Surfing’s subcultural power

This paper focuses on the concept of subcultural power, defined as the relative value of a subculture’s aspirational appeal, which enables it to attract the attention of mainstream consumers [Kennedy. (Citation2025). The Science and Culture of Surfing. Springer]. We examine how surfing’s subcultural power compares to other aspirational lifestyle sports through the formulation of a subcultural power ranking. The concept opens avenues to explore between-subculture dynamics, particularly among like-minded sport subcultures. This study contributes to a succession of social theories that explain hierarchy and difference in subcultures, as well as to scholarly analyses of the surfing and lifestyle sport industries. For industry, the formulation of a subcultural power ranking provides a novel tool for understanding changes in consumer demand and perceptions of subcultural authenticity, and offers the opportunity to benchmark these changes against other aspirational lifestyle sports.