accused of sexual harassment and settled on it.. y’all are really missing it..
@@user-sz5do5fn5blook into the details, the chick accusing him had an axe to grind..it was bs
Snowboarding culture is probably one of the most positive communities around. What are you talking about? Snowboarders will actually ask what each other is working on and then help each other. Nobody helping you with a jump shot in the gym. Lol snowboard culture is toxic 😂. I’m a foot booter park skier and have more common sense. 😂
@@Ryan_heyMaaaan. They started getting their asses bussed in competitions and had to ride backcounty instead.
I don't blame them, because the contests got seriously boring after Antti Autti hit those back to back 1080s.
It became spin to win.
After that, I only watched to see Shaun White, Autti and eventually Torstein Horgmo.
People forget that Jeremy Jones wasn't always a backcountry and Big Mountain rider.
There was a very similar thing in the wakeboard community, at least around the late 2000s/early 2010s (I haven't really been following the scene since then). Philip Soven (formerly went by "Froggy" Soven) was good from a very young age, and even got a segment on the Disney Channel with his younger brother Bob (that's about the extent of their mainstream fame). As Philip got older, he became super competitive, and was the kind of person to sit off by himself at contests getting in the zone, and then would win every contest, and not really participate much with the community. He was seen as a very intense but un-stylish rider, and even though he was winning almost every contest, most people didn't think really highly of him.
Funny enough, his younger brother Bob was really out-going and laid back, and was super well received in the community. Maybe he saw how people treated his older brother and made it a point to not be like that.
Interesting. But you needed a god damn boat. A really expensive boat. Not exactly the skateboard roots of the streets. I think that's the core of where his "hate" came from. No pro back then had their mom and dad and family flowing cash to make livings. It was a joke back then to your parents - "if you wanna go slide around on your ski board thing that's fine, good luck. But it ain't payin the bills and you better grow up one day" was pretty much every snowboard bums we knew in the early days. Good for him and no hate, prob just a lot of jealousy cause the struggle to buy a damn lift ticket or even afford top ramen was real for most of us degens that wanted to do this.
My friends and I still call him the unstoppable. The kid (when he was a kid) just kept killing it. He learned here in big bear CA and I will bow to him just like I would bow to Tony hawk. Shaun white is awesome!!!!
13:22 as a skateboarder, when I was younger, I’d compete all the time, yes, some of them were my friends, but we still competed against each other and the best came out on top and that’s that. Like, I was competing against my legit best friend
You have the tale of two Shauns who define two mindsets in snowboarding. The Shaun Palmer crowd and the Shaun White crowd. While he was on Sims, SP totally exemplified the outlaw attitude so many of us had - this is back when some slopes didn't even allow riders and when they did, there was definitely a 'we don't like yer kind' thing from the pole-clutcher scene. The tendency was to embrace that - drink beers, manual picnic tables, go out of bounds in any way possible. Shaun White was arguably the 'better', more tech rider (but really just Terje Hakonsen cranked to 11) - but he was such a goodie goodie. You're going to have a hard time selling that "sponsored by Slim Jim" scene to a bunch of stoners jumping off of boulders. No disrespect to either - but as somebody who started in the late 80's, I still have the outlaw mindset - even if I can't ride like an angry 20-year-old anymore.
The people who love impressive tricks love Shaun White. People who love the counterculture aspect don't.
@@suckieduckie I'll most certainly hand the younger Shaun all the respect in the world for what he brought to the fold. But he's an icon of the sport becoming more disney and homogenized.
Good summary. I've never gravitated towards White and never knew why. He just wasn't that intriguing even though he was technically the best rider there was. I didn't start snowboarding until I was 22 back in 2011. I'm definitely more on the rebel side so it makes sense why I never found SW appealing.
Happy shredding to ya.
He wasnt spoiled and his work ethic proves that. Respect to him for not giving in
Shaun is a legend and I thank him for making Snowboarding mainstream.. He pulled it out for the industry harder than anyone else had. I've been riding since 1992 he did more than my idols Jones, Line, Rice etc Snowboarding needed ya buddy.
It wasn't mentioned, but his falling out with Kevin Pierce always made me dislike him. That being said, he definitely seems to have matured a lot throughout the years and has done a ton for the sport. Hate him or love him, Shaun's a legend.
