Dana White-led skateboarding company excited for Paris Olympics

Nyjah Huston, the world’s most famous active skater, insists his second Olympic experience will be better than his first.

“I’m glad to get a second chance to go out there and make something of it,” the 29-year-old, who will compete for the U.S. skateboarding team at the Paris Olympics, said during a recent stop in Las Vegas. “Even if it’s not a gold, it’s a chance to go have a good time and show the world how awesome skateboarding is (while representing) Team USA.”

It might be part of a strategy of downplaying the moment for Huston, who buckled to the pressure and a nagging injury in his first Olympic experience in Tokyo in 2021. He fell four times and tumbled to a seventh-place finish in what was supposed to be a seminal moment for the sport in its Olympic debut.

Huston has a massive social media following, a signature Nike shoe and nearly every record imaginable in his discipline. One of the few things missing on his resume is an Olympic gold medal.

Street skateboarding central

Huston is one of 27 competitors — 15 men and 12 women — in Olympic street skateboarding who are signed to Las Vegas-based pro league Street League Skateboarding. Five of the six medalists from 2021 are signed to SLS, which is part of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment. The company was brought under the corporate umbrella of Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta last year. Thrill One recently moved its corporate offices into the UFC headquarters in Las Vegas.

White said he thinks SLS has massive growth potential, especially with so many of its athletes competing on the women’s side.

“It’s incredibly sponsor friendly, and two of the biggest stars in the world right now are young girls,” White said. “If you look at what the WNBA is doing, it’s crazy. We think SLS has incredible global potential, and the fact a lot of them are going to the Olympics is a big deal for us.”

White was referencing Australian Chloe Covell, a 14-year-old who has been outspoken about being inspired to start skating by watching Huston, and reigning Olympic silver medalist Rayssa Leal, a 16-year-old from Brazil.

“Two of our biggest stars are 16 or under, so for our sport, it’s not decades for these kids, it’s years,” Thrill One CEO Matt Cohn said. “And they are starting to take over the game. For us and for skateboarding, Tokyo was a great start, but it was COVID, and there were no fans. Plus, the time zone was difficult. We see this sport continuing to grow into a new chapter with the Olympics.

“I think this will be huge for us. It’s truly a global sport, and this is the next evolution of skate. It’s such an incredible sport for youth access and participation because anyone with a skateboard can get involved.”

The low cost of access and youth of the sport are a major part of what gives White and Fertitta, who have kids working in the offices, such a belief in the growth potential.

“When you’re 54, you need some insights into what’s going on,” White said. “My son Aidan is bringing me all these concepts for TV shows and all these ideas for what’s going on here.

“This is what we do. We love working together to take niche sports nobody believes in and turn them into winners.”

‘It’s an honor’

Huston is doing his part to help grow the sport. But at 29, he might be running out of chances, which makes Paris so important to him.

“It would obviously mean the world to me or any of the guys out there,” Huston said of winning gold. “It is something new to skateboarding and a new feeling to go out there and be able to represent your country. I think it only makes us want to push harder. It’s an honor.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.