It's a wrap, folks.
Earlier in the week, I received credible information from a trustworthy source that the World Surf League was hours away from making a grand announcement regarding the future of professional surfing. According to shim (English’s wonderful version of Latinx), the first event of the year would be Dec. and Hawaii, likely Pipeline, and would roll directly into the 2021 season.
I waited with bated breath and…. crickets.
It is now Friday afternoon, past the hour for any announcement major or minor, and what the hell is happening in Santa Monica?
Another source confirmed that there was, indeed, a “major” announcement planned but it had been mysteriously scuttled without explanation.
And so, is this moment the official end or was the official end a few months ago?
Hard to say.
I used to assume there was some play happening behind the scenes I couldn’t comprehend, as I am not a smart man, but rather a surf journalist.
I used to assume that professional surfing’s current owner co-Waterperson of the Year and exclusive southern plantation co-owner Dirk Ziff was wise and that his CEO Erik Logan was also wise.
But they are not wise.
Ziff is likely mentally checked out, worrying about other business ventures and/or his southern plantation. Logan is in well over his head, understanding neither sport nor storytelling nor surfing, Covid-19 exploded the tour and there was, truly, nothing else in the cupboard, except for his corpo double-speak and Dave Prodan’s interview skills.
The World Surf League bills itself as “The Global Home of Surfing” but it is not nor ever was. There is no “Global Home of Surfing” except for maybe Peru, where it all began (buy here in brand new paperback and signed by author).
So it’s over and my only question to you is should I take joy in tossing dirt onto the corpse or be sad whilst doing?
Chris Dixon and Frank: please email [email protected] from the address you'd like your BeachGrit login on.
Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
my hawaiian got robbed. Razor thin win at best. damn aussie barely eked out a debatable split decision.
It’s from Billy Madison. Calm down. You’re just being hysterical right now.
Jist of article is clear…”major announcement coming!”, then nothing. The rest is entertainment.
Nothing inaccurate there.
Let me help you out:
The cynicism is the tour is run by double-speak corpos like Sophie & Fireb…eerrr, Elo. Not surfers.
Pro surfing should be much more adaptable and agile than traditional sports.
Could keep running it like Redbull challenges or e.g.: Top 32 submit a weekly vid from local areas with performance points awarded. Top 10 going man on man at Pipe for provisional Title.
Something, anything…
If WSL uses my consult, I’ll send my invoices to the Santa Monica office.
You’re right Way-O, I tip my garbage guy every xmas, those guys really are unsung heroes
yes true, they serve a higher and more practical purpose than pro surfers.
I used to leave a 12 pack of beer with a bow on it for them before xmas. Now the truck has an automated can grabber, with just a driver, so they might not know that it is a full box of beer. Now I just go out there at 4am and hand it to him. Same with the newspaper delivery person. Two $10 gifts that hopefully makes them both feel appreciated.
( If English is your second language, then I apologise in advance.)
What the fuck you going on about? Nothing here makes any sense
heroes, you want heroes,—make the waves your heroes, they won’t let you down.— and the rest of us found ways to work and still surf, —and no, surfing is not like golf……
Mr. Fireball, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
The big rumour is
ELO’s under house arrest
Like his pal Oprah
I’m living on the planet where people adjust and make interesting, fresh, new content or don’t.
UFC killing it, they think today’s ppv is gonna be the biggest ever. Taking adversity into stride and adapting. That could be surfing. It was well positioned for some strike missions to good places with a small field of chargers. Also, since they broke old mates pelvis in Morocco they seem to have lost their nerve on the big wave “free surf” model
Oh hell yeah. Today’s UFC 251 is a true grudge match with Local Waianae boy Max Holloway vs Aussie Alexander Volkanovski. Max will regain the featherweight title he lost to bogus decision 6 months ago to Volkanovski. Look for Max to seriously kick some kangaroo butt while his babe Alessa Quizon watches from ringside.
https://youtu.be/fNIVmJWDPFU
Beach Grit is E-Lo’s hostel hostess with the mostess. And E-Lo may not admit it, but SUPn gets dem core backpackin’ muscles twitchin’ something fierce.
If E-Lo opened a hostel somewhere, where would it be, and what sorta amenities would it offer world dabblers?
I gave this iteration of organized pro surfing a solid go. It failed.
Pro Surfing – the red headed stepchild of Professional Sports.
I nominate Mick Cambell for CEO.
It’s also the red headed stepchild of surfing
Announcement delay is likely because fo discussions around a sale (or firesafe of a burning dumpster of greenbacks) so no announcement can be made as new ownership would not have signed off on a continuation of a flawed business model. With a $150M price tag for an asset that has 7 years of continuous loosing $$$ track record, let’s see if Ziff will have the ability to check his ego to accept what will likely be a nominal “good will” offer to take the financial mess off his plate. Any new owner will be coming in with a drastic shake up. Watch for a refresh on Elo’s LinkedIn profile!!! As well as Chas’s as future CEO!!!!
Me thinks Dirk is finding out now, why the Old Asp–badically gave pro surfing away….
Did anyone not see this coming? I onced
owned a failing business and remember there always being that silver bullet that would turn it all around. It never does. With the wosl first it was the name change, then the new logo, then the oprah guy, the big wave world tour, the wave pool, the schedule change, the non schedule change, the story telling angle, the reality show… now the huge announcements are announced a month in advance and they never come. Anyone remember that scene where Peter Pan is trying to catch his own shadow? They’ve spent years proving that its not a viable business and now they are trying to sell it for 150m? Ok!
Yes, why would anyone in their right mind buy it? Just so they can get kicked around and suffer verbal abuse on the World wide Web……
You need to get on some nrl forums
What do you think the costs are for the non tour this year, to the wsl
Are there heaps of fixed costs that they have to pay regardless of whether events go ahead or not. I am interested
Maybe this year will be the closest thing to being in the black the wsl has been since the ziff took over?
In other dumbfounding news, that requires explanation…a school teacher was arrested this week for sexual interactions with a student
When did this stop being considered extra curricular activity?
In my day I think teachers even put such exploits on their time sheets, and got paid overtime
That was their major announcement. Don’t you get it?
I think poor ol’ Ziff is still searching for a takeholder of the reins. It’s like the WSL is a foster child the orphanage doesn’t want back.
biscuits would be a rad nickname!
Tossing onto a corpse? Listening now.