There's no denying his talent, but Shaun was/is a 'jock'. Winning was everything. Meanwhile a lot snowboarders (most notably Terje) didn't even want snowboarding to be in the Olympics. Snowboarding & skating aren't traditional 'sports' - there was very little money in it, so all of us who grew up in thise days didn't expect or care about winning/sponsorship/money. Ask KP qbout him - or PLG for the skate version. Craig Kelly, Terje & others will go down as the real 'Greats' - but the average spectator probably wouldn't even understand why.
Each to their own I suppose.
A lot of people here defending him don't understand this. I feel like most peole here defending him are either fanboys or they don't snowboard.
Greatness equals 🟰 different than the rest. Shaun you don’t owe any one. Respect and thank you for entertaining us !!
Hey man great video. I didn't sense no bias , and the whole story was very intresting :D
I don’t hate on him for his success but what he says about pro teams not getting dinner after they play, that’s not true at all. They all hang out and maintain a very collegial vibe because when it comes down to it, they’re all potential teammates at a moments notice, anyone can be traded or cut and then signed by another team at the drop of a hat. So yeah I don’t have any issue with his success but when he tries claiming that pro athletes aren’t hanging out after the game, that’s just ridiculous.
Yeah, he doesn't know a lot abut team sports. He has the mentality of a racer, or single athlete. Most of the greats in these realms are pretty narcissistic. It is an advantage, he said it himself he drove on the hate. He made not getting along with his peers his strenght.
People hate on people they want to be. Jealousy is just as lonely as being on top.
Not at all. Look at the best riders today, nobody hates on them. People like Travis Rice, Mark McMorris, Torstein Horgmo are all amazing riders, but they also do a lot for snowboarding and are looked up on in the community. Travis is the closest to Shaun as he is super competitive, but he is still well liked and respected for what he gives back to snowboarding and his attitude.
@nicklarson8575 though I do partially agree with you and you bring up great examples they are not at all on Shauns level of stardom. In his day he was a household name, no other snowboarder has even come close to the amount of fame he has gotten. Back in the day every boarder I knew hated Shaun, but they also hated Tony Hawk and Ryan Sheckler. Who are both genuinely awesome dudes and have brought a lot of attention to skateboarding but even they weren't on Shauns level. I mean my grandmother knew who Shaun was. People hate on Tom Brady, Nyjah Houston, Mayweather, Labron James and GSP because they are goats in their sports and people hate on goats and want to see them lose. My point isn't that all these guys are great people, in fact they are all very different from each other. But they all get the same amount of hate, and I believe it's because of jealousy.
@@manwithnoname734 Being a GOAT doesn't inherently bring hate. I've never heard any skater hate on Tony Hawk, thy may say he's a little dorky, but not hate. Being a GOAT and also being a dick is what brings the hate. Shaun was just very unlikable back in the day due to his attitude, not only because he was really good.
I used to skateboard with him at the YMCA Encinitas. One of the coolest guys I ever met. Always called me by my name. Haters will be haters.
it aint shaun doing a flip in quebec old city at 9:59 , shaun never did any street ever . shaun was that contest guy , always alone in his bubble . what great years it was ! nice clip man !
Shaun White's comments about the situation are on point. It's disgusting that his own peers put so much energy into trying to drag him down. Snowboarding on that level is a lifestyle. I'm sure in hindsight they will realize that their differences were ultimately insignificant, and blown out of proportion. I never understood the hate. I just saw a guy doing what he loved, and putting everything he had into it. Luckily the story doesn't end here. When the dust settles we will really see who did what for snowboarding, if that really even matters.
I don't know man, his comments also perfectly highlight the communities issues with him. He says it loud and clear that he isn't out to make any friends so it seems pretty wierd to wonder why they aren't all friendly to him
Peoples egos get hurt when they no longer get the spotlight. Then their fans attack the person for them
Well, I do understand them though. He was probably ruining the experience for most of the people competing at the time.
I get Shauns side too, but at the same time he's participating in event, but kinda not since he's not there to do what other people are doing.
I would probably compare it to something like going to some wine tasting and getting piss drunk. Sure, you are there to drink alcohol, but people don't really go there to become blabbering mess.
@@mukkaar Wow that comparison with the wine tasting is on point 😄 Came here to leave a comment similar to yours, but you def beat me to and at it...
"I just saw a guy doing what he loved": I agree. He loved the competition and the winning. Not so much the art side of the sport. Which is in my opinion why he should have gone into racing. Art has always been a part of doing jumps and tricks, is a form of art and an integral part of snowboarding. If you leave that out, there's only greed (be that money or fame or something else) left as a motivator. It loses the beauty, therefore he lost the overall support. U gotta have some style to become cool. He always lacked that completely.
