Tony Hawk Net Worth: How Much The Skateboard Legend Has Made
When you think of skateboarding it’s almost impossible to not think of Tony Hawk. Although skateboarding has been around since before Hawk was born, it’s undeniable that he revolutionized the sport. You could argue that Tony Hawk is to skateboarding what Michael Jordan is to basketball. In addition to being an incredible skater, Hawk is also an entrepreneur. He’s made millions off of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game franchise, his Birdhouse skateboard and apparel company, and his various other businesses. We know that Tony Hawk has made a killing, but how much has he accumulated over the years? Let’s take a deep dive into the career and business ventures of Tony Hawk.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skateboarding Career
Before Hawk was the face of skateboarding he was just a young kid from San Diego, California. He began skating at the age of nine, received his first sponsor at the age of 12 and turned pro at 14. By the time he was 16, Hawk was one of the best skateboarders in the world. He was named the National Skateboard Association World Champion ever single year from 1983-1995. Despite absolutely dominating the sport, Hawk wasn’t making much money.
Hawk says everything changed when the X-Games came around in the mid-90s. Although he didn’t completely understand ESPN’s goal behind the event, the opportunity to skate on TV was enough to catch Hawk’s interest.
During Hawk’s 21 year career, he won 73 of the 103 professional contests that he entered. Of the 30 non-first place finishes, he finished in second 19 times. In a career filled with many incredible moments, one of the most notable achievements has to be from the 1999 X-Games where he became the first skateboarder to land the 900. In 2003 Hawk decided to retire from professional skateboarding.
Birdhouse Skateboards
When Hawk first turned pro, skateboarding wasn’t very popular with the masses, so he needed another source of income.
When he turned 24, he started Birdhouse Skateboards with fellow skater Per Welinder. The company is his baby. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Hawk said “This is the first company I started and this is the one I want to keep alive.” He went on to say that “Starting Birdhouse was actually my way of transitioning out of being a pro skater and into being a company owner.”
Today, Birdhouse is an extremely successful business, however the first few years were a struggle. Hawk, who purchased his first home when he was a senior in high school, took out a second mortgage to fund the company. He says money was tight but he was still living the dream, skating for a living.
Being the entrepreneur that he is, Hawk didn’t stop there. His business portfolio only continued to grow as he used his skateboarding expertise to enter more and more industries.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
In 1999, Hawk and Activision released the first installment of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game franchise. The game was an immediate hit and played a big part in the early 2000s skateboarding craze.
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 and 2 were the 2nd and 3rd most purchased video games of the year 2000, falling only behind Pokemon Stadium. The game was not only huge for skateboarding as a sport, but huge for Hawk’s bank account as well. After 16 years the franchise made over $1.4 billion, which Hawk got a cut of.
In addition to getting rich, Hawk reached a new level of fame. He described how the release of the game changed his life saying “Some people just thought of me as a video game. And I think that was the tipping point, in terms of fame, where it was like this is way beyond anything I’d ever wanted or expected.”
The best songs from the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Soundtracks
As much as fans loved the gameplay, they may have enjoyed the soundtrack just as much. Here are some of the best songs from the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater Franchise soundtracks.
1. Superman by Goldfinger
2. New Girl by The Suicide Machines
3. Guerilla Radio by Rage Against The Machine
4. Bring The Noise by Anthrax, Public Enemy
5. Express Yourself by N.W.A
6. All My Best Friends Are Metalheads by Less Than Jake
7. Pin the Tail on the Donkey by Naughty By Nature
8. Five Lessons Learned by Swingin’ Utters
9. You by Bad Religion
10. TNT by AC/DC
Tony Hawk’s Underground
After the fourth installment of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, Neversoft and Activision released Tony Hawk’s Underground. The difference between the Underground games and those from the Pro Skater franchise, is that the user had more room for customization. The story mode was centered around the player’s customized skater’s journey to becoming a pro skater.
The first Tony Hawk’s Underground won Best Sports Video Game at the 2003 Game Critic Awards. The game was a top seller, which meant more money for Hawk.
Tony Hawk’s wife, personal life and net worth
Tony Hawk has been married four times. In 2015 he married one of his best friend’s ex wives, Cathy Goodman. He has four kids of his own and his current wife has two children from her previous marriage.
Today, Hawk has an estimated net worth of $140 million. He made millions of dollars in endorsements and prize money from his skating career but the vast majority of his net worth comes from his video game sales.
Hawk has taken his passion for skating to just about every level possible. He’s made movies, apparel, gear, video games and even started the Tony Hawk Foundation which helps maintain and improve skateparks around the country.
There are many adjectives you can use to describe Tony Hawk, but one that stands out is “passionate.” The guy took his love for skateboarding and built an empire that reached well beyond the sport. Although he is 53 years old, he can be spotted allover social media pulling off nasty skate tricks. We all know it’s coming, but it’s going to be weird seeing a 70 year old Tony Hawk cruising around on a skateboard doing tricks that 99% of people couldn’t dream of doing.
Every sport has a legend or two that seems to be the “face”of the game. Babe Ruth is baseball’s, Wayne Gretzky is hockey’s, Michael Jordan is basketball’s and there is no doubt that Tony Hawk is the face of skateboarding.
The post Tony Hawk Net Worth: How Much The Skateboard Legend Has Made appeared first on The Spun.
