I don’t think freestylers get discouraged by hardcore freestylers. I think hardcore freestylers are ENcouraging actually.
I think the real reason some new freestylers get discouraged is because fs is mainly a sport you do by yourself. Team sports give more motivation.
Personally i don’t like playing team sports because i like to do my own thing, in my own way, because i’m an asshole

But it is still very motivating to me to bust a combo to show my friends and throw the ball to the ground etc
Anyway, on topic: Is fs dead? - No i think it’s very alive. But lowers is the only area which is growing nowadays. Uppers, sits, creative tricks etc are not growing because they are not many freestylers practicing these tricks in any hardcore way so it seems stagnant.
My point is that if you don’t like lowers or pay attention to the details of lower combos then fs may seem like it is not growing. But i wish JonKonik would explain his point a bit
