An explosive allegation roils professional surfing!
The World Surf League received very much press, deservedly, in September when it became one of the first organizations in professional sports to equalize pay across male and female divisions. Of course you read the many stories. Of course you read the effusive coverage in ESPN, Forbes, The New York Times etc. Deservedly. What a statement moment for the League. Even better than one of its stars getting brushed by a shark while being live streamed in South Africa.
The WSL’s CEO Ms. Sophie Goldschmidt said at the time:
“This is a huge step forward in our long-planned strategy to elevate women’s surfing and we are thrilled to make this commitment as we reveal our new 2019 schedule. This is the latest in a series of actions the League has undertaken to showcase our female athletes, from competing on the same quality waves as the men, to better locations, and increased investment and support.”
Bravo. Except… today it was revealed in Deadspin that there might maybe have been some different opinions behind the scenes, specifically as it related to equal pay and Mavericks. Let’s dive in!
(San Mateo County Harbor Commissioner and member of the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing) Sabrina Brennan said that in several meetings in the lead-up to the WSL’s September decision, the organization routinely claimed that any discrepancies in pay were a response to the smaller pool of women. Despite Goldschmidt’s effusive public statements in support of the change in pay status, emails provided by Brennan show that both Goldschmidt and Graham Stapleberg, WSL executive vice president and general manager of events, had previously been opposed.
According to Brennan and CEWS member Karen Tynan, in a July 23 meeting, Goldschmidt used the term “poor performance” to describe the women’s showing at the Pe’ahi Challenge, despite Paige Alms’s victory in what Surfer magazine described as a “well-deserved win” within a contest that “saw arguably the best top-to-bottom surfing that has ever gone down at a big-wave venue.” At that same meeting, Brennan said that pay equity was more important now than ever. Brennan and Tynan said that Goldschmidt, who became the first female CEO of the WSL in July 2017, made “thinly veiled threats” about not holding the Mavericks event if the request for equal prize money persisted, and called it “an abuse of the #MeToo movement.”
My old pal G. Stapleberg back in the news for the first time since tasting Eddie Rothman’s open hand (buy here)! It makes my heart soar, to be honest, as I forgot entirely that he was still kicking around. Remember The Grahmmies? I will bring them back this year, don’t worry, don’t weep. And don’t worry Graham… I’ll bring you back too!
But back to the story at hand. I’m really trying to understand the context, any context, where Ms. Goldschmidt would make thinly veiled threats about not holding Mavericks and calling the push for equal pay there “an abuse of the #MeToo movement.” You know me. You know that I would like to believe in the relative incompetence of the League creating that context but… to be honest, I can’t even think of a slap-drunk Graham Stapelberg saying something like that.
Ms. Goldschmidt, for her part, denied the whole thing, releasing the following statement:
Those claims are wholly inaccurate and actually the opposite is true, as shown by WSL’s actions in recent years where we have invested in the right to run a competition at Mavericks for the good of the athletes, women as well as men, and the Big Wave Tour in general. We will continue to do everything we can to celebrate Mavericks as the iconic location and wave that it deserves to be, and the athletes that surf it.
I wish someone would employ me to write denials. I would do a much, much better job.
#BlameGraham
Well fair enough, but…aren’t you implying you know what is best for everyone? That men and women stay in the rooms you have built for them in your mind? To me it’s not about balance, it’s about letting people free, or at least trying not to assume their limits and abilities on their behalves. People can surprise you with both their weaknesses and their strengths. I think it’s worth having an open mind on the subject.
Well done for engaging diplomatically, but you knew from the outset your efforts would be in vain.
I’m gonna be honest here: Doesn’t seem like it matters at all. The women will get paid the same as the men now. Is it really worth dumping on Sophie for how they got there? Had she said that about #MeToo and then said fuck ’em, we ain’t paying, well, okay, then dunk on her all you want. But at the end of the day, they made the right call. This just comes across as gossip for gossip’s sake and it’s as ugly as any statement Sophie may have made.
are you Mossad?
hey wZn, men are also different to other men, and women are different to other women. Your idea that surfing is traditionally a man’s sport is a bit mis-led I think. In pre contact Hawaii surfing was open to everyone, men and women alike, and everyone took advantage of it. Heaps of women took up surfing in Australia in the years after Duke’s visit in 1914/15. Heaps also took it up in the early 1960s in Australia, CA and the east coast of the US, before women’s numbers declined again in the 1970s and ’80s. The gender balance in the water has not been static at all, nor has the standard of surfing across genders — and certainly the standard from person to person varies radically, whatever gender you happen to be. I don’t believe women are limited to any style or approach or level of ability in the surf just because they’re women, that seems like a silly thing to think, you might as well say the same thing about men.
Equal pay is not about altruism, it’s about keeping out of the crosshairs of SJWs who can mobilise shame campaigns instantaneously. Chas you would have seen this when Mick Fanning was nasty to you and suddenly a cringing apology was forthcoming.
I never apologized! And that fucker never apologized either. He just went on an ugly, fake image rehab tour.
It worked. Plus the shark
Now even my mother in law in Japan thinks he’s a white God.
It was a fake shark!!!
PR company stunt!!!
let’s go into that pit again. rip off that white light persona
Channel your inner mossad, and false him, in Australia, where he least expects it.
They should be paid their market value.
However I have no problem with them grabbing as much cash as they can
Honest truth
I like watching the girls contests as much, if not more than the fellas.
Exept when my mancrush Gabby is on
Fire at will…
I agree – more realistic to watch the Women’s and think – “yeah, I could maybe do that turn etc” rather than watch that thing that the Men do which is so far advanced from my surfing as to be a different sport.
And yes, you’re a deviant to desire Gabby.
Are you implying that Mike was touched-up as a child and is now being paid-off with wildcard entries?
