If you've seen this video, what rating would you give it? 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Other videos put out by Etnies:   High 5 (1995)

Sponsored Etnies 1999, 35 minutes Current Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars Sponsored tells the story of how a kid from suburban New Jersey became one of today’s top pros. Included is old footage of Mike V. at demos and contests, as well as clips from some of his video parts. Serving as the narrator, Vallely takes the viewer through the rollercoaster of his career, from a rocky beginning at Powell to his part in the creation of World Industries, Transit, and Black Label. He is assisted by commentary from many of the players in his life story, including his parents, wife, Tony Alva, C.R. Stecyk, Ed Templeton, George Powell, and John Lucero. September 02, 2002 I'm not a huge Mike Vallely fan, but watching Sponsored made me respect him more for who he is. The video isn't really all about skating and the tricks he does, but more about Mike's opinions on the skate industry and just life in general. His explanation of what he learned from his experiences with Powell and World Industries is a good testimonial of how rough it is to deal with the confusion of the skate industry. I like how the video shows Mike as a person who skates, rather than a celebrity that no kid could relate to. That aspect of it really makes the video appealing. My only complaint is that it ran a little too short. I would have liked to see more recent footage and more about what he is currently involved in. If you're not exactly a follower of Mike Vallely, you could probably pass on this video. But, if you're one of those die-hard Vallely fans, this would be a prime addition to your video collection. EnjoiSkateboarding December 13, 2002 The worst thing about Sponsored is the poor video quality of some of the footage. Although this shouldn’t be surprising given the age of the footage, it does make the video somewhat hard to watch at times. I wouldn’t exactly call this a great documentary/biography, either. If you’re looking for a video that will get you pumped and ready to skate, skip over this one. However, if you’re interested in learning a bit about skateboarding history, you might enjoy it. The archived footage does a pretty good job of showing the progression of skating from the mid eighties to today, and you get the bonus of seeing Mike sing Neil Diamond’s “Love on the Rocks” as part of his school choir. Egg

What to Expect: Featured Skaters: Mike Vallely Sound Track: If you dig the music from Sponsored, check out the soundtrack for it.