I heart the WSL.
I have poked gentle fun at the World Surf League since its 2015 birth. I had poked gentle fun at the ASP before that and Rip Curl’s Neil Ridgway got real mad at me but it was so gentle! And so fun! And Neil, do you still have that red beret? Let’s do a sort of naughty reenactment someday!
But back to the now, or more precisely, back to the 4 months ago. WSL CEO Paul Speaker issued a press statement that said, “It is the most exciting time in the history of the sport right now.” I laughed and laughed and laughed and wrote (here) that he took (maybe) ecstasy.
In the weeks since Mick was tousled by a great white, though, I have reflected on CEO Speaker’s words and, I’ll be damned if he wasn’t right! The thrill of that shark biz is, of course, gone but left in its wake is a general appreciation of what the WSL has built. Fun webcasts. An announcing team that has become as familiar as a soft blanket. National rivalries threatening to burn for years. Sponsors with heft. A spot on an American network. And very fine surfing.
So to you, CEO Speaker, I say, “I’m sorry.” And also, “If you did have any ecstasy it’d be really fun to take and sit in the channel at Teahupo’o together with a waterproof little sound system playing anything by College.” And also, “Long live the WSL!”