Over the past 40 years, skateboarding has had its peaks and valleys of popularity. Poor product, safety concerns, insurance issues and recessions have all contributed to the valleys. However, skateboarding technology has vastly improved since clay wheels.
In terms of injuries, the sport remains much safer than football, rollerblading or hockey (when you look at percentage of participants injured). Despite safety concerns or economic recessions, the sport endures simply because it is so much fun to do.