Yes.
Current reporting states that the WSL is making moves towards moving the start date of the men’s Fiji Pro forward a few days in order to catch a “phenomenal” swell scheduled to hit Cloudbreak this Friday. That’s nice. Nothing would suck more than another tedious series of lay days followed by guys three-to-the-beaching it in junk surf.
The only problem, Friday is the final day of the women’s event. With the ladies constantly playing second banana to their penis bearing counterparts due to overlapping waiting periods this might’ve been an opportunity to display their skills in honest to god A+ quality barreling surf. Of course, that presupposes that the WSL sees the women’s division as a legitimate sport with world-class athletes, rather than some half-assed sideshow they’re obligated to maintain to stave off feminist indignation.
Today’s decision to run the final day of the girls’ deal in crumbly onshore slop makes the WSL’s stance pretty damn clear. The women aren’t good enough surfers to deserve truly good surf. Even if they somehow luck into it, it’ll just be ripped from their grasp and handed to the men.
I wonder how the girls will feel come Friday, as they watch guys get pitted off their gourds in six-foot Cloudbreak. Will it bother them? Will they rage against the injustice of the situation? Will they ponder their place in an industry that largely portrays them as sex objects unworthy of the respect due any truly talented waterperson?
Or will they heave a sigh of relief?
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Girls get no JBAY and no PIPE – clearly SEXIST.
yeah, that’s all it takes!
Why would I bother fabricating a story when there are so many unsubstantiated rumors to choose from?
Because Ross Williams surfs better than any women on the tour, your average ripper surfs better. Simply put women’s events are not remotely entertaining. Did you watch the barrel dodging fiasco of last year??
I would lean less towards sexist and more towards the entertainment aspect (let the gallons of internet hate wash over me). Show me one web edit from any of the women’s top 17 that rivals Dane’s Sampler “b-sides” and I’ll eat my words, crawl into a hole and die.
The best argument for true sexism is the pay differential in my opinion, but then again, like Grubby said, the entertainment biz is a bitch.
Show me one web edit from the men’s top-30-whatever that compares with Sampler…
Good point (John John excluded), my face has turned blue from holding my breath on that epic Glenn Hall edit…
I did forget to put a John John disclaimer.
It’s an entertainment business. If you’re not the most entertaining, you get shafted. Vagina or no vagina.
it’s actually a sales business – your pro surfers only exist to slog product. It’s why Sally makes more than 95% of the guys on tour.
I guess you could argue that point. But I reckon that whilst they may be a platform for the exposure of professional surfers (and the companies aligned with them), their game is still entertainment.
An aside: Mr. Maasen, can I have a high res version of that Steph pic for my computer desktop? And maybe my wall. Thx.
You got so creepy they removed it.
I wish I could say that was the only time I’ve heard that phrase.
ha ha classic – tho must say the semis and final was pretty solid conditions and girls were committed.
We will see if WSL pushes it forward
sexist? yes. the correct decision? probably also yes.