Jingoism.
If there is one narrative that has become cemented amongst grouchy fans of professional surfing, and its cadre of grumpy surf journalists, it is that there are simply too many professional surfers on tour. That the draw should be stripped back, losing perennial losers, the best of the best finishing in one swell window etc.
You’ve heard it many times because I’ve said it many times and likely written it more but yesterday evening found me minding my own business, scrolling through Instagram messages when I was almost punched off my stool.
Read with me.
I can’t disagree with you more regarding your desire for a championship tour with only the 10 ‘best’ surfers in the world. There should be more surfers on tour. In no other professional sport are there only 10 elite athletes competing. For example, 128 athletes compete in each tennis grand slam. More surfers, from more countries, makes professional surfing much more interesting. It would also mean more money for the sport due to increased viewership. A greater number of surfers on the championship tour also increases the chance of their being more characters in the sport. If someone only enjoys watching the top 10, there’s always the option of only watching their specific heats. More surfers on tour will create more interesting stories in surfing and more rivalries in the sport. The best ranked surfers aren’t always the most enjoyable to watch. I would like to see a minimum of 48 surfers on the CT, with 4 man heats from R1 to the final.
I parried, “Are there enough that aren’t boring?” and was directly hit between the eyes with…
Absolutely, the top 200 surfers in the world all rip, and are entertaining to watch. 4 man heats are always more exciting, there’s more action and more potential for drama. The key to growing viewership is having more countries represented on the CT. For example, when Tiago surfed, Portuguese surfers, and Portuguese sports fans in general, tuned in. The WSL needs a new format for the QS, that ensures each major surfing nation has at least one surfer competing on the CT at all times, this is easily done. The more reasons to watch, the more that will watch. More surfers, and more countries represented will do this. I’m already tired of watching Italo v Gab, imagine that for the next 10 years. Sure, they might still make every final, but along the way 4 man heats will provide compelling viewing for a variety of surf and sport fans all over the world. Nationalism could save the WSL.
Whoa.
Have I been wrong this whole time? Should the WSL explode its ranks and become a jingoistic free for all, flags waving, insults hurled, etc. Hooligan supporter groups?
Is this what the International Surfing Association does?
Am I missing out?
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I’ve never done it nor have I judged man on man heats All 4 man heats, except for the WSL who also have the benefit of video replays to work with.
That’s exactly what the Tsar wants and needs them to believe ….. and not what the people need ?
As many as it takes. Let’s start with 10
Here’s another revolutionary idea, that could make the one-day finals-format more viable:
Instead of every event going from R1 through to the finals, each event should just be a bunch of head-to-head match ups. At the beginning of the season, all the match-ups are drawn up and arranged in a draw just like a regular sports league (eg NRL, NFL, etc). So each surfer might meet every other surfer a couple of times per year, and each surfer might have 2-3 non elimination heats at each location. Each surfer accrues points towards an end of season tally based not on event placings but on total accrued heat wins.
Win = 2 points
Win by combo = 3 points
Lose by less than a point = 1 point
1 bonus point for any 10 point ride.
(So conceivably you can lose a ripper heat but still score just as many rankings points as someone who barely scrapes a win. It fucken pisses me off watching guys like Owen score 18 points at Teahupoo but still lose to Medina or JJF, while some other guy advances with a total score of 3 against Peterson Crisanto)
Then the top 8 are taken from those rankings for the finals series, just like in other sports (except the finals are a 1 day event).
Ok Fernando the gig is up reveal yourself
there is
a certain merit
to this discourse
I’m all for more surfers. Throw in more wildcards to make it fun. I always figured Chas’s whole “cut the tour down” narrative was because surf contests are just more work for someone who claims to be a surf journalist. As a surf fan, I’d have contests running all day every day. I don’t care, love having it playing in the back ground even if I’m not watching. Hey Chas, the WSL finals are giving you what you want, less surfers. Finally a contest you can sit through.
I have tried to think about why I watch the tour and the root cause is that I love to watch high quality surfing. Now, when the waves are shit I tend to only watch the guys that I am interested in – but that does not necessarily equate to the position on the rankings. For example, I watch every JJF, R Cal and Connor O’leary heat but wouldn’t watch Morgs, Owen, Connor Coffin. When the waves are firing I will watch everything.