Completely agree with OP. Some of these replies are actually laughable and not worth engaging
Why enter a competition if you don’t want to compete. If it wasn’t for Shaun, I don’t see snowboarding elevating to the levels it’s at now. Ironic that the people that shat on him for taking this seriously also considered themselves pros.
I adore this guy! I am a 60 year old black woman in a small town in Missouri.I just love his fire for life.
I was a huge fan of guys like Travis Rice, John Jackson, and Jeremy Jones growing up, it was a bit frustrating when talking to non snowboarders about snowboarding, thinking that snowboarding was all about the half pipe and that Shaun White represented the sport or the type of riding or snowboarding I looked up to.
You missed when he took two Olympic spots but only competed in one, blocking someone else from USA competing.
If you want to get a good sense of what kind of person he is, watch “The Crash Reel” and see how he treats his closest friends. The movie is just about Kevin’s injury but also shows a side to Shaun that people wouldnt like.
Correct, this video shows only a small surface level of Shaun White with a dictated narrative. I expected also the relationship with Kevin Pearce to be highlighted and was missed.
Same thing kind of happened with Ricky Carmichael in moto. He came in wanting to compete and brought a new era, the other riders didn't like that they couldn't party anymore and actually had to hone their talent.
I've been snowboarding since my first Snurfer in 1969, surfing since 1976 and skateboarding since 1985. Add in windsurfing, kiteboarding, wing foiling and being an instructor trainer I have to say that I don't know any of my friends who hate Shaun White.
We owe much of our sports to his lifetime of innovation, dedication and ambassadorship.
Nobody is perfect, get over it.
Being able to say you started with a Snurfer is legendary
I had two buddies of mine go to Woodward skatepark for a week in the early 2000s. They said Shaun was extremely snobby. That he’d demand sections of the park closed to only him. Mind you he was probably 14-16 at the time.
How do you know they actually saw him?
please nobody should be hating on him or anyone else in the sport for that matter if you don't like losing get better you don't like him earning big biscuits go make more of your own and that money splitting thing at the contest is such lame bs he earned that money and then they cried for a hand out like a bunch of babies
My brother used to compete in bmx in the early years. He said he and the other pros thought similarly about Matt Haufman for the same reasons. One thing to be good, another to be cool.
People who hate this guy are just jealous of his success. I have seen him just give a kid a snowboard one day when he was practicing and no cameras were around. He just did it to be nice to kid who needed a board. White is a good man.
I feel like there needs to be separate "creative" and "sport" style events for Snowboarding. "Creative" where style outweighs technical difficulty. You'll see one leg out of the binding moves or Superman front flips, for example. Then a pure "sport" competition. People that just want to win can do the sport one. This would allow hardcore sport types like Shaun to thrive without issues while still allowing the creative events that we all love.
He would have beat anyone in any of the “creative” events because he invented the most “creative” Tricks. The results would be the same as in the “sport” style of events that he dominated.
Only way your "creative" would have different results to "sports" is if you can only do tricks they create.
In turn 9/10 pro riders would not be able to do a single trick in their run.
Wonder what pros have tricks in their bag that they created meaning they can use it in your creative comp.
@@senoe7792 The creative style events wouldn't have to be tricks they made up. If that was the case, there wouldn't be many contestants. Just tricks that get the crowd going. It would be based on crowd's applause, no official judges.
@@toddspangler6669 I take it you dont watch comps much?
If it went by crowd sound volume, who ever the most hyped pro is would win every time due to the fact most fans cheer for the biggest and hardest tricks that look difficult rather than a nice flowy line.
Or the pro they fan boy over due to media attention.
So unless you ban average viewers from being a spectator, guess who would win from the cheers? Shaun white, tony hawk etc. The people you dont want winning as they are known by more than just a tiny little community you are apart of
Late to the party but that kind of event already somewhat exists in the x games as the Knuckle Huck. 20 minute jam session style comp, no hard scoring, judges just decide who they feel made the most out of the runs they got. It's easily my favorite snowboarding event to watch cause you see guys bring out ridiculous shit like using other guys as props or riding super sized boards.
Shaun White is an absolute Legend and the GOAT of Snowboarding. No one is perfect and hes Human as well. With fame and success you will always get jealousy.
In skate, snow, and surf - there’s people that get known making videos and people that get known winning contest. The best things ever done are never in contest. Contest is doing things for other people to like you. Independent videos are a display of your natural expression of self which is not uncommon to be way more gnarly than what happens in contest. Contest skaters/snowboarders have never been better than street. I have no idea who these other people are commenting all this bs but comps are a jock mentality to monetize something. It removes the soul from the activity.
