The worlds of football and skateboarding share more similarities than you may first think. There’s a tribalism to both, a shared sense of belonging and love for a specific activity. It’s something that pro-skater Hakeem Ducksworth has discovered first-hand when he travelled from Compton to Dignity Health Sports Park to take in his first LA Galaxy game.
Born out of their mutual quest to grow the game in the African American community and do so in an authentic and impactful way, the partnership between LA Galaxy and Black Arrow FC has been ongoing through the 2020 MLS season. Now the third instalment from the collaboration sees the crossover of two worlds, with a short film showing the journey of pro skateboarder Hakeem Ducksworth attending his first LA Galaxy game. The film is a stylised skate video that touches on what it means to be a black skater from Compton – and it reveals how the lifestyle of skating kept Ducksworth out of trouble growing up.
Ducksworth grew up in Compton, learned to skate, and eventually signed with Chocolate Skateboards . “I got into skating because of the unity in it all,” explained Ducksworth. “It brought everybody together and showed other young men that they can do what they want. To me a skateboarder from Compton that’s actually making it is a great thing, because it’s giving other people a different perspective on life. That you don’t have to follow other people’s footsteps, that you make your own path and you can actually succeed.”
Although on its surface the worlds of soccer and skateboarding might seem far apart, the film shows the parallels that exist between the respective communities and the similarities that draw people to both. “Going to the stadium and feeling all the love from the LA Galaxy fans was crazy,” Ducksworth said. “You could feel the energy throughout the whole stadium. You don’t even have to know anyone, you just feel love. That’s how it is with skateboarding too, it’s just all love through this one thing we all love. I definitely plan on being more of a part of the soccer culture – LA Galaxy to be specific because this is my city and this is my home.”
LA Galaxy face Houston Dynamo tomorrow in the MLS is Back tournament.
Find out more about Black Arrow FC here.
