Swag Surfin' infinitely more popular than Competitive Professional Surfin'.
When billionaire Dirk Ziff purchased professional surfing for free almost one decade ago, rebranding it the World Surf League, the sky seemed to be a conservative limit. Paul Speaker was announced as the first CEO, giving interviews and press conferences about how massive the sport would soon be. Hundreds of millions would certainly tune in, sharing the joy of competitive water sliding with each other.
Surfing, as was promised, to the moon.
Alas, that almost one decade on and viewership seems to be capped at 3 million, maximum, per event and not growing even though 10x that would be required to recoup costs and break even. Regional ladder companies have replaced beer juggernauts as advertisers. World champions are fleeing faster than Joe Turpel can say, “Gotta love that.”
The only real viral hit, when Mick Fanning was brushed by a shark at J-Bay during the first year of Ziff ownership.
Thus, you can understand the bitter tears streaming down World Surf League chief cheeks as the fifteen-year-old hip hop song Swag Surfin’ has gone viral, again, this time due the unsinkable Taylor Swift.
Now considered a “sports anthem,” the tune began humbly enough in Stone Mountain, Georgia where Myko, McFly, Vee and Mook, operating as F.L.Y. or Fast Life Yungstaz, recorded the track in a two-bedroom apartment. The Guardian has just published a historical account of how the song became popular in Atlanta clubs before making its way to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) then state institutions before being blasted at the White House, Beyonce concerts… everywhere.
Most recently, it was played during the Kansas City Chief playoff win over the Miami Dolphins. Taylor Swift, in a suite, danced along and the song received its 20th spike.
“I wanna say since I’ve been here it’s been a huge fourth-quarter, big-time moment, big-time drive in the game for our defense,” Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce explained on his podcast. “They play a highlight video that has Swag Surfin’ on it, and it just gets everybody hyped.”
“It just reminds us of the trendsetters we’ve been for the last 15 years,” Mook declared.
While the World Surf League self-identifies as “the global home of surfing,” it appears that Fast Life Yungstaz actually have claim to the title.
The L in WSL quickly transitioning from “League” to “Losers.”
Dark days.