Certainly not!
Are implying he was touched-up as an adult and is being paid-off with wildcard entries?
If only it were that simple we’d all be getting wildcards!
But I haven’t been sexually assaulted by any executives associated with professional surfing.
Who do I apply to, for that service?
I can only show you the door Mr Bottom, it is you who must find the key…
and The Special Olympics Gold Medal should carry the same merit as the Non Special Olympics! Boobs make paddling more difficult, as does a wheelchair hinder your ability to run a sprint!! #metwo
I’m impressed none of the girls seem to have mutilated themselves with silicone
No, women have always surfed, since long before Europeans came around.
You are talking about a style of surfing that mainly developed after the twin fin was invented.
Women can longboard as well as men.
And women are far more graceful.
Have you ever thought that maybe if there was as many female surfers as men than you would not see as much difference.
“Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing”… are you kidding me? What an utterly moronic organization. Just get out there and surf, ladies. Do your talking in the water.. oh wait…
Also not the first pro sport with equal pay – the pro mountain bike tour called Crankworx has been equal pay for at least 4 years.
Tennis players get the same prize money, of course the men have to play more sets to get the same “equal pay”!
Yes — and which sport does Sophie originally hail from? That’s right, pro tennis. Prize equality would be in her sporting DNA. I think the role of the Committee for Equity etc’s in the equalising of prizemoney in pro surfing has been grossly overrated. One of the WSL’s first moves once they took the reins was to jack up the women’s CT prizemoney to one-on-one equality with the men. This had never been done in professional surfing before and represented a major investment in the women’s tour. From what I’ve been told by various sources, it was the brainchild of Natasha Ziff, who’s been super encouraging of the women from the start (the Ziffs have three daughters). The decision to go to full equality, which I’m pretty sure would have been cheer-led by Mrs Ziff, will cost the WSL around $1.4 million in CT prizemoney next year; I’m also pretty sure not a cent of that money will be contributed by the Committee for Equality etc, who coincidentally didn’t show any interest in CT equality at all; their ire was only raised when the Mavericks event was on the table. I guess in the race toward equality, self interest is a horse you can always safely back.
And in private business so it should be.
Let’s lobby the porn industry for equal pay mate. They have been keeping the man down for too long.
Too long! #FreeTheDong!
This is so true Wiggs. I’ve never thought about this blatant discriminatory pay discrepancy that we men are subject to. Thanks for enlightening me. I now feel so “woke”.
Chas, you up vote a comment calling women chargers shehims?
You got maculinity issues ?
Do you have something against thanks giving?
I upvote on whim!
I do too, but you have a certain responsibility here that I dont.
You upvoted me once, please don’t take that achievement away from me
inneresting reporting over there at deadspin, for sure. very inneresting.
At this point, don’t we all know Sabrina Brennan’s agenda and program? It’s beyond me why anyone would share any controversial thoughts on women’s equality or surfing with her. She loves to sing to the media. You’d have to be a real idiot to air your opposing equality beliefs to her – and good for her. Just inconceivable why anyone would express those thoughts to her, whether verbally or in writing.
Yah — a very good point.
Choose one handle please.
Incidentally this comment is either genius or the most complete and utter arse dribble I’ve ever read. Congratulations!
Divide and concur is pretty good….
Does it make you feel insecure that there are women who surf better and are braver than you?
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Um she didnt even make that wave. Braver yes, better no.
since you are a better big wave surfer than her, please explain,
how would you avoid hitting the kook that tried to drop in and fell in front of her?
Hold her line? Emi surfs well,also she’s hot an has a dig. She’s not reinventing the wheel though. There’s 50-60 yr olds out there doing the same thing but going deeper
Your commnet is ignorant.
Hold your line and risk death!
smart choice
The guy fell well behind her, didn’t mess her wave at all she got engulfed. Not writing her off just you an your whining comments. It’s waimea, not Peahi one mavs, she’s been surfing there forever. pretty sure emi’s Been in that situation many times.
The guy is directly in front of her coming down the face,
Like I said, you have no idea what you are talking about.
Dropping into a wave like that takes extreme focus on what you are doing and seeing something like that out of the corner of your eye will make anybody adjust their line. It is a life and death situation.
The way waimea breaks it is not always possible to make it to the shoulder. The drop is what matters most there.
have you ever watched the Eddie?
If you had experience you would know that.
I surf there every season. I know what im talking about.
People dropping in from the shoulder is nothing anyone that’s surfed there frequently isn’t aware of.
That guy was on the shoulder she had well an truly made the drop and chosen her line.
She was engulfed. End of story
She was engulfed at the end of the wave, the ride was essentially over.
You are lying.
Why lie? I’ve Surfed with emi many times, as I already said girl rips, she just never made the whitewater.
Big hi to the Owens bro’s, old mike, mikey red his bro dal, super loud josh, an all the underground Guys that are out there most swells. See you all in feb.
Oh an bushy for all the awesome boards over the years.
name dropping mainlander, you need to learn some respect for the Erikson family and keep your mouth shut. Be humble or dont come here
You need to pull your tongue outta her arse. Respect for her an her pop, an the people that actually surf over there, none for you ya peanut..
no you came here to diss her. you didnt have to comment.
aloha
Hey Ossian, and you and KPM fuck off to relationship counselling please?
what are you crying about?
if I want bickering, I can get that at home.
That was written hours ago, ive moved on.
maybe you should go home, since you are obviously looking for attention.
aloha
You must be a short boy! Get the chip off the shoulder chump.
Not really. Maybe if I was 20 years younger, but not now.
The Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing? Is this from the Onion? Or the People’s Cube? Either way its side splitting.
Paige Alms aside, the women’s showing at Jaws was like watching kook slams!
you say that like its a bad thing! ?