Oh what might have been...
But are you a fan of professional sport? Addicted to the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat? Oh of course I’m not referencing professional surfing here. We’re all obvious fans of that game but also recognize it is not a sport. More dance meets America’s Top Model.
No, I am curious about real professional sport. Baseball, rugby, cricket, Aussie Rules, football sport.
Yes?
I’ll admit to being more than passively interested. I enjoy flipping on a game and being relatively up-to-date on the bigger happenings. Yesterday, for instance, found me driving home from Tahoe and happy to have the divisional round of the National Football League’s playoffs as company. The Tennessee Titans destroyed the highly favored Baltimore Ravens in the nightcap. The day belonged to the San Francisco 49ers running all over the outclassed Minnesota Vikings.
And this morning, perusing the game details, I learned that one of the 49ers star running backs, special teams pieces, Raheem Mostert, was once a rising star in our surf game and even offered a contract to surf for Billabong? Here, I’ll show you.
Raheem Mostert went from avoiding sharks on his surf board while growing up on the eastern shore of Florida to pretending to be one on special teams in the NFL.
“I was really a beach bum,” Mostert told The Bee last month.
While growing up in Smyrna Beach, Florida, an area just south Daytona famous for shark attacks, Mostert was a regular on the waves and his skateboard. He and some 15 friends would spend their spare time on the water or in skate parks after school or on weekends.
Mostert as a 14-year-old turned down a sponsorship deal from the popular surf wear brand, Billabong, instead choosing to focus on football and becoming the first member of his family to get his college degree.
“Football’s always been in my heart no matter what,” Mostert said. “It was one of those things where I just took it for what it was. I still enjoy it, skateboarding and surfing.”
I was so intrigued that I dug deeper for this “fork in the road” moment and found…
If Raheem Mostert hadn’t been so laser-focused on football, he might have had a career as a pro surfer. The San Francisco 49ers running back joined KNBR on Wednesday morning and discussed his love for the sport growing up and being offered a contract at the age of 14.
A surfing scout approached Mostert when he was surfing and skateboarding with his friends and wanted to see some tape of his skills, the running back revealed on the “Murph & Mac” show. Mostert didn’t have tape, so the scout asked him to perform some stunts on the spot. The 14-year-old impressed.
That’s when Mostert got offered a contract but turned it down.
I’m certain, now that Raheem Mostert is an NFL star, that he considers his decision a moment of divine clarity but just imagine how dominant today’s Billabong team would be with him on it. Already the best around, featuring Italo, Ryan Callinan Seth Moniz, Griff Colapinto and Jack Freestone, Mostert would have offered a sub-4.4 40 time and uncanny ability to read defenses.
Oh what might have been.
But, quickly, while you’re here, did you ever have a “fork-in-the-road” moment too?
Did you choose the right path?
Epic end zone celebration after scored in final playoff game.
No way he would have graduated college if he had taken that contract. No way.
Surprised the WSL hasn’t made a Transformed episode out of this yet
And he’s pretty much guaranteed a trip to the Super Bowl this year.
All the Dude ever wanted was his rug back ….
Let’s not forget the famous french (basque) Bixente Lizarazu, who gave up surfing for football*, only to become World and Euro champ, as well as winning multiple national titles with Bayern Munich. The trend is clear. It’s too late for me, but you guys should stop while you still have a way out.
* the real one, that’s actually played with ones feet
He played for Bordeaux along with Dugarry and Zidane when I was studying there . I remember walking towards the Place de la Victoire to catch the bus to uni in 95 early in the morning following the night they beat AC Milan 3 – 0 in the return rubber of the Champions League …. looked like a war zone , every sign post and pole was bent over after the raucous celebrations from the inhabitants of Le Port de la Lune . Before the three of them went on to become the heroes of 98 ….. Fuck that was the best party EVER !
You must be talking about soccer. In America, soccer is played by women and children and is generally not put on tv.
Contrary to the belief of its citizens, America is not considered as the bastion of intellectual greatness by the rest of the world.
Possibly. I’m taking about the sport where players predominantly use their feet to move the ball across the field. Don’t worry, you know it when you see it, the name is pretty descriptive.
This is my mantra for the new roaring 20’s
“If you win … thank your agent, thank your God and f*** off.”
All hail RG and BG
That’ll be difficult for Slater.
He seems to enjoy chatting to Rosie.
Who wouldn’t?
Some of the really short guys?
I found 20 bucks walking home from the beach the other day.
I guess I chose the right path.
Soliciting ….again ?
She came quickly
5 minutes at $20 a pop …. license to thrill Bex 007
In the ’90s my beloved Newcastle Knights signed a player named Greg Smith, who claimed he’d come direct from the NFL where he was a star running back.
He had one of the worst debuts of all time, single handedly losing the Knights the game. Subsequently it was discovered his NFL career was entirely made up and he was fired on the spot.
What a Black Smith and a rotten Dark Knight ?
