Dueling Fools: Volcom Bull Rebuttal

Chuck's right: Anti-establishment rebellion and shareholder returns make for a difficult balancing act. In fact, in an article last year, I noted the irony that some kids view Volcom (Nasdaq: VLCM  ) as far more independent and authentic than, say, Nike (NYSE: NKE  ) , when Volcom is, in fact, a publicly traded company.

However, I think board sports can retain their soul while they become accessible to more and more people. Just consider one of skateboarding's best-known athletes, Tony Hawk.

Back in the '80s, when my skater friends and I watched The Search for Animal Chin featuring Tony Hawk among those in the Bones Brigade skateboard troupe, most of my high school peers -- obsessed with football and cheerleaders -- had no idea who Tony Hawk was. Tony Hawk's now a well-known name even beyond skate enthusiasts, and he arguably helped bring the sport to the mainstream. Not only is a wildly popular series of video games from Activision (Nasdaq: ATVI  ) named after him, but he's also made many movie appearances and some TV spots, recently including CNBC's The Big Idea and Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.

Speaking of video games, they once brought to mind stereotypical uber-geeky teenaged boys who didn't leave their parents' basements. Again, fast-forward to today, and gaming is becoming increasingly a part of many people's leisure lives, including teenage girls and older people of all stripes. Although Tony Hawk and Activision have no direct relationship to Volcom, I'm not digressing -- I'm simply arguing that niche activities can evolve to fit comfortably into popular culture. And I'd say that board sports -- both participating in them and watching them -- also fit the bill. This ain't the hula hoop.

Chuck's right, though. Volcom could become a victim of its own success. However, I'd say the company's got great positioning in a growing market, and Volcom should keep rocking and rolling along.

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Volcom is a Motley Fool Hidden Gems recommendation. Activision is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick. Check out either service free for 30 days.

Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned. The Fool has a disclosure policy.