Remember Rollerblading or Blading? Well, Vice does.

Disclaimer: I’m not exactly hitting the skatepark on inline skates myself, but I can definitely appreciate and respect the pure, unfiltered passion of the community that loves it.

Who Killed Rollerblading? takes a deep dive into the wild ride of aggressive inline skating during its 1990s boom and its sudden vanish from the mainstream eye. The documentary tracks how a niche hobby rapidly blew up into a multi-million dollar industry, driven by raw talent like Arlo Eisenberg, the rise of Daily Bread magazine, and a massive spotlight at the early X Games.

But the overnight success sparked a brutal, often ugly turf war with the skateboarding community. The film doesn't hold back on how outlets like Big Brother skateboard magazine relentlessly mocked rollerblading with homophobic smear campaigns, leading to heavy gatekeeping and tense standoffs at local skateparks. Between the targeted hate and corporate decision-makers eventually pulling the plug on the sport at the X Games, rollerblading was effectively starved of the oxygen it needed to stay mainstream.

Ultimately, the documentary proves that the sport never actually died. By shedding the corporate sponsors and fair-weather fans, rollerblading went back underground, evolving into a fiercely authentic, tight-knit, and completely DIY punk culture that is still thriving today.

This is like admitting to your spouse that you enjoy a Rom-Com sometimes.