They’re good those knights scouts.
They probably ended up as scouts in the 90s after working at banks in the 80s lending money to Skase and Bond ?
Was that info carefully hidden in google?
No google back then, I don’t think AskJeeves was too powerful either
My bad. I thought you was youngish
The Broncos had a fullback who in the 90s, according to John Ribot, “could’ve talked himself on to the wing for Australia”. Can’t remember his name, but he was serviceable. ANd he always looked like he was enjoying the game.
And who can forget Jason Akermanis, who when told by his coach that he wasn’t getting enough ‘hard ball gets’, responded with “Yeah, but I’m so quick I turn hard ball gets into easy ball gets”. At least he could play, as well as talk, a good game.
Haha you got to give it to him that’s pretty good.
fucking crazy not that long ago you could lie about being in the NFL and get away with it for a while
I remember a rumor going around that the great Mexican goalkeeper Jorge Campos was a champion surfer (the rumor was he was actually a world champion). He was one of the most flamboyant goalkeepers from the 1994 World Cup, which is really saying something. He was noted for being 5’6 and wearing very colorful clothing and having a penchant for running up the pitch to try to score. I’m wondering was he at any point a competitive surfer of any standing?
He looks like he might have made it as a jockey had football failed him . I did meet a Mexican Longboarder while tabulating judges sheets at the World Surfing Titles at Lacanau in 92 , Carlos Rodriguez , who loved to discotheque ( his words ) . Jimmy are you sure you didn’t confuse him with JUAN KEMPES …. who was famous in between the covers of Tracks Magazine along time ago , but not to sure , unlike the Surf god Huey , that he really exists ……… or ever existed ?
VIVA JUAN KEMPES !
Never heard of Juan Kempes. It was just something a lifeguard said to me back around 1994, and I always wondered about it, but it was probably untrue. It was hard to check things like that before the internet, especially in the surfing cultural backwater where I grew up
Juan KEMPES was a non existent ( possibly ) Latin lover , fighter , big wave surfer who was often cited in Tracks in the 80s ….. it is possible that Australian Surfings’ Missi Dominici of the 80s spread the word as far as Ireland and Jorge Campos and Juan KEMPES stories became intermingled through dodgy Oz Accents? Craig Johnson ,The Former Liverpool player liked to surf and thought it was even better than scoring a goal at Wembley in the FA Cup Final ( he had and was the inspiration to my great friend Parky to slowly stop playing football and embrace surfing for life ) and there was a bloke from Coffs Harbour , Gary Phillips who was playing in the national soccer league in OZ in the 80s while competing on the Australian Pro Am tour .
You never cease to impress James
I wasn’t always this loquacious , sorry , and as a matter of fact I loved to listen to stories so people often told theirs stories to me .
Was Juan related to Brian Westlake?
Possibly …. fuck old Brian brewed up a storm with his
“ Midnight Oil Hates a Rage “ letter to Tracks …. fucken Witch Hunt
I’d say he made the right choice: “Raheem Mostert signed a 3 year contract with the San Francisco 49ers on March 19, 2019. The contract is worth $8,650,000 . . . .” — Bank $millions after a few years in the league and then skate and surf for the next couple decades as long as his body is not destroyed from football.
Laughing / Skating all the way to the Bank and he can probably afford the hip replacements at the end of his career ….that’s about $8,649,000 more than I made in the last 10 years though I did sell a carpet for €10 today
….and when JJF is out of the water, coach Ross Williams moonlights for the Raiders…
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Fuck football.
Which one Dick ? Or did you have a bad foot massage on your balls ?
The throwing one.
In 93 I had a choice ….. stay home , work , pay off mortgage ( 18 % at the time )
Or
Go Surf , Travel , Study and Party like it was 1989 ….. 2020 still no regrets .
The good times cost you roughly 1.5 mill
Thanks Gordon Bex Gekko. At my funeral they could have said James suicided from misery at the age of 28 , attempting to live out dreams of others that were not his own , but thankfully , at least for my wife and kids 20 years later , I did what I had to do and am still alive to tell the tale . Some bloke once said “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” but I won’t be going there either with or without my 1.5 mill .
In christian heaven you get 69 sluts.
Can you imagine 69 clingy virgins?
Surely there must be some type of Swiss Finishing School for the slow learners ?
I’ve had seven virgins. It’s hard work but I’m forever grateful for the experiences.
I think I might have flown with Virgin … ? Oops … no that was with Easy Jet .
“Smyrna Beach” is very sharky, don’t come, you will get attacked. Many have died, some only maimed. When Chas was here the only reason he didn’t get attacked is that it turns out vodka oozing from one’s pores isn’t appealing as sharks are teetotalers, who knew?
Sounds like the perfect site for the Smirnoff Smyrna Beach Pro ?
The only contest Chas would cover
Smith Slays Smyrna’s Smirnoff !
I got very very lucky.
Driving and watching football.?
Probly drinking too?