And says WSL is taking legal action against delicious fried chicken restaurant chain…
A week or so ago, KFC South Africa released an advertisement spoofing the Mick Fanning J-Bay shark hit.
“Next level awesome,” is the tagline.
Did you think it was funny and representative, perhaps, of what a loose gang we surfers are? Or were you, like Mick Fanning’s mom Liz, and the magazine Surfer, very angry?
“I think it is very disrespectful,” Liz told Fairfax media. “They’ve put a lookalike in the video. It really brings back a lot of trauma for everybody who has been attacked by a shark. Some families have had fatalities and some people are still absolutely scarred without limbs. It’s disrespectful to them and Mick is not at all happy with that.”
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, “Ms Osborne said the World Surf League last week contacted Fanning, who is in Europe preparing for a competition, to tell him it believed the ad was in breach of its rules. ‘Their lawyers were getting in touch with KFC to get it off [the air],’ Ms Osborne said. ‘The comment that Mick made [was] that it’s disrespectful to anyone who has been attacked by a shark and he wants it off as well. We’re very upset about it.’
As mentioned, Surfer magazine also gnashed teeth. “The guy quarrels with a shark on live webcast, sees his life flash before his eyes, and now a fried-chicken chain is poking fun at his close call,” said Surfer.
I liked the advertisement mainly because it got thrown to nearly three million people on BeachGrit’s little Facebook page, with 7000 shares. A BeachGrit record!
This post was hard too masturbate to. But not impossible.
I got attacked in 98 and almost died, recovered and had fun with it myself! Can’t take ourselves too seriously!
All of this is meaningless without a Milf involved…. How would Stifler’s mom react if put in this same situation?
Who cares? It’s a chicken burger WITH CORN CHIPS INSIDE. I haven’t been this excited since Pizza Hut’s pizza with party pies embedded in the crust.
wah.
it was undoubtedly the most exciting thing mick has ever done in a contest.. if i am burdened with watching his robot approach i request an attack on him of some sort no less then twice a year.. south africa is easy with sharks lions etc but bring that act to france, lowers or portugal and the list of formidable apponints drops dramatically. man this is going to be a great era in pro surfing, cant wait to see how they jump the shark this time… not sure how the pun intended thing works but…. yea
Whats disrespectful is the way WSL milked PR out of the actual event with little regard to the hundreds of unknown surfers who (actually) suffer a lifetime of trauma. This is no more than another PR stunt to ramp up traffic again – seems to have worked for Beachgrit.
Would Mick and his mum like some cheese with that whine?
Lifted that line straight out of one of my cartoons?
Next person that says ‘mom’ is gonna get slapped moite!
I would like to say to Liz (Mick’s mum) that she was the 1st person I thought of when Mick was getting attacked & the internet record may show I was the 1st person to mention Liz in an online post. That said, Mick was extremely lucky to escape unharmed; like winning lotto. That itself is a cause for celebration. I personally do not find the advert disrespectful but a kind of ‘relief’. If Mick wins the title this year, the WSL & the media will be making the most out of the shark attack. If Liz & Mick find the advert in bad taste, I and others must respect that. However, it is Mick’s choice (conscious decision) to be a surfer & I think it is not proper for Mick & Liz to start associating KFC with the pain & trauma they feel that is purely a result of Mick’s personal choices.
You’re a nice guy Nick D. My first thought was… this is really going to effect my Fantasy Surfer team if Mick gets eaten.
Eye on the ball there Negatron.
Do we have a Beachgrit fantasy surfer comp?
We do, but I don’t want you joining unless you are doing shithouse…
Search BeachGrit in the public clubs.
What happened to the Stab one, did you shut it down?
SuperJr overtook me, so I killed the club out of spite.
Joined but ur going to boot me out cos I’m using another name.. 4th position.
Now that’s what I call gritty!
This must be in the running for the most politically correct comment in the history of politically correct comments.
Poor taste (no pun) but hardly a Fanning ‘lookalike.’ KFC might have gone with the ‘tastes like Chicken’ angle instead.
I thought it was Taylor Knox?