"Keep up the great work, losers…"
Earlier this week, the world’s biggest surf website Surfline, which has three million or so visitors every month, ran an interview with WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt.
It was called One Apology, a Dozen Promises and a Thousand Thanks from WSL CEO: After one year on the job, Sophie Goldschmidt’s learned plenty, but she probably taught us more.
It was a cordial back and forth that read, to me, as an email interview. These are now the norm in what might politely be called journalism. You see ’em everywhere. Stilted sugarcane pulp.
The subject likes it ’cause they can vet everything that gets printed; the journalist is happy because it removes the need to talk to a human being and then transcribe whatever you record. All you gotta do is cut and paste the answers, file story, go home and be destroyed by your self loathing.
The uncredited interview, which initially had the byline Matt Pruett and which was later removed, is the usual inanity, the same fruitless labour.
“We thank the fans for their patience and support as we continue to work through the transition and the challenges with some devices, and we want to remind everyone that we’ve re-instituted the broadcast across our WSL channels until further notice.”
“We want to make sure that the correct decisions are made for the fans and the sport — so it can grow and thrive, and so we can continue to strategically invest in its development.”
“Gender equality is an incredibly important issue for us.”
“Who isn’t amazed by some of the waves ridden, such as Rodrigo Koxa on an 80-foot monster? Mind-blowing! The attention that great feat garnered for surfing was fantastic.”
“(Kelly) is a huge force for good in surfing, cares deeply about the environment, is the visionary behind a game-changing wave system, and more. We are very lucky he is close to WSL in many ways.”
Nothing offensive to beat the keyboard jockeys out of their peaceful drowsiness.
But, then, the kicker.
Surfline: Finally, how did the new partnership with Surfline come about?
Sophie Goldschmidt: It was a logical and successful matchup benefiting everyone, most importantly the fans. Our Surfline partnership is a critical tool that helps to inform our WSL team to plan run days at times when there are optimal conditions. Beyond the detailed forecasting and support the Surfline team provides our event officials, fans benefit from the wealth of wave data that brings to life each wave on the Tour, as well as on-screen graphics and educational information shared with our broadcast team to create engaging content for our fans.
And the fans went fucking nuts.
The atmosphere was malignant.
Ninety-eight comments, a helluva response to a tame Surfline story.
All of ’em, except for whomever the moderator is, screaming “asshole!” and making obscene gestures.
Sample.
Overall, this is like a “D” grade performance, and not something to be described with “growing pain” euphemism. Get back to Rabbit’s original model – go watch the original Billabong challenge and the 1995 G-land comp if you need an idea – and win back the serious fan.
She tried to bully City and County of Honolulu. Screw these suits, dicks.
Eds, please fully explain Surfline’s “new partnership” with the WSL. Mr. Pruett’s article looks like a corporate press release.
Is this garbage interview for real? Seriously. Are all of us who love this sport supposed to buy this junk?
No Triple Crown. No Trestles. No online viewing. Sorry,
Facebook-only online viewing (which, btw, if you’ve been following
the news and value your personal info, you might wanna stop using
Facebook)
If I performed this poorly at my job I would be fired and so
would most others. However, she’s a woman and an executive so she
gets ‘special treatment’. What a joke. For the last 8 years I have
watched almost every event. This year I have missed every event
except for one. Keep up the great work losers.
One apology? How about apologizing for cutting Fiji and Trestles?? How about kneeling and begging for forgiveness for killing the Hawaiian leg??? Pipe? the Triple Crown?? She should be on the street by now
No Triple Crown, no Pipe Masters, this is the death of the sport.
It is not about the CEO. It is about the surfers and the product. By making it about her, she is setting herself up for failure.
If you want it to be about the CEO, ok: No CA contest (huh??) No Pipe masters? No Fiji? In any other business, a CEO pooches and event like Pipe masters, they are fired on the spot. It would be like the CEO of Nascar losing Daytona, he would be gone that day.
What a corperate hack job I have not and will not watch another contest broadcast. A non surfer running the WSL WTF. She has done more in one year to destroy Surfing contest then the WSL did in building the WSL.
I just read a commercial. Shame on me.
Maybe you’ll like the story. Everything we try to embroider around surfing is sterile, anyway. I wasn’t overly concerned but, then, I have a profound need for doom.
