There has been an interesting rumor flowing around the rivers of the Internets lately, and as usual we have two cents, and we aim to share it with you.

The Los Angeles Times recently published an article on the growing popularity of longboarding, titled “More skaters switching to longboards.” The article notes rising longboard sales and estimates that there are more than 750,000 longboarders in the US. The article states that more people are choosing longboarding over short boards because “it’s easier, more inclusive and has greater age diversity (longboarders range from preteens to baby boomers).” (via LA Times)

But don’t jump on this trend just yet ‘goodreeders; let’s figure out if longboarding is really the next Skip-It. While we cannot deny the rising popularity of longboarding*, we don’t think that it is appropriate for everyone.

The article bases its conclusion on data collected in a unique locale, Southern California. Upon further investigation, agr discovered that in addition to high concentrations of longboarders, California also has the highest population of persons with the last name of “Bro.”

So before you hop on a longboard, ask yourself: 1) is my name “bro”, and 2) am I a UCLA student who “loves the feeling of schussing down a mountain on a snowboard — but [am] less enthusiastic about the cost of the winter sport, its seasonal nature and the necessary travel.”

*agr would also like to note that the rising popularity of longboarding has been paralleled by the popularity of: wearing board shorts regardless, polo shirts of “metro-sexual” color, aviator sunglasses, hair gel, and flip flops regardless of weather.