What works for me, regardless of the conditions, is the overlapping heats – the more action in the water the better and it reduces the repetitive and inane commentary – so I think that the 4 person heats have merit, at least maybe up to the round of 32 or 16 (whatever they do in the QS 10,000’s).
Introducing more competitors into each event would increase the action so, in theory, would increase the enjoyment level. But they gotta do it in good waves – and there’s the rub. More competitors means longer time to run means lower chance of running the entire comp in a good swell during the waiting period which leads back to Chas’s mantra of fewer competitors and a shorter competition period.
So many problems! It’s certainly beyond my feeble intellect to solve.
Hell yeah, overlapping heats should be a given.
I’ve been talking about the future of the sport lying in exhibitionism (no, not THAT type!) and this is essentially the core of it: People just want to watch good surfing. The more you push aside the World Title narrative, the easier it is to forgive the wildly variable judging, decline in quality of locations, and hyperbolic commentary.
I’m a massive fan of JJF but I loved watching him lose to Morgan because Morgan simply surfed really well. I couldn’t give a damn who eventually wins the title if we get to see a year worth of entertaining heats and great surfing like that.
Agree with you on the overlapping heats too – it should be mandatory for the round of 32.
Tour event locations? That’s a whole other discussion.
Unless you meant my medicine/reality check- right between the eyes.
most waves caught and competitors burned will replace speed, power, and flow as criteria. nationalistic acts of violence can be claimed for added point bonuses and advancement, like the claims used in the skins events they used to do.
20. each man judges his own 2-best rides. based on his own criteria. sort it out, lads
Cut the field down to one surfer; Kelly. Allow him to surf any ‘contests’ he wishes throughout the year and then award him the crown. This will continue until his death and then the idea of a ‘World Champion’ will be retired.
Stalin , Putin and Slater ….. for life
I’m all for it as long as we the people get to choose the surfers in the comp, not some fuckin 3 to the beach moneyball coached fuckers.
This isn’t fully fleshed out but- What if the they tightened the official CT field to the top 16 ranked surfers, and instead of the elimination round (losing good surfers to shit conditions), they have playoff style matchups, a wild card heat of the next best 16 in the rankings to get into the main event. Like Leo and Mikey Wright surfing for the spot at Pipe.
Every contest have 16 scrappers surfing to win their way IN instead of the whole field surfing not to lose between the seeding+ elimination round. Way more exciting if the little playoff at Pipe was any indication.
Suppose people could fall off and on CT at any time too. More excitement for QS events. Local wild cards is another factor, but sure it could be worked out.
Am I missing some glaring reason this wouldn’t work or be good? Shoot me straight.
This could work, a few problems I see are getting guys to commit to a tour they so easily fall on and off of, and let’s not forget the current batch of idiots couldn’t calculate a world title correctly and handed it over early. Imagine them trying to do the constant points calculations to determine the top 16 at any given moment.
Anything to help Chloe get that virginal CT scalp, right?!
It dosent matter what the WSL does.
You lot would watch it like a 3 year old watches peppa pig
I thought Peppa Pig got cancelled?
I dont read the Guardian.
Or the Echo
Duggee is way better
Ah woof!!
RastaMouse all the way.
thanks. that was a good recap.. bummed they didn’t get it in the jewels though, and wicsh the swastika guy got his ass pummeled by a group of folks.. but.. alas. it was relatively peaceful
If you’re going down the jingoistic chest beating path throw the whole format out the window and make it nation-based tag team events, Nudie Boardriders / Founder’s Cup style. It’s ten times more enjoyable to watch as a spectator.
Unless the people in charge don’t know how to count , and somehow , your team or your club’s chance to win the bloody thing , or at least be in the final , gets crushed ….due to a counting error and not a judging error .Sadly this occurred the year Culburra won the Nudie Event .
When the error was eventually pointed out , Money , changed hands to soften the blow but the chance for glory and prestige and more importantly bragging rights was lost and gone
Can’t exactly call that a real news source. More like a Newsmax/OANN wannabe with pseudonymous writers.
I’m surprised I don’t hate this idea. But instead of 4 man heats they should have a trials day, with say 20 man heats that are 2 hours long with no priority system. The chaos would be amusing at the least.
Now we’re getting somewhere!