It all just sounds so envious!
He is the living proof that "your peers" want you to do well as long as you dont do better than them.
That story in Japan is crazy, splitting the money? Dude, what? Its a competition, not a cookout
Real snowboarders don't care about medals and contest wins. They care about riding with friends, having fun, and style. Shaun only had the style, he didn't have many friends in the scene due to his competitive nature. He is one of the best to ride, but he is more of an "athlete" than a snowboarder.
"real snowboarders" okay mate
“Real Snowboarders” is mad pretentious.
And that’s why he won more prizes
Isn't the point of a competition to be competitive? Especially when the sport entered the Olympics? Saying that thise people shouldn't be athletes and just "snow bros" is pretty backwards thinking.
One part is the culture, the other the competition side. You can't mix and match them as the word "competition" would loose all it's meaning. That doesen't mean that its ok to be a shitty person to your pears, but it deffinitely means that people who weren't taking competitions serious and were expecting others to do the same, we're just clowns.
He is real to me, just different attitude towards snowboarding. What's wrong being competititve? Surely there's room for every style regardless of your intent as long as your are snowboarding. I snowboard alone and don't do rails and big jumps, am I not real as they say?
He is the GOAT. That is it. Other snowboarders were/are just jealous, period.
whats with the portions of the video where its just blurry?
I have watched him ride alone for years… it’s lonely
I’v been a snowboarder all my life, worked at ski hills, Met Shaun white on 3 occasion he is a friendly wholesome guy. Ppl who hate him will realized they are just confused and eventually change their opinion
This was similar to Tony Hawks story of coming up and being disliked by other skaters.
You left out the "i want to murder that guy, not murder but" he had a fuck everyone else attitude. All the greats eventually give back the game . Jordan,Kobe,Tom Brady, etc. Shaun White never gave back that way , thus the sport never got to a place where it could have been.
we snowboarded with this kid at big bear he was around 10 yrs old with a lot of drive so all the haters take a ride he was putting in the work from the get go, rock on shaun from big bear
100% with Shaun here. An elite competitor who took it very serious. He made snowboarding a household name and inspired a generation. Sounds like the jealous haters got what they deserved
Arguably without him the sponsors would not have came as fast for other riders
Amazing video!
that's a whole lot of cold all in one video.
i tell you what.. if i had been treated that way when i had to work twice as hard to get where i was... no one else would use my half pipe either.
assholes think alike, I guess. Ever wondered why a chill group like pro snowboarders did not like him in the first place?
spot on, i wrote a similar essay last semester not on Shaun but on the mentality of organized sports vs extreme sports. traditionally extreme sports have never been about competing against others but rather pushing yourself and you couldnt make it without a strong supportive network around you or you would quite literally die. just think extreme climbing or riding avalanche prone terrain and you'll see the truth in this. where as organized sports is a more us vs them mentality and ill do anything to win type mentality. of course it wasnt as extreme in x games competition but as a snowboarder i never enjoyed shaun because he didnt seem to really enjoy it or have fun and his style was generic, it was much more of a calculated formula vs just going with the flow and finding rhythm. to each their own. individuality is the main point of the sport. however i dont think his impact will be as long lasting as say Jeremy Jones or Travis Rice. he had his time, he served himself but he didnt tap into the culture or leave a legacy in the way jeremy jones and travis rice have.
that summed it up in the end ... 'He pushed Snowboarding'. love or hate him, he really did push the sport as far as he could.
I started snowboarding in 1993. Shawn was this little turd snowboarding at Windells and getting attention back then. It was an amazing rise to become one of the greatest to do it. I never felt any I’ll-will to the kid. For these other clowns… envy and jealousy is a mother f*****. I’m sure Shawn and his family have zero regrets and could give zero f***** about the hate.
I never felt any ill will towards the little turd😂🤡🖕🏻
i dont rly think envy and jealousy mattered that much to the community of the time.
shaun was (and still is, by many) viewed as a sort of "greedy" opportunist, which stuck out compared to the other riders.
one can argue that "he was pushing the sport", but reality is, hes known for "the perfect run formula" because of how he didnt really progress any further once he made the line that gave him the perfect score. he basically just pushed himself enough to have a solid lead, and then stop pushing until others caught up - essentially just "doing it for the money".
its kind of wrong to say that he was such a saint and pushed the sport and bla bla when it had more to do with "just being enough" to catch the grand price.
nothing wrong with that, of course, but it explains why his legend-status is somewhat tainted, depending on who you ask
I just saw him as the biggest talent -by far-. He was impressive and unstoppable. I also remember a snowboard culture of accepting everyone, being unjudgemental, relaxed, mellow and doing whatever you wanted to do, inspiring each other and pushing each other learning tricks. A bit of surfer-culture. So fuck the haters.
Don't forget it's how he acted while he was winning that made people hate him. There was a year at X games(towards the end of his slopestyle dominance) where he took an extra run because he didn't like his score. His diva actions detracted from the actual winners of the comp.
People who are hated for winning, usually end up being revered. The "hate" stems from wanting to see someone else win - i.e. Tom Brady, Hated for winning, respected for how he did it.
Or that one year where i showed us his new clothing line and torstein only said „i was sitting in the lift during practice and I wondered, who’s this red head chick up there, completely ripping“
Every single sport gives star treatment. It's for our entertainment first and competition second.
It's funny because I distinctively remember early on when I saw him on TV, I was mesmerized with how much fun he seemed to be having and how he celebrated his victories early in his career. I can understand that a winning streak like his can suck the money and "fun" right out of his competitors but I truly never thought of him being particularly cocky until very late into his career and dominance.
@@dang7824 Stan said it pretty well: „shawn white is one of the best professional athletes in the world and snowboarding and skating has been his Plattform. He has never been a snowboarder. Like a SNOWBOARDER, snowboarder!“
This is the first time I’ve heard that he’s hated. As a kid that grew up in the 2000s snowboarding, Shaun White was and is a legend in my eyes. He’s a pioneer of the sport
Prodigy, yes. However, pioneer is a stretch. Modern snowboards have been around for a for 40-50 years. That said, I believe hate is too strong of a word for how the community felt about Shawn’s isolationist city attitude. Ultimately, I’d say they disliked his approach to never connect with the community.
Shaun’s recent interview on the bomb hole was awesome and that beef has been put to rest.
I am mostly ok with him but I say he misrepresents snowboarding as a whole, many of the half pipe snowboarders also misrepresent snowboarding, because the people that do half pipe it is basically all they do so they aren’t. He is so perfectly trained it takes away from what snowboarding really is
Brought snowboarding to a whole new level at the time....guy only commands RESPECT 👊
The haters should look in the mirror and admit to themselves……..they’re jealous of Shaune, his ability, his mentality and his success. The guys a total snowboarding legend.
Why would I be any more envious (I guess that is what you ment by jealous, it is not like I'm his girlfriend) towards Shaun, than I am to any other pro that is lightyears better than me? This whole " you are just jealous" argument from fanboys, when someone critizises their idols is so dumb and childish. I think his mentality is shit, simple as that. There are many great riders that won a shitton of events, and somehow they are not disliked by most of the community. I wonder why that is?
Yip
@@lupo3694 because, like you, they’re jealous….. and yes, I meant jealous….. and jealousy bring out the hate in people…. like it has in you.
@@TCK71 jealousy means you are worried someone is gonna take something you have, envy is when you want something someone else has, so yeah, you are wrong here. And again, why should I be anymore envious towards him, than literally any other pro that is lightyears better than me, including the many riders that surpassed him in ability? I know he was good, I don't like him because of his shitty attitude, not because he won contests. I know your little fanboy brain can't process this, but I can respect his skill and still don't like him.
As one-of-those who Coached Shaun in his Early years, I've got to say, he 'played the Players' quite well, and utilized his moments of Fame to promote decent brands. He earned his fame with a Solid Work Ethic, and a want to Better Himself as a Performer in 2 sports. I probably had a hand in That, as, at Mt. Hood, I advised a red-headed Tween to 'Do Tricks on your Skateboard, then put them on Snow, and, Vice-Versa,', something that the Youngin' obviously took to heart, as he Sk8-ed in the X-games, and also Snowboarded in such (plus Olympics on Snowboard). In '93, I was a very vocal Coach in using a sk8-board to better your Snowboarding skills, and posted a few thousand times on NCDSA/freecarve , Bomber, ISSA, silverfish and the like for decades +. Shaun is kinda my 'proof-positive' that I wasn't Insane in tying the Board-sports together as muscle-memory skill enhancers. "PSR", aka Pre-school Rider, aka E. Brammer, the guy that designed Sel's Park & Pipe at Okemo...
That's one wild ass, no grammer havin' comment right there.